CL Opens Up About Fighting For Her Career With “ALPHA”
If you’ve been stanning K-Pop since its 2nd Generation, chances are you already know CL, the former leader of 2NE1.
Over the course of her 12-year career, CL overcame challenge after challenge, including her group’s disbandment and a US solo debut that didn’t pan out. Now, after years of trial and error, CL has finally released her first solo album, ALPHA.
For this album, CL took inspiration from boxers.
In boxing, like in life, sometimes, you’ve got to take a step back. Sometimes, you attack. But you need to strike that balance of movement. I had to put myself in ‘Alpha Mode’ in making the album, and had to be fearless to continue to do that.
— CL
CL’s In the Name of Love EP, released in 2019, marked the beginning of a new story, a story that was entirely hers. After forming her own label in 2020, Very Cherry, CL learned everything she needed to learn to prepare for ALPHA.
In the K-pop system, I felt like I didn’t know parts of my body and was just the face, so I decided to finally learn everything so I have full control over my movements.
— CL
Now, CL is more confident than ever before. She’s taking charge of her career and not letting fear get in the way of creating art.
I’m doing this because I love it. I think it’s the most luxurious thing you can do, doing what you love, and my measure of success. I love creating, I love being on stage. I’m not doing this for anyone else. I always have the mindset that I have nothing to lose. So that fear didn’t stop me, and I don’t want it to.
— CL
