Hangul
The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The le ...
: 투윤, commonly stylized as 2YOON) was the first and only sub-group of
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...
n girl group
4Minute
4Minute (, often stylized as 4MINUTE) was a South Korean girl group formed in 2009 by Cube Entertainment. The members of the group were Nam Ji-hyun, Heo Ga-yoon, Jeon Ji-yoon, Kim Hyuna and Kwon So-hyun. The group was known for its edgy d ...
, formed by
Cube Entertainment
Cube Entertainment Inc. () is a South Korean entertainment company. The company operates as a record label, talent agency, music production company, event management and concert production company, and music publishing house. Cube are known for h ...
in 2013. The sub-group consisted of Gayoon and Jiyoon., translated to English at
History
Gayoon and Jiyoon were the lead singers of 4Minute. Cube Entertainment CEO Hong Seung Sung wanted to pair them in a sub-group after watching the duo perform live at the 2011 United Cube in London.
The duo were known to fans collectively as Ssangyoon (Hangul: 쌍윤) (a
portmanteau
A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordstensed consonant, it was deemed to be ill-fitting for the group's cute image. As such, the sub-unit was renamed as 2Yoon. In addition, "ssangyoon" could be potentially misheard as a profanity, further supporting the basis for the name change.
2Yoon appeared on MBC's
Weekly Idol
''Weekly Idol'' is a South Korean variety show that began in 2011 and currently airs Wednesdays at 7:30 PM KST on MBC M, and 12:00 AM KST on MBC Every1. It is one of the longest-running variety shows to air on satellite TV in Japan.
The sho ...
as Ssangyoon, since the show was recorded before the official name change.
Career
On January 7, 2013, Cube Entertainment announced that the 2Yoon debut album, ''Harvest Moon'', was slated for a mid-January release, with "
24/7
In commerce and industry, 24/7 or 24-7 service (usually pronounced "twenty-four seven") is service that is available at any time and usually, every day. An alternate orthography for the numerical part includes 24×7 (usually pronounced "twenty ...
" confirmed as the title track. On January 22, 2013, 2YOON released its album and accompanying
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...
for "24/7." 2Yoon made its television debut on ''
M! Countdown
''M Countdown'' () is a South Korean music program broadcast by Mnet. The show features appearances by popular music artists who also perform live on stage. It is broadcast from CJ E&M Center Studio in Sangam-dong, Mapo District, Seoul.
B ...
'' on January 18, 2013.
2Yoon's members revealed through an interview that they felt motivated and encouraged by Girls' Generation members after a listening session. Gayoon, through another interview, also revealed she lost weight rehearsing to the song's choreography. Due to their innovative efforts,
Time Magazine
''Time'' (stylized in all caps) is an American news magazine based in New York City. For nearly a century, it was published weekly, but starting in March 2020 it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York City on Ma ...
showed interest in 2Yoon's music and observed Korea's potential in the world's music scene. 2Yoon became the first Korean girl group to be interviewed by Time. In the interview with TIME, the members cited that they listened to artists like Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift, and that they were used as inspiration to the recording sessions.
24/7
Marc Hogan of '' Spin'' called 2Yoon's "24/7" music video "as giddily irresistible as you'd hope", commending the pair for incorporating elements of country music without losing the "characteristically hyper-melodic, electronica"-ness of K-pop. Lily Rothman of ''Time'' lauded 2Yoon for attempting the "unlikely union" of country music and K-pop, showing the symbiotic influence that both American-music and K-pop exert on each other. Park Hyun-min of
Mnet
M-Net (an abbreviation of Electronic Media Network) is a South African pay television channel established by Naspers in 1986. The channel broadcasts both local and international programming, including general entertainment, children's series, ...
praised the "light and joyous" execution of the lead single.
"24/7" received polarized reviews, some praising its innovative attempt into bringing country music to Korean pop, while others criticized such aspects as its melody, lyrics, rap style and technique, claiming the song as an experimental failure.
Artistry
2Yoon has been praised by both foreign and domestic music magazines for being the first K-Pop act to release a country-inspired track.
2Yoon became the first sub-unit of a Korean music group to be promoted in Thailand, performing and giving interviews., translated to English at