On January 8, 2024, Cube Entertainment announced (G)I-dle would be releasing their second studio album titled2 on January 29.[3] Four days later, a comeback trailer was released.[4] On January 13, the promotional schedule was released.[5] Five days later, the track listing was released with "Super Lady" announced as the lead single.[6] On January 19, the audio snippet teaser was released.[7] On January 21, the music video teaser for "Wife" was released.[8] A day later, "Wife" was released alongside its music video.[9] On January 24, a story film for "Super Lady" was released,[10] followed by the music video teasers on January 25 and 26.[11][12] The music video was released on January 29. A music video for the b-side track "Revenge" was released on February 16.[13]
"I didn't want to be stuck in a rut, so I named the album '2'—a special number with significance for us [(G)I-dle]. When flipped, it becomes 5, representing our five members, and coincidentally, it mirrors our debut date on May 2nd. Additionally, I wanted to create aregular album because of the abundance of songs we had. It wasn't a difficult decision, as regular albums tend to showcase a more diverse side of our music."
—Soyeon explained the name and concept of the album during an interview with "Noon Hope Song," viaSports Chosun.[14]
In an interview withBillboard, the group discussed their creative process. Minnie shared, "I started working on our songs when we were heading towards the end of our world tour (I Am Free-ty World Tour). Although I did not have enough time, I worked on the songs non-stop and was able to make 'Vision' and '7Days' within 10 days." Shuhua added, "Whenever we had a free moment, we practiced and recorded our songs."[2] As noted byBillboard, "all members took active roles in shaping the album's direction," with Soyeon emphasized the collaborative effort, saying, "We all were involved together. We communicated with the choreographer to revise the details while learning the choreography for our title track single 'Super Lady' because I wanted to do something that wasn't so obvious." Yuqi added, "Most of the choreography and concept were centered around Soyeon, as she is the producer of the group, but all of our members gathered together to share our opinions."[2]
2 contains eight tracks. The third track "Doll" was described as a song with "dark atmosphere" with lyrics "providing a fresh shock [in contrast] to the title reminiscent of a cute doll".[15] In her review, Gladys Yeo ofNME observed that "Doll" carries the essence of a sequel to 2022's "Sculpture," from their EPI LOVE (2022), portraying a shift into a villainous arc where the characters are no longer willing to contort themselves to gain love's validation.[16] The fourth track "Vision" is a alluringjersey club song,[16] with "dreamychords."[15] The fifth track "7 Days" contains "emotional guitar riff". The sixth track "Fate" was described as a song with "colorful band rhythm and melody". The seventh track "Rollie" was described as ahip-hop song with "dynamic and vintage" rhythm.[15] The last track "Wife" was described asbubblegum bass-basedpop song with "bold" lyrics that "attracts attention with metaphorical but explicit".[17]
Gladys Yeo ofNME emphasized the versatility displayed in2, noting a spectrum of tracks from energetic anthems to introspective love songs. She commended the album for its diversity and the group's evolving dynamics. However, Yeo criticized certain tracks for their lack of innovation. Overall, she highlighted how the album stands as a testament to (G)I-DLE's individuality both as performers and producers.[16]IZM's Jang Jun-hwan reflects on (G)I-DLE's albumI Never Die, which revitalizes the group's image as resilient and unyielding. He discusses the strategic approach of the pre-release single 'Wife', praising its boldness in breaking taboos within the K-pop scene. However, Jun-hwan criticizes the track 'Super lady' for losing its purpose and succumbing to overproduction. He evaluates other tracks like 'Revenge' and 'Doll', noting their thematic consistency but lack of individual power compared to previous b-side songs. Jun-hwan highlights 'Fate' as a standout track for its lyricism and atmospheric qualities. Ultimately, he questions the album's coherence and differentiation from the group's previous work, leaving lingering uncertainties about its intent and direction.[18]
2 has surpassed the previous record set byI Feel; selling over 1,163,395 copies. Remarkably, the album achieved million-seller status within two days of its release, a notable feat given the recent downward trend in K-pop idol group sales. Positioning (G)I-DLE as the 5th highest-ranking K-pop girl group for all-time initial release sales, trailing behind Aespa, New Jeans, Ive, and Blackpink.[19]
^Kim, Hyun-sik (January 8, 2024).(여자)아이들, 정규 앨범으로 29일 컴백 [(G)I-dle, comeback on the 29th with regular album] (in Korean). E-daily.Archived from the original on January 28, 2024. RetrievedJanuary 28, 2024 – viaNaver.
