Lee Chae-rin , better known by her stage name CL, is a South Korean singer-songwriter and rapper. Born in Seoul, South Korea, she spent much of her early life in Japan and France. CL trained at JYP Entertainment before joining YG Entertainment at the age of fifteen and debuted as a member of the girl group 2NE1 in 2009. The group went on to become one of South Korea's most popular and successful girl groups worldwide. Following 2NE1's hiatus at the start of 2015, CL embarked her solo career in the United States. In November 2016, YG Entertainment officially announced 2NE1's disbandment after almost 2 years of hiatus. She subsequently remained a solo act under YG until December 2019. Shortly after her departure from the label, she released her solo EP project In the Name of Love, consisting of previously unreleased tracks written during the 3 years since her previous single "Lifted".
Biography
1991–2008: Early life and career beginnings
Lee Chae-rin was born in Seoul, South Korea, but spent most of her childhood living in Paris, Tsukuba, and Tokyo. When she was 13, she moved to Paris alone where she studied for two years. Lee got an audition with YG Entertainment when she was 15. Her first feature on a song recording was Big Bang's "Intro " in 2007. Later that year, Lee performed for the first time on stage at Seoul Broadcasting System's Gayo Daejeon alongside her label mates. Her first credited appearance in a song was in 2008, with Uhm Jung-hwa's "DJ," in which she rapped.
2009–2013: Debut with 2NE1 and solo career beginnings
Lee took on the stage name 'CL' and was placed as the leader and main rapper of 2NE1, alongside Bom, Sandara Park and Minzy. The group then collaborated with label-mates Big Bang for the song "Lollipop" before officially debuting on SBS's The Music Trend on May 17, 2009 where they performed "Fire". 2NE1 achieved significant success with the number-one single "I Don't Care" from their first extended play, 2NE1, which won them the "Song of the Year" award at the 2009 Mnet Asian Music Awards, making them the first rookie group to win a daesang in the same year of debut. In August 2009, she collaborated with label-mates G-Dragon and Teddy Park of 1TYM for the single "The Leaders", featured on G-Dragon's first solo album, Heartbreaker. The same month, after the group finished with "I Don't Care" promotions, CL collaborated with fellow member Minzy for "Please Don't Go," which charted at number six on the Gaon Chart by the end of November. Her first solo single, "The Baddest Female", was released on May 28, 2013. For 2NE1's second album Crush, CL wrote the lyrics and co-composed the music for the tracks "Crush", "If I Were You", and "Baby I Miss You". She also wrote the lyrics for her solo track "MTBD", as well as the track "Scream".
2014–2018: Stand-alone singles and featured appearances
In October 2014, it was announced that CL was planning to debut as a solo artist the following year in the United States, teaming up with Scooter Braun as her manager. In May 2015, she featured in Diplo's single "Doctor Pepper", alongside Riff Raff and OG Maco. In November 2015, CL released her first single "Hello Bitches", as a teaser for her upcoming EP Lifted. The single, "Lifted" was released on August 19, 2016. The song appeared in the Top 30 of iTunes’ Hip-Hop/Rap chart within three hours of being released, peaking at 21. Time noted her as the "future of Kpop in America". On October 29, 2016, CL kicked off her first North American tour, the Hello Bitches Tour, in New York City's Hammerstein Ballroom, and concluded in Toronto on November 14. Alongside Shaiana, she featured on Lil Yachty's song "Surrender", an exclusive track off of the Target deluxe edition of his album Teenage Emotions, released on May 26, 2017. CL also recorded an original single titled "No Better Feelin'" for the , released on September 22, 2017. On January 4, 2018, she was reported to make her Hollywood debut as an actress in Peter Berg's film Mile 22 that stars Mark Wahlberg. On February 25, 2018, CL performed at the 2018 Winter Olympics closing ceremony at Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium, performing parts from "The Baddest Female" and the 2NE1 global hit "I Am the Best". At the closing ceremony, she met with South Korean PresidentMoon Jae-in, First LadyKim Jung-sook, Exo, and U.S. First DaughterIvanka Trump.
2019–present: Departure from YG Entertainment and ''In the Name of Love''
On November 8, 2019, YG Entertainment announced that CL did not renew her contract with the company. On December 4, right after leaving YG Entertainment, she began releasing previously unreleased tracks as her solo EP project In the Name of Love for three consecutive weeks.
Musical style and influences
CL cites 1TYM leader Teddy Park, who produced much of 2NE1's music, as an influence and inspiration, as well as Madonna, Queen, and Lauryn Hill.
