Sandara Park shared that 2NE1 experienced strict restrictions during the group’s active years under YG Entertainment, while male artists at the company reportedly had more freedom.
On August 3, Sandara appeared on the YouTube show Donghaemul and Baekdo Eunhyuk, where she discussed second-generation idol life with Super Junior members Donghae and Eunhyuk.
Donghae recalled that Sandara was rarely allowed to leave the group’s dorm. Sandara responded, “We were only hip-hop in name,” referring to the difference between YG’s free-spirited image and the rules placed on 2NE1.
Eunhyuk said, “I thought YG would be more relaxed about those things.”
Sandara explained, “The boy groups were free, but we only stayed in the dorm. Even when we wanted to go to the convenience store, we were told to ask the manager.”
She added that Girls’ Generation appeared to have more freedom at the time, saying, “The Girls’ Generation members went out much more actively.”
The three artists also compared the working systems at SM Entertainment and YG Entertainment. Eunhyuk explained, “SM creates an annual plan and completes everything according to carefully calculated dates.”
Sandara said YG focused strongly on quality and would cancel or restart a project when a song did not meet expectations.
She explained, “Quality had to come first. If they did not like even a small part of a song, they would cancel it and start again.”
However, Sandara admitted that the long preparation process sometimes limited 2NE1’s opportunities to perform.
She said, “There were only a few days each year when we could appear on stage, so that was a little disappointing.”
