Background and career
Lee Chae-rin (born February 26, 1991), better known by her stage name CL, is a South Korean rapper, singer, and songwriter. Born in Seoul, South Korea, she spent much of her early life in Japan and France. She rose to fame as a member and leader of the girl group 2NE1, which debuted in 2009 under YG Entertainment. 2NE1 became one of the most popular South Korean girl groups worldwide and one of the best-selling girl groups. CL made her solo debut with the single "The Baddest Female" in May 2013, followed by her second solo track "MTBD" in February 2014. In 2015, amid 2NE1's hiatus, CL pursued a solo career with the release of the single "Hello Bitches" (2015). Her English-language single "Lifted", released in 2016, made her the first female Korean solo artist to place on the Billboard Hot 100, and the third Korean artist overall to do so. In November 2016, YG announced 2NE1's disbandment while confirming CL would remain signed to the label. She left YG in December 2019 and then released an EP In the Name of Love (2019), consisting of six tracks.
Her debut studio album, Alpha, was released in October 2021. CL ranked 2nd and 25th on the readers polls for Time's 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2015 and 2016, respectively. She appeared on the 2019 Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list; she was named one of the best girl group members of all time by The Guardian. She is recognized as a style icon by numerous publications worldwide.
1991–2008: Early life and career beginnings Lee Chae-rin was born in Seoul, South Korea, on February 26, 1991, 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. She recalled that, "Culturally, I'm not 100 percent Korean. I'm very mixed, and very open." When she was 15, CL auditioned to join South Korean record label YG Entertainment. Her first feature on a song 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.
Lee took on the stage name 'CL' and was appointed the leader and main rapper of 2NE1, alongside Bom, Sandara Park and Minzy. The group then collaborated with label-mates BigBang for the song "Lollipop" on March 27, 2009, before appearing on SBS's The Music Trend for the first time on May 17, where they performed their debut single "Fire". 2NE1 achieved significant success with their number-one single "I Don't Care" from their first extended play, 2NE1, which won them the "Song of the Year" accolade at the 2009 Mnet Asian Music Awards, making them the first rookie group to win a prize the same year they debuted. In August 2009, she collaborated with label-mates G-Dragon and Teddy Park of 1TYM for the single "The Leaders", featured on G-Dragon's first solo album, Heartbreaker. The same month, after the group finished "I Don't Care" promotions, CL collaborated with fellow member Minzy for "Please Don't Go," which charted at number six on the Gaon Chart by the end of November. Her first solo single, "The Baddest Female", was released on May 28, 2013.
How CL makes money
In November 2016, YG announced 2NE1's disbandment while confirming CL would remain signed to the label. I'm very mixed, and very open." When she was 15, CL auditioned to join South Korean record label YG Entertainment.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth, in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
