2NE1 is finally coming back with a full album - but you might be surprised to know that this is only their second full album. Why does it take them so long to put together a full album? The answer might be simpler than you think - 2NE1 is attempting a transition from Idol stars to being taken seriously as Musicians.

Sure, they are popular. They are popular enough to draw thousands of people to their album release concert internationally. They are going on a world tour that will span 4 months. Billboard has already stated that 2NE1 is one of the most influential K-Pop musicians in the world.

Their second world tour will end in June, and that may be the point that we need to recognize 2NE1 as musicians and not just another girl group. Even though K-Pop is being made famous internationally, not many groups can handle them successfully on the scale that 2NE1 has already done.

2NE1's breakaway from the trending "sexy" concept is also the reason that they must be recognized as musicians rather than performers or idol stars. While many idol stars create music to appeal to the listeners to a quick rise to popularity, music produced in this manner does not last. 2NE1's music, on the other hand, still sounds good and enjoyable.

Their first title song is titled "Come Back Home". YG Entertainment's CEO Yang Hyun Suk spoke on the song, saying, "I'm sure many people will think about Seo Taiji and the Boys' last title song when they hear the title song. However, this new arrangement of the song is about missing a lover, so the lyrics and the melody is very different."

The second title song, "Gotta Be You", is an up-tempo track produced by top YG producers PK and Teddy and is expected to be a song that is very popular with the general public.

Four music videos were created for the two songs. YG's Yang Hyun Suk explained, "Two music videos were filmed for 'Come Back Home', which will be released soon. It will be followed by the music video for 'Gotta Be You'. The music video for the song 'Happy', which was filmed in the US, will be released thereafter."

It's also interesting to note that CL was one of the producers of their album. She wrote three songs and wrote the lyrics for another five. If CL's participation proves to be the trump card that puts them over the top, it's very likely that 2NE1 will remain a unit for a long time.

Take Big Bang for example - G-Dragon's ascension as one of K-Pop's most beloved and recognized international icon and producer is one of the main reasons that Big Bang was able to perform together for 8 years and counting. In order to remain relevant in the K-Pop industry, this evolution is necessary - and 2NE1 seems to be moving in the right direction.