If K-POP royalty were a thing, CL would be queen and reign supreme. Speaking to The WOW, the former idol turned independent artist muses over her most recent album ALPHA, her favourite vintage coat and her approach to self-care.

PHOTOGRAPHER BRYAN HUYNH

STYLIST CECE LIU

INTERVIEWER ROBYN NGAN

CL, née Lee Chae-rin has had a whirlwind of a career. After being catapulted into unconscionable fame at only 17 years old, assuming the role as leader of the girl group 2NE1, her life has been anything but ordinary since. Now a solo artist, who is returning to the stage, she’s starting a new chapter and her ﬁrst solo album ALPHA is just the start.

After almost three years devoid of energetic and chaotic crowds, live performances can be healing to the soul. Knowing her adoration for performing, whether she’s an independent artist or not, nothing else matters to CL once she’s on stage igniting a crowd. Labels, titles, and her own situation don’t come into play, it’s simply about reconnecting to the energy and frequency she feels her best at. And two years later, she’s ready to release all that suppressed energy. “For me, [I feel most beautiful] when I’m on stage performing, that’s why I love doing it. I always say I love dancing and I love performing on stage. I love the rehearsals too, but to get to the point where you feel comfortable with your movement and you ﬁnally are on stage and you perform, like, that’s when I feel like I’m meditating, almost. I think that’s how I feel because that’s where I feel the most beautiful and conﬁdent.”

*Top NUSI QUERO, trousers YVES SAINT LAURENT @ NEW YORK VINTAGE，*
*necklace PATRICIA VON MUSULIN*

There’s a running theme of ﬁghting throughout CL’s most recent album, ALPHA. The ﬁrst full-length solo album she’s released since her debut, it’s no wonder that she described herself as being in “Alpha Mode” during the making of this album. Listening to a Mike Tyson podcast interview during the making of the album, the South Korean singer derived inspiration and aﬃrmation from the boxer’s outlook. “I was listening to Mike Tyson’s interview for a podcast, and he said something about how ‘love is respect’, because in the name of love people sometimes do crazy things – in a negative way, or it comes out in negative forms – but with respect it doesn’t. I agree with that. I think for me, love is being fearless and brave.”

This fearlessness and ﬁght centred around the desire to be independent. ALPHA is a representation of CL’s time where she comes into her own, “I just felt like it was time for me to be me, and I wanted to be independent and to be able to do, and learn, and grow by myself and with my team.” ALPHA is her equivalent of graduating from school. She had learned a lot from the K-Pop system, but the manufacturing and the co-dependency of it all was something she was ready to detach from. When we think of K-Pop, we all have a speciﬁc idea of the music, the look, and the music video motifs; but the artists that are produced and involved are so much more multi-faceted and complex. This was CL’s time to be independent, discover and develop parts of herself she had been unable to. At the time of this interview, her favourite song of the album was Spicy, but she admits herself that this answer may change the next time you ask her this question.

*Top NUSI QUERO, briefs VICTOR DE SOUZA @ ALBRIGHT FASHION LIBRARY,*
*boots SIMON MILLER, earring PATRICIA VON MUSULIN*

Spicy, the opening track of ALPHA, has all the elements of a quintessential CL song: the references to her pride in her heritage, the ever-building tension, and the repeated mantra of “energy, power, chemistry” that so perfectly encapsulates this highly anticipated track. Beginning with the voice of John Malkovich, CL’s self-described mentor whom she met whilst ﬁlming Mile 22, there is a playfulness about the song. She’s not holding back and her music reﬂects this. It hails a new era for CL.

*Top WANDA NYLON @ ALBRIGHT FASHION LIBRARY,*
*earrings and rings PATRICIA VON MUSULIN*

This new chapter for the superstar hasn’t been without struggle. We must give mention to the song Wish You Were Here, dedicated to her late mother and “anyone that misses a loved one”. Released on the former idol’s 30th birthday, it pays homage to her mother as she reminisces their fond memories together. A relaxed vibe with melancholic lyrics, it’s a step away from the vibrant dynamism CL is typically known for. A song for the soul, it reﬂects her procession of grief and it’s her way of honouring one of the most important people in her life. “The hardest lesson is that everything is a lesson. You’ve got to look at it like you’ve got to learn from it to grow out of it. Sometimes it can be tough and you’re like ‘what the fuck’, but you’ve got to understand that everything is a lesson. Oh wow! I miss my mum,” CL lamented.

