K-Pop Singer CL Has Long Been On Her Destined Path

Lee Chae-lin — CL with her gloves off, you could say — says that fighters were a big inspiration for ALPHA, the South Korean singer's first ... Skipnavigation!StoryfromEntertainmentWhenCLarrivesattheshoreafterhermusicalre-birth,shewearscherry-redboxinggloves.Hershore,acascadingtealbluecurtain;hershell,ablack,highcollardress.The30-year-old’sgazeisup,unblinking.Shestandstriumphantwithherfeetfirmlyplantedontheground,bumpingherfiststothebeat.“BeenaroundlongenoughtoknowwhatIlike,”shesingsinthebrazen“TieaCherry.”“Ionlytrustmyself— justme,myself,andI.”AdvertisementLeeChae-lin—CLwithherglovesoff,youcouldsay—saysthatfighterswereabiginspirationforALPHA,theSouthKoreansinger’sfirstsoloalbumreleasedinOctober.“Inboxing,likeinlife,sometimes,you'vegottotakeastepback.Sometimes,youattack.Butyouneedtostrikethatbalanceofmovement,”shetellsRefinery29overavideocall,hericyblondelocksswishingbackandforthasshemimicsthedanceofaspar.“Ihadtoputmyselfin‘AlphaMode’inmakingthealbum,andhadtobefearlesstocontinuetodothat.”ThekindoffearLeeisworkingagainstisoneyouharborwhen,asaveteranmusician,youputoutyourfirstsolofull-length12yearsintoyourcareer.Thatfearonlygrowsasanticipationmountsfromfanswhohavebeendesperatelywaitingtofinallyhearwhatyouhavetosay. CultGaiadress,$658,availableatcultgaia.com;GiuseppeZanottishoes;Mouserearrings,$250,mouser.com; AvecJoyeriaring,Farisring,$195.00–$458.00,availableatfarisfaris.com. Tothosewhodon’tknowCL,ALPHAwouldseemlikeagoodplacetostart.Buttherestofus,whohavebeenfollowingherascentsinceherdaysastheleaderofjuggernaut2NE1,knowthatthisisn’tthebeginningofLee’sstory—it’sjustthenextchapter.AskanyK-popidol,frommembersofrookiegroupKep1erandfan-favoriteLOONAto,well,BLACKPINK,whotheirrolemodelis,andyou’relikelytohearCL’sname.“IwanttolearnfromCLsunbae-nim,”saidBLACKPINK’sLisaina2017interviewwithNaver,usingtherespectfulKorean-languagehonorifictoaddressthesinger.YoucanhearthefierceswaggerandbravadoofCLand2NE1ripplingthroughsongslikeBLACKPINK’s“HowYouLikeThat,”CLC’s“LikeIt,”EVERGLOW’s“First,”andcountlessothersinglesastheyearshavegoneon.Anditisn’tjustaboutthemusic—thesingerhasalsolongbeenregardedasafashionmuseforartistsanddesigners.Heravant-gardestylehelpedhermakehistorythisyearwhenCLbecameoneofthefirstKoreanstowalktheredcarpetoftheMetGala,alongwithBLACKPINK’sRosé. AdvertisementDespitehersuccess,Lee’sstorydoesn’tfollowatraditionalarc.JustasshereachedthemomentmanybelievedwouldchangeeverythingfornotjustCL,buttheincreasinglyglobalmusiccultureasawhole,shefellsilent.WhenanEPandfull-lengthsoloalbumwererepeatedlydelayedforyearswithoutexplanation,CL’sbrilliantlydefiantmusicseemedfatedtobecomeabygoneclassic.Allthespeculationaroundthatperiodassumesthatsomething“wentwrong”—thatwithoutthevalidationoftheWest,CLwasn’tabletofulfillthedestinedpaththattheindustryexpectedfromhertoreachherfullpotential.Afterall,theexpectationtobetheK-popartisttocracktheU.S.marketandbeablueprintforfutureactswouldbeadauntingtaskforanyone,evenaQueenofK-pop.KaviarGuachetop;KaviarGuachepants;AustinJamesSmithbracelet;AvecJoyeriarings;Farisring,$125–$180,availableatfarisfaris.com.Leegrewupwithaloveofdancing.ShewasborninSeoul,SouthKorea,butspentahandfulofyearslivingabroadinJapanandFrance.