Where the GZBs at? (Insert CL’s voice.) After a couple of years of waiting, South Korean female icon CL finally drops her highly anticipated debut album ‘Alpha’ on October 20, following the release of its lead single ‘Spicy’.

After years of setbacks and soul-searching in pursuit of artistic independence, CL finally finds herself in her prime once again with her debut album. Exhibiting her empowering and dominant female imagery, and new era in music, ALPHA ingeniously merges pop, R&B and hip hop. To commemorate the album’s debut, the South Korean rapper has released a music video for the sixth track, “Tie a Cherry.” “Been around long enough to know what I like/Yeah, I only trust myself, just me, myself and I,” she sings in the first verse dressed in extravagant gowns and backed up with male dancers. “Hand on my chest I’m flying/No one can see what I can see/There’s only one and me in this world/I can tie a cherry,” she continues in the chorus.

Since departing from her former label ‘YG Entertainment’ in late 2019, CL has made it her mission to unearth her artistic proclivities as an independent musician. With that followed the creation of her much-awaited debut solo album, the album which fans (whom CL calls GZBs) had been anticipating from the former 2NE1 member since at least 2015’s ‘Hello Bitches’, and it officially was announced as ‘ALPHA’ in September last year.

However, CL soon unfortunately had to delay the release of ‘ALPHA’, and many were understandably dismayed by the news including her mother’s passing. She later explained the reason for the album’s delay to W Korea, where she shared that “there were a lot of things I needed to experience in order to learn” before she felt ready to release it.

Nearly a year after said delay, CL is finally ready to reclaim her title as one of K-pop’s elites with ‘ALPHA’. “This is me getting out of [my] comfort zone to the fullest. This is me releasing an album as an independent artist,” she told NYLON. “This is definitely a statement [as someone] coming from a K-pop system and also [from] being an idol.”

Alpha contains 11 tracks which include previously released tracks like “HWA,” “5 STAR,” “SPICY,” and “Lover Like Me.”

CL told Billboard that the album is named so because it’s her first as a solo artist – “but also the attitude that comes with the world Alpha – being fearless and choosing love over fear.”

CL was a member of 4-member kpop girl group '2ne1'. 2ne1 was a South Korean girl group composed of members Park Bommie (Bom), the lead singer, Lee Chaerin (CL), the leader and lead rapper, Sandara Park (Dara) the visual, fresh vocal and rapper, and Minzy, the lead dancer, and maknae (youngest). The group was formed under YG Entertainment and debuted on 2009 with their hit single “Fire”, which became popularly known across the globe including Philippines. 2ne1 is considered as one of the legendary K-pop groups now with their achievements, fierce live performances, pioneering “girl crush concept” in K-pop, and how they helped the K-pop industry to be introduced to the world. 

Listen to ALPHA here: