[SBS Star] "I Didn't Know as 2NE1" DARA Is Desperate for Money Now that She Is No Longer as Popular

DARA of disbanded K-pop girl group 2NE1 shares how desperate she is for money these days. 

On November 10 episode of boy group GOT7's BAMBAM's YouTube show 'Bam House', DARA joined as a guest. 

While speaking about DARA's solo promotions, BAMBAM asked, "Is vacation something that you want more right now? Or do you wish to be more active in the industry?" 

DARA laughed, then gave him an honest answer, "I'm desperate for money, actually. I need money to release an album, so... It's my first time promoting by myself, and the reality seems to hit me harder now." 

Sighing, she continued, "When I was part of 2NE1, I had no idea how important money was. I didn't know it at all. Back then, even when we shot really fancy music videos, we would still get paid a lot. That meant we were making much more than we spent on the making of our albums." 

"But it's unfortunately not the same anymore. Just because I'm making less, I can't make bad music videos though...!", she added.
Then, DARA mentioned how much 2NE1's fandom has shrunk over the years, "After we disbanded, our fandom has continuously gotten smaller. It's definitely much smaller compared to the size of it in the past." 

She laughingly resumed, "In fact... One of the reasons why the number has decreased is because quite many of them transferred themselves to BLACKPINK's fandom. They used to be our fans, but now BLACKPINK's fans." 

When BAMBAM asked about the possibility of future performances of 2NE1, DARA replied, "Well, our performance at Coachella was the first one in seven years." 

"Even though we've disbanded, we'll always be 2NE1. That's not going to change, ever. We've received a number of offers for our group performances, actually. But... I don't know. It hasn't really worked out well so far." 
 
DARA made debut as a member of 2NE1 in 2009 after her 2-year training at YG Entertainment. 

2NE1 is considered one of the most popular K-pop girl groups in history, topping various music charts with its tracks including 'FIRE', 'I DON'T CARE', 'I AM THE BEST' and many more.

The group disbanded at the end of their contract with YG Entertainment in 2016. 

DARA then left YG Entertainment and joined ABYSS COMPANY in September 2021, and kicked off her solo career this summer. 

(Credit= '뱀집' YouTube, YG Entertainment) 

(SBS Star)