“Dancewastheonlythingthatdidn'treallychange,andthatwashowIwouldexpressmyself,”shesays.TheLeeswereacreativehousehold:thepopstarsmileswidelyassherecallsspendingSundayspaintingwithherfamily.Despitebeingaphysicsprofessor,herfatherdrewupchildren’sbooksforherandhersistersotheycouldcontinuetolearnKoreanwhiletheylivedinJapan.So,whenLeeeventuallymovedbacktoKorea,andsomeofthekidsinherdanceclasswereauditioningforentertainmentcompaniesaroundthecity,shedecidedtotryout.Advertisement“Itwasjustanaturalthing.Itwasn'tlike,‘I'mgoingtodothis,I'mgoingtobeapopstar,’”Leesays.“ButIgrewuponMTV,listeningtoalotofpowerfulfemaleartists,andtherewerenoAsianactsinthe[Westernmainstream]popscene.Sothat'swhen,moreandmore,Iwantedtobethatforthe12-year-oldme.Iwantedtobeanexampleforwhoeverwantstobeapopstar.”Ithappened—andinabigway.In2009,whenshewas17yearsold,Lee,dubbedCLandarmedwithanewspitfireflow,alongwithParkBom,Dara,andMinzy,debutedas2NE1,agroupthatwouldgoontobecomeoneofthemostsuccessfulandinfluentialintheindustry.IfK-popwereahighschoolcafeteria,2NE1wouldbetheGod,IwishIwerethatcool-girlsyou’dseesittingattheirowntableintheback,somewhereinbetweenaegyoandovertlysexualizedaesthetics,anddefinitelynotcaringaboutwhatanyoneelsethinks.AndCLwastheircharismaticleader,oftenwritinglyricsandco-composingtracksforthegroup.Shewouldlateremulatethegroup’sconfidentunnie(whichmeans“oldersister”)ethosinherfirstsolosingle,“TheBaddestFemale,”in2013.“Notbadmeaningbad,butbadmeaninggood,youknow,”shespecifiesonthetrack.AdvertisementGrahamCruzdress;GrahamCruzbelt,$992,availableatgrahamcruz.studio;GiuseppeZanottishoes;Farisearrings,$225–$365,availableatfarisfaris.com;Farisring.In2014,whenitwasannouncedCLwoulddebutasasoloartistintheU.S.underScooterBraun’smanagement—thesamefigurebehindthecareersofJustinBieberandArianaGrande—thesinger’spathtoworlddominationseemedinevitable.Fordecades,SouthKoreahadbeenseekinganartistwhocouldleadthechargeofK-pop’sAmericantakeover.Manyhadtried,fromBoAandWonderGirlstoGirls’GenerationandRain.ButCLhadeveryingredientforasuccessfulcrossover:Shewasamagnetic,multilingualtriplethreat,forwhomculturaldifferencesdidn’tmatterandcommandingattentionwassecondnature.ThisisthepartofCL’sstory,though,wherethingsstoppedgoingasplanned.Thesingercollaboratedonahandfuloftracksandreleasedasmallsmatteringofsingles,includingthebraggadocious“HelloBitches”andblissed-out“Lifted,”whichwereallsupposedtoappearonaforthcomingdebutsoloEP.“Lifted,”cominginat94ontheBillboardHot100,madeherthefirstSouthKoreanwomantomakeitonthechart.Sheshowedwhatshehadtoofferonamulti-cityNorthAmericantour.Butoverthosefewyears,itfeltlikeCLwaslivingtwoconflictingrealities:oneinwhichTIMEcalledherthe“FutureofK-popinAmerica,”andyetshedidn’t(orcouldn’t)releaseafullalbum.2NE1eventuallydisbandedin2016,butCLstillhadn’treleasedenoughsolomusicforfanstoholdonto.Itwasn’tclearthenwhytheEPdidn’tcomeoutaspromised,andwestilldon’tknowwhy.It’sclearthat’sastoryshe’snottelling.AdvertisementKaviarGuachetop;KaviarGuachepants;AustinJamesSmithbracelet;AvecJoyeriarings; Faris ring,$125–$180,availableat farisfaris.com.But,whatistellingisthatprettymuchimmediatelyaftersheleftherlong-timelabelin2019,therealCLfinallyenteredthering.ShesayssheconsidersherIntheNameofLoveEPtobethebeginningofwhenshehadthefreedomto“reallytell[her]story.”Then,in2020,shecreatedherownindielabel,VeryCherry.“IntheK-popsystem,IfeltlikeIdidn'tknowpartsofmybodyandwasjusttheface,soIdecidedtofinallylearneverythingsoIhavefullcontrolovermymovements.”ShereleasedALPHAayearlater.Thoughmanypeoplehadbeenholdingtheirbreathforyearsfornewmusic,Lee,nowunderTaPMusicmanagement,didherbesttoignorethemountingoutsidepressure.