South Korean rapper and singer Lee Chae-lin, better known by her stage name CL, has released her much-anticipated debut studio album, ALPHA.
The 11-track long project, produced under CL’s self-managed label Very Cherry, marks the rapper’s first full-length work as a solo artist since her career debut in 2009. The album was preceded by the release of several singles and was released on October 20, 2021.
The rapper who shot onto the K-Pop scene at the age of 17 was the leader of one of the most successful girl groups in the world, 2NE1—counting two; she held a solo headlining World Tours, which sold out nine cities in North America alone.
CL is also credited as a writer and co-producer on the group’s 2014 album “Crush,” which became the best-selling and highest-charting Korean album in US Billboard 200 chart history.
In 2016, CL embarked on her solo career, dropping her first smash-hit single, “Lifted,” garnering over 33 million views on YouTube. After a recording hiatus and a performance at the Closing Ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, CL released six new tracks under the title, “In The Name of Love,” in 2019, calling it a gift to her devout fans that chronicles the time in her life following the release of “Lifted.”
Taking home the award for “The Most Inspiring Asian Woman” at the 45th annual People’sPeople’s Choice Awards in 2019, CL is also a two-time nominee for TIME Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World” list. She has collaborated with the likes of the Black Eyed Peas and Lil Yachty and performed with Skrillex and Diplo at Ultra Music Festival and HARD Summer Festival.
Breaking the stereotype of female K-Pop artists, CL aims to use her platform to speak authentically, inspire, and empower future artists to push past barriers.