*Dress TARA HAKIN, skirt MEGA MIKAELA,*
*shoes PRADA @ ALBRIGHT FASHION LIBRARY,*
*earrings FLORENCE TETIER, bracelets PATRICIA VON MUSULIN*

“‘Love is respect’, because in the name of love people sometimes do crazy things – in a negative way, or it comes out in negative forms – but with respect it doesn’t. I agree with that. I think for me, love is being fearless and brave.”

— CL

For CL, love is dependent on your attitude towards life. Having been in the industry for so long, from the Kpop complex to going solo, she knows just how ﬂuid and dynamic life truly is. She also knows just how draining and potentially dangerous life can be. “For me, how you love others is how you love yourself. Going through a lot of changes in the past couple of years, I had to make sure I check on myself. To give yourself that respect and for others alike. Not giving up on love, I think, is important. It changes every time because what you go through in life changes, you know?” CL sagely comments. Metamorphism and evolution have been ongoing themes throughout her life – perhaps this is why she is so wise.

CL’s reverence for her culture and her roots is reﬂected in her artistry and her performances. Her recent performance at 88Rising’s Head in the Clouds was a perfect example of this. 88Rising’s support of CL’s career and her independent work, and their goal of promoting Asian artists is what she loves about them. A collaboration that seeks to empower one another is art to her. This sentiment was eﬀortlessly communicated through her appearance at the Met Gala last year. Donning an Alexander Wang design marrying traditional Korean silhouettes with the all-American classic of denim, she was one of the ﬁrst female Kpop artists to attend the aﬀair.

*Jacket MUGLER, skirt JW ANDERSON @ ALBRIGHT FASHION LIBRADY,*
*shoes GCDS, glasses MAISON MARGIELA @ NEW YORK VINTAGE,*
*earrings PATRICIA VON MUSULIN*

We’re often taught to separate the artist from the art, but how can we when context is so important? The person who creates the art has a story to tell, an emotion to evoke and an identity to protect. CL’s ethos echoes this. Being an idol to many Asians, both within Asia and the diaspora, there can sometimes be a divide that needs to be handled with care. Through CL’s lens, it isn’t and shouldn’t be this way. Whilst it’s challenging and exciting to work in new territories, simply put: her art is her and her work is her work. They shouldn’t be separated based on geography. “Exploring new places and travelling and learning new cultures is something I'm used to, it’s how I was raised, you know I went to an international school, I'm used to that, so I love doing that. It’s a diﬀerent culture, but if you have music you connect to and a message that everyone connects to, like where you are doesn’t matter; there’s always someone that you can relate to and people that want to be understood and I'm very happy and grateful that I can represent that,” she preaches.

*Top HOUGHTON, skirt YVES SAINT LAURENT @ ALBRIGHT FASHION LIBRARY*

The music and talent industry revolves around exposure: the act of showing yourself, sharing your life, your light, your gift. It’s all-consuming and in no way a regular job. CL knows this well and she recognises it. She practises selfcare and self-love by making sure she has time for herself. As she reminds us, the love you have for others reﬂects the love you have for yourself. In the same way she shows up for others, she makes sure she does the same for herself. “I love spending time by myself, and I make sure to do that. I’m just around people all the time, you know?” She doesn’t have to do anything in particular, and the activity changes each time: sometimes it’s a bath, sometimes it’s a walk, sometimes it’s a solo coﬀee date, but one thing that doesn’t change is the fact she does it daily. It’s a time with no phones, no external connection, no outside inﬂuence. This is for her.

The time that CL keeps for herself is something she’s incredibly grateful for. When questioned about something that she’s proud of, she chuckled……

This cover story and a longer version interview will be published in our The WOW N° 6.

Issue6 available now.

Talent: CL

Photographer: BRYAN HUYNH @ SOCIETY MGMT

Stylist :CECE LIU

Hair: NATHANIEL DEZAN @ OPUS BEAUTY using ORIBE

Make-up: SANG JEON

Nails: COCA MICHELLE @ RARE CREATIVES

Casting Director: ANGELIKI SOFRONAS

CGI Artist: RODOLFO HERNANDEZ

Production: PREISS CREATIVE

Photography Assistant: CEM ENGIN & LIAM ANNIS

Digitech: CHRIS WHITAKER

Retoucher: HAMZAH AMI

Styling Assistant: ARIELLE ONCOEUR

CL: IN THE NAME OF LOVE

FERNANDA LY

YEAR OF THE TIGER