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

Nov 27 , 2020

Can CL reclaim her title as a K-pop queen? Photo: @chaelincl/Instagram

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

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

CL performs with former band 2NE1. Photo: YG Entertainment

Not many idols deserve to be called creative geniuses, but CL is one of them. As one of the artists who did most to make the second generation of K-pop groups popular, the 29-year-old is often compared to BigBang’s G-Dragon – she is described as the female counterpart to the K-pop king.

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.