Since 2NE1 was disbanded, CL has been busy with her solo career. Before the disbanding, CL had already made her solo debut that instantly stole the netizens’ attention with the style of songs and concepts for her very sexy and stylish solo debut. CL alone is able to steal the attention of netizens with the aura of her own freedom. In April 2022, CL surprised fans with 2NE1’s reunion in Coachella. Let’s see the full profile of CL!
Profile of 2NE1’s CL
Name : Lee Chae-rin Stage Name : CL Date of Birth : February 26, 1991 Age : 26 years old Position : Leader, Main Rapper, Lead Dancer, Lead Vocalist, Face of the Group Zodiac : Pisces Height : 162 cm Weight : 48 kg Blood Type : A Religion : Christian (Catholic) Languages : Korean, English, French, and Japanese Specialties : Rap, Dance, Song-writing Instagram : @chaelincl Twitter : @chaelinCL
2NE1’s CL as a Singer
After 2NE1 was disbanded, CL decided to continue his career as a solo artist. Even now, CL’s ability as a solo artist really mesmerizes netizens. CL’s net worth is predicted to be around 8 million USD. In August 2009, CL also teamed up with label-mates G-Dragon from Big Bang and Teddy Park from 1TYM for the song “The Leaders” on G-Dragon’s first solo album Heartbreaker. In August, after completing the I Don’t Care promotion, 2NE1 members released their solo single. CL collaborated with Minzy for the song “Please Don’t Go”, and at the end of November, this song was ranked number 6 on the Gaon Chart. CL’s first solo single, “The Baddest Female”, was released on May 28, 2013. On October 15, 2014, YG Entertainment announced that CL planned to debut as a solo artist in the United States the following year. On November 21, 2015, CL released a solo single titled “Hello Bitches”. This is her first solo song that is not part of a 2NE1 album. CL has been doing tours in various countries, especially in America. She is admired by American artists and even her American concerts are always filled with fans. CL does have her own style to steal the attention of netizens and introduce to the public who she is. “Hello Bitches” is a song that really depicts CL to the public with her boldly brought swag and sexy style that suits her character. Many Hollywood artists are amazed by the charm of CL, The Baddest Female from Korea. Even many American artists want to collaborate with CL. She announced her intentions to formally debut as a solo artist in the U.S. in 2014 and partnered with American music agent Scooter Braun, who has represented Usher and Ariana Grande, among others. Like many young stars, CL’s experience has not been without a few knocks while breaking out in America. “These days, I mean, my fans are internet kids, so they’re everywhere. I’m happy, you know, if I can inspire them, or even if they hate me.” “It takes so much more effort and energy to hate something or someone else. I appreciate the hate!” she said. “I feel like I put so much energy and time into it that I, I’m going to, I have to do it. So, I want to do it right, and that’s why it’s taking so long.”
Songs by 2NE1’s CL
With her debut as a solo artist, of course, CL has stolen the attention of netizens with her songs. Even while in 2NE1, she showed her talent towards being a solo artist.
“Please Don’t Go” (2010) – CL feat. Minzy
“Please Don’t Go” is part of the 2NE1 album titled To Anyone released in 2009. CL together with the maknae of 2NE1, Minzy, managed to steal the attention of netizens with their collaboration that deeply describes their characters.
“The Baddest Female” (2013)
“The Baddest Female” is CL’s first song as a solo artist. Just a few hours after release in 2013, CL gained more than two million viewers on the MV. In fact, she managed to memuncaki many charts in various countries. CL is not only The Baddest Female in Korea, she is also standing tall in the music charts overseas with her solo debut! “The Baddest Female” has already grabbed the #1 spot on all of the major live music charts, but it’s also been spotted rising up on the iTunes charts overseas. The single was spotted at #1 on the iTunes’ Top Singles chart in Singapore, #2 in Hong Kong and Taiwan, #4 in Malaysia, and #9 in Vietnam, charting in the Top 10 in five countries. The song also fared well with #13 in Thailand, #17 in the Philippines, #32 in Sweden, #35 in Finland, #63 in the Czech Republic, #80 in Norway, #94 in Brazil, and #98 in Brunei, making its way into the Top 100 in a total of 14 countries. It has also topped the Melon, Mnet, Olleh, Bugs, Soribada, Naver Music, Daum Music, Cyworld Music, and Monkey3 music charts since its release. It’s not that big of a surprise that Blackjacks around the world have been looking forward to The Baddest Female ever since they first heard the news of CL’s solo debut. There is also much controversy and criticism on the song and style of CL’s appearance. Netizens said she is too sexy with her swimsuit costume. The Korea Communications Standards Commission (KOCSC) has sent an official note of firm ‘advice’ to SBS Inkigayo for allowing CL to wear a swimsuit outfit on stage. SBS Kim Yong Kwon PD pleaded, “We should have regulated it better, but we were told by those at their office [YG Entertainment] that they put a lot of effort into her outfit, so I can not regulate it strongly. I think that was wrong. I have no excuse to make.” CL’s reps said that she will wear a coat on top of her outfit if allowed, but there was still a problem. “there was a problem. But, when an agency is too strong, there is a limit to how much we can say.” He also added, “Since a few weeks ago, we’ve been having artists send us the outfits they plan to wear through photos because of the (sexual) controversies.” After reviewing the situation, one of the judges on the panel, Um Kwang Suk, said, “It’s kind of overboard to take legal action with the exposure level of a swimsuit. But, at the same time, we thought that if we only gave administrative guidance, even more severe violations may happen in the future, so we thought a lot about it. However, in the end, we still believed that legal action for this is too much.” He explained their aim was to give advice to the show and suggested being mindful in the future. Junior Chairperson Kwon Hyun Bu disagreed and said, “It was aired during the safe hours for adolescents’ television viewing.“. However, since the majority of the opinions of the others on the panel were that CL’s outfit, if slightly revealing, was not accompanied by a provocative choreography or motions that utilized the outfit, the show was, in the end, just issued a note of ‘advice ‘. Blackjacks also did not question CL’s costume because, according to them, it is CL’s style and she is entitled to expose herself on stage with his own style. With “The Baddest Female”, CL received the award for “Best Dance Performance by Solo Artist” at the 2013 MAMA, “20′s Style” at Mnet 20′s Choice Awards 2013 and the “2013 Hottest Female Artist” at the 5th annual Philippine Kpop Convention 5.
“MTBD (Mental Breakdown)” (2014) – CL
“Mental Breakdown” released by CL in 2014 reaps a lot of controversies as netizens hear CL reciting the Quran as part of the song. Netizens, especially Muslims, protested to CL through her Instagram. There are some Quran recitations in parts of the song (at 1:00 and 1:55 minutes). On the part of the song with Arabic sounding music, it sounds like there is someone who is reciting Quranic verses, although there is no certainty as to whether the part is actually using verses from the Quran or not because the sound is only made in the background with auto-tune to sound vague. Until now, neither CL nor YG Entertainment has provided an official clarification regarding this issue. Some CL fans were disappointed and asked to remove the “recalled” part of the Quranic pronunciation. Forum Onehallyu has also held a poll related to the fate of MTBD. The majority of users agree that YG should remove the troubled pronunciation but that there is no need to pull the song from the market. Many concerned about this controversy will make it difficult for CL or 2NE1 to hold concerts in predominantly Muslim countries. However, it seems like the unedited track made its way into CL’s performance in Los Angeles, and some fans were appalled that she performed the controversial track again. Some have even started trending hashtags and demanding an apology and explanation on her Instagram.
