Now that it's been approximately five years since 2NE1's debut, how much has their music changed? How much of it has stayed the same?

In order to address these questions I will be comparing and contrasting 2NE1's 1^st mini album, which was released in 2009, and their more current studio album 'Crush'.

2NE1's first EP was successful in that it established their color. There was a definite 'swag' in their music that no other girl group had. Their lyrics weren't about hopeless love or chasing guys. Instead, they wrote and sung about being strong, independent females. In addition they delivered a stage performance that didn't seem too mechanical; they knew how to enjoy themselves and transmit that to their audiences.

Another thing that their EP demonstrates is their ability to play around with a mix of genres. Combining hip-hop, R&B, electro pop and dance-pop, this was the first time we saw 2NE1 perform songs that could be classified into the crossover genre. For example, tracks such as 'Fire' had distinct Middle Eastern tonalities and 'I Don't Care' hinted at Reggae and R&B.

However, 2NE1's 1^st mini album was exclusively composed and written by YG's resident producer Teddy and Kush. In terms of the actual behind-the-scenes operations of the album, the 2NE1 members had little to no contributions.

2NE1's new album 'Crush' is almost like a loyal follow-up to this 1^st EP. Their color and fierceness remains, if not gets stronger. We can see through the teaser images that Sandara is no longer the 'cute' and 'pretty' member of the group; she can also display charisma. Minzy, in addition, becomes an adult and states that she can now "understand stage mannerisms better". Their songs, however, have become more sentimental in comparison to their first EP. Tracks like 'Come Back Home', 'Gotta Be You' and 'Baby I Miss You' show off a sentimentalism that 2NE1 lacked in their first mini-album.

In terms of the genres, 2NE1 remains constant. 'Crush', just like their first EP, contains songs that cannot be classified into one genre. For example, 'Come Back Home' not only has hints of Reggae and R&B but also Dubstep.

One major different this current album contains is their overall contribution to the album. 2NE1 finally (partially) leaves the crutches that Teddy and Kush provided in their 1^st mini-album and take on composition and writing for some of the songs. For this we have CL to congratulate. She is responsible for composing and writing a total of three tracks.

How much do you think their music will change? Can they keep on being successful while keeping their music similar?