CL – “I’m childish, that’s my charm. I’m fearless, that’s my youth.” – Birthday Special

Lee Chae-rin, born on February 26, 1991, better known by her stage name CL. Lee Chae-rin was born in Seoul, South Korea, but spent most of her childhood living in Paris, Tsukuba, and Tokyo. When she was 13, she moved to Paris alone where she studied for two years. Lee got an audition with YG Entertainment when she was 15. 

Her first feature on a song recording was Big Bang‘s “Intro (Hot Issue)” in 2007. Later that year, Lee performed for the first time on stage at Seoul Broadcasting System’s Gayo Daejeon alongside her label mates. Her first credited appearance in a song was in 2008, with Uhm Jung-hwa’s “DJ,” in which she rapped.

She was placed as the leader and main rapper of the 2NE1 Band. 2NE1 achieved significant success with the number-one single “I Don’t Care” from their first extended play, 2NE1, which won them the “Song of the Year” award at the 2009 Mnet Asian Music Awards, making them the first rookie group to win a daesang in the same year of debut.

In October 2014, it was announced that CL was planning to debut as a solo artist the following year in the United States, teaming up with Scooter Braun as her manager. In May 2015, she featured in Diplo’s single “Doctor Pepper”, alongside Riff Raff and OG Maco. 

In November 2015, CL released her first single “Hello Bitches”, as a teaser for her upcoming EP Lifted. The lead single, “Lifted” was released on August 19, 2016. The song appeared in the Top 30 of iTunes’ Hip-Hop/Rap chart within three hours of being released, peaking at 21.

On February 25, 2018, CL performed at the 2018 Winter Olympics closing ceremony at Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium, performing parts from “The Baddest Female” and the 2NE1 global hit “I Am the Best“. At the closing ceremony, she met with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, First Lady Kim Jung-sook, and U.S. first daughter Ivanka Trump.