In mid September, CL graced the red carpet at the Met Gala— one of two of the first female K-pop superstars to be invited to the elite fashion event. Now she’s back, teasing another pre-release single from her long awaited full-album, Alpha, set to release in October. The 2NE1 rapper showed off her energy, power, and chemistry in her first “Spicy” track in August. Still boasting her signature confidence, CL dropped her most recent single, “Lover Like Me,” on September 29.

 

A One-of-a-Kind Song 

“Lover Like Me” is a pop song about self worth. Unlike “Spicy,” this song highlights more of CL’s unique vocals. The track is produced by Freedo and Nick Lee, and written by CL, Cleo Tighe, Sarah Blanchard, nafla, and Anne-Marie.

In a break up it’s easy to feel upset, hurt, or even relieved. CL captures the complicated feelings, focusing on uplifting herself in the lyrics of the song. “Lover Like Me” opens with a tinge of nostalgia as CL sings, “Remember the last time you called me Chaelin? Can’t remember the last time you called me that name.” Even so, CL changes the pace of the track, exuding her signature confidence as she calls out her former lover for all the lies they spouted. 

The chorus is simple and catchy. It serves as a resolution in her story of romance and hurt. When the beat drops, she repeats, “You will never find another lover like me.” The lyrics are distorted and eventually fall into the next part of the song. But the weight of the words are felt with each new iteration of the line. 

She switches up the song with a powerful verse, shouting out her fellow “bad bitches.” The rap not only changes the vibe of the song, but CL herself, who had been singing in English, changes to Korean. This linguistic flex leads the song into one last uplifting chorus. 

While many people might be more acquainted with CL’s fortified stage alter ego, “Lover Like Me” exposes more of her vulnerability. Yet, having vulnerability does not mean she isn’t sure of herself. The “Hello Bitches” singer shows that even in the toughest times women can be confident and know their true worth. 

 

CL Stars in Her Life’s Movie

In the music video for her previous track “Spicy,” CL boasts power as she commands the crowds, standing atop golden statues and posing alongside Pikachu lamborghinis. However, in “Lover Like Me” she stars in the entire video on her own—no team of dancers, no other characters to share her spotlight with. She only has silhouettes of others skating at the beginning, but their faces remain unknown. CL owns the video, standing in the middle of each set as she looks at the camera dead-on. 

The video is full of unique sets—fitting for “The Baddest Female” in K-pop. In the opening scene, she sits in a room full of TVs in a fluffy red dress and the next features her in a green room standing next to a motorcycle in a denim dress and pointy black boots. 

In another scene, CL also sits in the middle of a room of sunglowers, her blond braids dangling from the ceiling. She plucks at the petals of the flower in her own “he likes me, he likes me not” moment many know all too well. But she tosses the flower away at the onset of the chorus taking ownership of her feelings. 

In another scene she dances in a skintight bodysuit that one might find a popstar wearing in the 80s. Her second verse is sung in a pink room, as she lays atop a fluffy pink scooter with a blond vintage curly hairstyle. Her rap is performed in a wide black dress, topped with a black blazer with pointy shoulder pads and an umbrella. 

The video phases between these scenes almost as if the clips are past parts of her life. Perhaps that’s why she starts and ends “Lover Like Me” in her red TV room. Some of the sets have normal lighting; however, as the video progresses the sets become more distorted. In the final chorus, the video is topped off with colored filters as though you are viewing an old film. In some instances, the lighting even becomes psychedelic.  

The “Lover Like Me” video stars CL as she gains agency over her own feelings. While the video is centered less on a cohesive plot, one can take meaning from the visuals. CL’s visuals are an integral part of the video, each new set showing more of her versatile charms as an artist. 

 

Who’s The Alpha?

The release of “Lover Like Me” means that CL’s full-album is arriving soon. It is the last of two pre-release singles CL put out to tease Alpha. While she effortlessly delivered her badass aura in “Spicy,” “Lover Like Me” showed a more vulnerable side of the confident rapper. 

With only two songs, she has shown how much of a well-rounded artist she truly is. Alpha will certainly contain different genres of music while exploring more of CL’s talent. There might not be more pre-release singles to come, yet fans can expect CL to flaunt more of her “alpha” energy with the release of Alpha. 

Missed CL’s last single? Here’s our breakdown of CL’s first pre-release single, “SPICY,” here.

Thumbnail courtesy of Very Cherry.

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