[News] Interview with
CL "'
Bad Girl' is My Principle"
2NE1's leader released her first solo album "Bad Girl".
Recently, the phrase "Bad Girl" is being used very often in the music industry. Here, "bad" is just an expression that describes a very attractive woman.
At the end of last month, 2NE1's leader CL officially jumped into the solo artist battle as a "Bad Girl" herself. On stage, CL is known to have a powerful charisma that takes everyone's breaths away. CL has always been very confident and proud so the title is seems to be fitting to describe a woman with such "Bad Girl" qualities (that are actually amazing).
Q: How was performing on "Inkigayo" on Jun 2, as a solo artist for the first time?
CL: I can't say I was satisfied but it was so fun. It was so exciting to do something new on stage for the first time a long while. A lot of fans came to watch so it almost felt more like a concert rather than a music program.
Q: I think your sexiness is being emphasized more.
CL: To be honest, I like more glamorous things. I don't really feel the need to be sexy. Of course, I am flattered and thankful when people tell me that I am sexy but I get shy when I say something like that myself.
Q: What did you think when you first received the title "Bad Girl?"
CL: The phrase "Bad Girl" first came up while joking around with the producer, Teddy. Last year he said, "When you do something by yourself later, it might be fun for you to come out yelling 'Bad Girl'." Not too long ago, he made it into a song. I am satisfied. I love it.
Q: There were some fans that were waiting for an album but you only released one song. Are there anything you regret?
CL: It my dream, as a solo artist to create an album that will be special to me 10 years down the road. Now that I have done this, I think our President Yang Hyun Suk was right. I first need to introduce myself with a song that can express who I am.
Q: In comparison, it is a slow hip hop song. Did you consider what the mainstream fans would think?
CL: When we make the music video and create the stage, I think we just do what we like. We always are hopeful about people liking the result but we mostly do what we like to do. I wanted to create a good memory.
Q: What is a "Bad Girl"?
CL: Someone who strives in their field and someone who is passionate as well as confident and someone knows how to speak their mind.
Q: You are sometimes described as a feminist because of your confidence on stage.
CL: It is my thought and my principle. All throughout my life, I attended foreign schools. Through those years, I have learned that foreigners have a very distinct image of Asian women in their minds. Feminine, quiet, and etc.. there are time when those qualities are good but I wanted to show them something else. I wanted to break their idea about Asian women.
Q: Was there a specific moment that drove you?
CL: I think I just felt it naturally as I was growing up. Both Jeremy Scott and Will I Am told me that they didn't know there was somebody like me in Asia. Whenever I meet people like them, my thoughts get larger and larger. There are very attractive women who are powerful and strong in Asia but people don't know that.
Q: Even when 2NE1 first debuted, there was a lot of talk that you were very special but it took a long time for you to debut as a solo artist.
CL: I've always wanted to try the route as a solo artist but I really wanted to come out with something that I liked. I was really happy when our President Yang Hyun Suk told me to have a go with this song. However, everything was decided so rapidly that I don't even think I had a month to prepare.
Q: Some people say you are like the female G-Dragon.
CL: I am very grateful. If I get a chance to continue my solo career, I want to find my colors more clearly. To be honest, a lot of people see me as 2NE1's CL but I would like people to know that CL has a color of her own as well. As a female rapper, I want to become somebody who does not have any limits.
Q: Dara has been helping with the promotion by posting on her Twitter page. The members seem to be showing a lot of support.
CL: They are always so dependable. I am so grateful. Dara says that she is the chairman of my fan club and cheers me on. I am always with my members and they constantly tell me how much they like me song. Dara and Bom even came to my first performance. They didn't say anything after the performance so I asked how it was. They replied, "It was obviously amazing, of course."
M/s : kenvilthomas@kpopupdates.com
In light of the new song from Psy, it feels rather appropriate to discuss what it means to be “original” in music, seeing that “Gentleman” is causing polarizing responses due to its “Gangnam Style Part 2” nature. It’s not uncommon for K-Pop idols to be accused of having the same song as some other artist, or vice versa. It should be duly noted though that such claims lead to next to no fanfare beyond the bout of fan-war commonplace among internet denizens. When it comes to idols copying themselves, as in the case of Psy and more famously, Super Junior, the reactions are much more mixed in intensity. This, however, leads to the basis for more serious arguments against the validity of K-pop as a genre, whose platform rests on the idea that K-pop is just a flamboyant form of borrowed and repetitious pop music, complete with bright lights, plastic doll visuals, and of course, understated sensuality.
It’s nearly impossible to claim to have the real answer to this question as it really comes down to personal preference and we’re often huge hypocrites when it comes to our objective reasoning for those preferences. People find songs like “Tonight” by Big Bang and “Mirotic” by TVXQ agreeable, but they too fall victim to many of the same formulas. On the other hand, songs like “Bonamana,” by Super Junior gets thrown into the “Sorry Sorry Part X,” sort of category and receive much more backlash.
