Is K-pop’s ‘Baddest Female’ CL dating newbie idol DPR Ian? That’s what 2NE1 fans are wondering after 5 Star’s steamy music video
The wannabe K-pop queen is back. Singer-songwriter, rapper and self-described “Baddest Female” Lee Chae-rin – known to the world as CL – returned to the limelight in September with the promo track Post Up, and has since released the singles HWA and 5 Star, both from an upcoming album “Alpha” now slated for release next year.
What else does the fiery soloist have up her sleeve? Here’s what we know:
She has the makings of a K-pop queen
Promoting her former band 2NE1 as the group leader and main rapper, CL stood out for her spirited performances (even stepping away from the band in 2013 for the strutting solo single The Baddest Female), rapping skills and the way she owned the stage. After several very successful years, the group formally disbanded in 2016, with CL releasing her single Lifted, that same year, in the process becoming the first female Korean solo artist to break into the the US Billboard Hot 100.
Since then, she has collaborated with numerous international artists such as The Black Eyed Peas, Skrillex and Diplo, as well as fellow K-pop artists Lee Hyori, Psy and G-Dragon, and in 2018, she played a role in a Hollywood film called Mile 22. However her domestic music career has started to falter, not scoring a single domestic hit since 2015’s Hello Bitches, despite several attempts – with CL releasing no less than six singles in 2019 alone.
She’s back recording
However, the artist later revealed via Soompi that she has decided to go it alone without an agency. “First off, I want to learn different things, and in order to do that, I have to face things head on. I don’t think I’ll be able to do that if I enter an agency,” she said.
She set the internet on fire
Breaking away marks the start of new era for CL, and may set an example for other K-pop stars to ditch the confines of an agency career. Thankfully, despite failing to chart in South Korea, her new work doesn’t disappoint musically at least. “What is to give light must endure burning,” she narrates in one of her posts.
A sweet surprise was the appearance of multi-genre artist DPR Ian – real name is Christian Yu – in her music video for 5 Star. The Australia-born 30-year-old only debuted in late October, but his onscreen chemistry with CL was too emotionally charged to ignore, and it’s no surprise that fans have started questioning if they are together in real life.
The K-pop scene has grown much bigger and more international since 2NE1 left it, and fans from those days are eager to see where its former stars can sit in the scene. That goes doubly for GZBs (shorthand for “bad-ass girls”, what CL calls her fans), who are rooting for their baddest female to rise to the top. She certainly has a shot.
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Since 2NE1 disbanded CL has worked with Diplo, Black Eyed Peas, Psy and Lee Hyori, and became the first female solo K-pop star to crack the US Billboard Hot 100 – now she’s back with new singles 5 Star and HWA, but all eyes are on the dreamy new idol sharing the screen