“Itistough,definitely,”sheadmits,“butthat'swhenImakesureImakethingshappen,focusonwhatIcando,thecreative,becausethat'swhat'sgoingtotalk.”InafluidmixofEnglishandKorean,ALPHAspeaksvolumes—sometimeswithwistfulness,withlust,withbitterness,butaboveall,withconfidence.Lee’sisnotthetamponcommercial-esquecommodifiedfeminismthatpopstarshavebeenpeddlingforthelastdecade.ItcanbeeasytocockaneyebrowatcelebritieswhoofferexpectedvariationsofIdomyownthing,orI’mjustbeingme.Butthat’sthedazzlingpowerofCL:Youcantrulyfeelthesincerityinherspirit—especiallywhensheadmitsthatwhileconfidencecanbeinnate,italsotakespractice.Advertisement“Honestly,IfeellikeeveryonehasanalphainthemoraCLinthem,”shesaysemphatically,gesturingasifshe’sconjuringaninvisibleforcewithhersilvermanicuredclaws.“IdevelopedminenaturallyfromtheverystrongwomenIgrewuparound.Butyoucan'tbeconfidenteverysingleday.Sothat'ssomethingyouneedtoadmit,that'swherewestart.It’sinyou,andforme,it'sallaboutthepracticeofhowandwhenyoucanbringitout.”Buthowdoyoukeepthatsenseofself-assurednesswhenyearshavegonebyandthemomenttobethatculturalbridgeacrosstheworldseemstohavepassed? CL’ssolutionwastocometoaplacewhereshecanembracebothherstagepersonaandthemorevulnerableLeeChae-lin.It’sclearthatbotharetalkingnow.“Thefunnythingis,therewasalotof[thatworry],butalsoassoonasALPHAcameout,nobodytalkedaboutthatanymore.Youcreatethemoment.IfIputoutanalbum,thatisthemoment.”Shepauses,andasheepishChae-lintakesthewheel,laughing.“Iknowthatsoundedreallycocky.ButIreallyjusttrynottoworryaboutthethingsIcan'tcontrol.”“I'mdoingthisbecauseIloveit,”shecontinues,turningserious.“Ithinkit'sthemostluxuriousthingyoucando,doingwhatyoulove,andmymeasureofsuccess.Ilovecreating,Ilovebeingonstage.I'mnotdoingthisforanyoneelse.IalwayshavethemindsetthatIhavenothingtolose.Sothatfeardidn'tstopme,andIdon'twantitto.”AdvertisementButmostimportantly,Leedoesn’tnecessarilyseeherpurposeasbeingtheconnectingforceatthecenterofmusicculturearoundtheglobe,asmuchasothersperhapswanthertobe.Shejustwantstobethepopstar12-year-oldChae-lindreamedofbecoming.“IalwaysfeltlikeIwasanalien.Growingupindifferentcultures,Idon’tfitanywhere.SoIwouldalwaysbefortheunderdogsandthemisfits.Iknowthere'salotofpeoplethatdon’tfeelrepresented,andIwouldlovethemtofeelconnectedandunderstood.”Soperhapstherealquestionis,whydoesitevenmatterthatittookawhiletogethere?It’sclearthatwhoevershewaspoisedtobeeightyearsagowhenshebrokeoutonherown,shealreadyis—andit’saparticularlyAmericentristideatothinkthatlackofradioplayoraHot100hitwouldsayotherwise.Sacaijacket;PrabalGurungcorset;Sacaipants;Sacaishoes;AustinJamesSmithearrings;AustinJamesSmithring;Mounsernecklace,$295,availableatmounser.com.InFebruary,Lee—andCL—turned30.It’sanagethatalotofpeopletendtofretover,wheretheroadahead,oratleasttheexpectationsforwherethatroadshouldlead,tendtoloomabitmoreominouslythanbefore.Thesingerpondersthemilestone,restingherheadinherhands.“Inyour20s,youdon'tknowwhatyou'redoingandyoujustkeepgoing,butnowweknowbetter—‘beenaroundlongenoughtoknowwhatIlike,’”shesays,quotingthatsame“TieaCherry”lyricwithaslysmileonherface.“Andnow,wecanplay.”Ifthere’sonethingweknowaboutLee,it’sthattheonlyexpectationsshecaresaboutareherown.It’snotaboutthetitle,butgettingtofightanotherround. 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