^Kim, Na-yul (January 12, 2024).(여자)아이들, 정규 2집 트레일러..블랙 립 파격비주얼 [(G)I-dle, 2nd full-length album trailer.. Black lip striking visuals] (in Korean).Herald POP.Archived from the original on January 28, 2024. RetrievedJanuary 28, 2024 – viaNaver.
^Yoon, Jun-ho (January 13, 2024).(여자)아이들, 더 강력하게 돌아온다...정규 2집 '2' 스케줄러 전격 공개 [(G)I-dle, coming back stronger...Scheduler for 2nd full-length album '2' released] (in Korean). Ten Asia.Archived from the original on January 28, 2024. RetrievedJanuary 28, 2024 – viaNaver.
^Ji, Min-kyung (January 18, 2024).(여자)아이들, 타이틀곡은 'Super Lady'..멤버 전곡 작사·작곡 참여 [(G)I-dle, the lead single is 'Super Lady'..All members participated in writing and composing the lyrics of the song] (in Korean). Osen.Archived from the original on January 28, 2024. RetrievedJanuary 28, 2024 – viaNaver.
^Ahn, Tae-hyun (January 19, 2024).(여자)아이들, 정규 2집 오디오 스니펫 공개...컴백 기대감↑ [(G)I-dle releases audio snippet from their 2nd full-length album...Expectations for comeback↑] (in Korean). News1.Archived from the original on January 28, 2024. RetrievedJanuary 28, 2024 – viaNaver.
^Kim, No-eul (January 21, 2024).(여자)아이들, 정규 2집 마지막 트랙 'Wife' MV 티저 공개 [(G)I-dle releases MV teaser for 'Wife', the final track of their 2nd full-length album] (in Korean). MT Star News.Archived from the original on January 28, 2024. RetrievedJanuary 28, 2024 – viaNaver.
^Kang, Ka-hee (January 22, 2024).'컴백' (여자)아이들, 'Wife' 깜짝 선공개..5人5色 키치 매력 ['Comeback' (G)I-dle, surprise pre-release of 'Wife'..5 people, 5 colors, kitsch charm] (in Korean).Herald POP.Archived from the original on January 28, 2024. RetrievedJanuary 28, 2024 – viaNaver.
^Ji, Min-kyung (January 24, 2024).(여자)아이들, 선정성 논란 속 타이틀 'Super Lady' 스토리 필름 공개 [(G)I-dle releases title 'Super Lady' story film amid controversy over sexual nature] (in Korean). Osen.Archived from the original on January 28, 2024. RetrievedJanuary 28, 2024 – viaNaver.
^Kim, Tae-hoon (January 25, 2024).(여자)아이들 'Super Lady' 티저 공개, 'Wife' 가사 논란 뚫을 수 있을까 [(G)I-dle's 'Super Lady' teaser released, will it be able to overcome the controversy over 'Wife' lyrics?] (in Korean). MHN Sports.Archived from the original on January 28, 2024. RetrievedJanuary 28, 2024 – viaNaver.
^Yoon, Junho (February 16, 2024).(여자)아이들, 정규 2집 수록곡 'Revenge' MV 깜짝 공개 [(G)I-DLE, surprise release of MV for 'Revenge', a song from their 2nd full-length album].Ten Asia (in Korean). RetrievedFebruary 16, 2024.
^Baek, Ji-eun (February 14, 2024)."[종합] 위기의 (여자)아이들, 전소연의 자신감 "무대로 보여줄때"('정희')" [[Comprehensive] (G)I-DLE in crisis, Jeon So-yeon's confidence "When it comes to showing it on stage" ('Jeong-hee')].Sports Chosun (in Korean). RetrievedApril 7, 2024.
^abcKim, Ji-hye (January 19, 2024).'컴백' (여자)아이들, 오디오 스니펙 오픈..명반 탄생 예고 ['Comeback' (G)I-dle opens audio snippet, heralding the birth of a masterpiece] (in Korean).Herald POP.Archived from the original on January 28, 2024. RetrievedJanuary 28, 2024 – viaNaver.
^Jeong, Hee-yeon (January 22, 2024)."키스하고 먹어치워" (여자)아이들, 선공개곡 '와이프' 공개 ["Kiss and eat it up" (G)I-dle releases pre-release song 'Wife'] (in Korean). Sports Donga.Archived from the original on January 28, 2024. RetrievedJanuary 28, 2024 – viaNaver.
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