Opening up about her new album ALPHA, K-pop star CL talked about how she has never been able to let go of the underdog mentality.
After a long hiatus, K-pop star CL returned this week with her album ALPHA, her debut solo studio album. The album marks a new era for one of K-pop’s biggest stars, who went solo in 2019 after an imposed hiatus and disagreements with her previous agency, YG Entertainment. Despite the reinvention and massive success that’s followed, CL says she’s been unable to let go of her underdog mentality.
In a new video posted to her channel, CL opened up about the philosophy and the journey to ALPHA, saying: “CL has been and always will be an underdog.”
“Having that underdog mentality and the ‘breaking the norm’ attitude has stuck with me since my 2NE1 days, and I think I’ve stayed true to it all this time.” she explained.
She also dove into how her start in the largely structured environment of K-pop contributed to her wanting to go solo.
“Having been an artist in a very template-based system, I always wanted to take things into my own hands, and show people that it’s okay to do that too.” she said. “It’s also given me the chance to learn more about myself and experience everything without a middleman.”
On ALPHA, CL tries to reconcile the two parts of herself – one that is CL, and the other one being Chaelin Lee (her real name).
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“I’ve lived as long as CL as I have as Chaelin Lee,” she said, before saying that the album is about the “emotional experience of trying to balance those two lives.”
“Going through the fear and anxiety of living as CL and living as Chaelin Lee,” she added. “I don’t know for sure, but it might be because I’ve lived with two identities. Chaelin is the name my parents gave me, and it ties in with my personal life. CL is a character that Chaelin created – CL does all the things Chaelin is afraid to do.”
Check out CL’s ‘Alpha Talk’ in full:
