CL Signs With THEBLACKLABEL, Reuniting With Longtime Producer Teddy For ‘Full Circle’ Moment
Categoria: Musica
The K-pop superstar and leader of crossover pioneers 2NE1 joins the label on a hot streak with chart hits, Grammy and Oscar recognitions thanks to Taeyang, ROSÉ and KPop Demon Hunters.
Por Billboard | 13/11/2026
When CL wanted a new song for 2NE1 ‘s reunion tour celebrating the girl group’s 15th anniversary, she knew exactly who to call. While that single ultimately never came together, her reuniting with K-pop super-producer Teddy turned into something much bigger: CL has signed with THEBLACKLABEL, the label the Grammy- and Oscar-winning producer founded back in 2015. The move is both a homecoming and a new venture for CL. While Teddy wrote and produced most of 2NE1’s catalog, including the group’s signature 2011 single “I Am the Best” (which became the first song by a K-pop group to reach No. 1 on Billboard ‘s World Digital Songs chart ), the two had not made music together since her 2016 solo single “Lifted” (which peaked at No. 94 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2016). In the years between, CL left her original label home of YG Entertainment, founded her own label in Very Cherry, and set about learning the business side of a career she had only known from the creative side. Her first release under the new deal arrives this month. In July 2024, YG Entertainment announced that 2NE1’sfour members (CL, Park Bom , Sandara Park and Minzy ), would reunite for the group’s 15th anniversary following a surprise reunion during CL’s Coachella set in 2022 . The Welcome Back Tour that followed opened in October 2024 with three dates at Olympic Hall before touring across Asia, with more than 258,000 fans reportedly attending before the sold-out two-night finale show at Seoul’s KSPO Dome in April 2025. For her part, CL had hoped the reunion would include more than the old hits. “I had the reunion with the girls for the 15th year anniversary two years ago already,” CL says, speaking in an exclusive chat to Billboard ahead of the news. “It took a little bit of prep time to reconnect, but it was very healing and a very special moment to reconnect, and also [reconnect] with YG Entertainment,” CL says during an evening video call from Seoul. “So, that was a big thing for us and I’m so happy we did it. I actually wanted to come out with a new single with the girls too, but because we wanted to meet in time for the 15th year anniversary, I was like, ‘Let’s do this tour first and then let’s see how it goes.” With big sunglasses hiding her eyes, but unable to hide her undeniable giddiness for her new chapter, she continues, “By the end of the tour last year and after singing the songs that we worked on with Teddy — like 99% of our project was him — I was like, ‘Ah, he would be the perfect one to go to and to collaborate [with] if we’re ever doing a new 2NE1 song.'” Asking was another matter, as the two hadn’t seen each other in some time, and CL, who, by her own account prefers to settle a plan before sharing it, went to him without telling her bandmates. “I didn’t know how it was gonna go, ’caus