CL, one of the most successful K-pop crossover artists in the history of the genre, has returned with “DONE161201,” her first solo project in three years. Paired with the single “REWIND170205,” the tracks will appear on her upcoming LP In the Name of Love. The video for “DONE161201” features cameos from Grimes, Taboo of the Black Eyed Peas, Sohee of Wonder Girls and CL’s former bandmates from 2NE1, singing along in what appears to be a homemade film released this month.
The laid-back breakup jam brings back the singer-songwriter side of the rapper against a soulful, familiar melody. “Oh-eh-oh-eh-oh/I’m done with you,” she chants between candidly written Korean verses. Her smug attitude is so memorable that it’s reminiscent of her earliest work — they were written years before release, via the dates in the titles. Toward the end, she breaks down a classic bar that hits like a punch in the gut — “Matter fact that’s the last word/That I’m ever gonna sing about you/I’m done” — and then returns to her easygoing pop refrain.
The explosive rapper and performer, real name Chae-rin Lee, is the first Korean solo female artist to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. CL left South Korean entertainment powerhouse YG Entertainment in November, after joining Scooter Braun’s roster in 2014 and announcing an album that never came out — harboring songs that fans have been waiting on for over four years. It was worth the wait.
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