Contract talks come as CL prepares new music
The Black Label said on October 28 that it was discussing an exclusive contract with CL, the 2NE1 leader who left YG Entertainment in November 2019 and went on to build her independent career through Very Cherry. A deal would bring her into the company founded by Teddy, the producer behind several of her group's defining songs.
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CL has also reportedly completed filming a music video for a new song, adding a second development to the contract discussions. For listeners, the immediate interest is both practical and musical: which company will support her next activities, and whether those activities will involve the producer who helped shape 2NE1's sound.
The Black Label confirmed the discussions in a statement on October 28:
We are currently discussing the signing of an exclusive contract with CL.
The company has not announced a completed agreement. Contract terms, the future role of Very Cherry, a release date for the new song and any involvement by Teddy in that recording have not been disclosed.
Why a reunion with Teddy matters
Teddy's connection with CL reaches back to her debut with 2NE1 under YG Entertainment in 2009. He worked on songs including "Fire," "I Don't Care" and "I Am the Best," records that became central to the group's identity and popularity.
CL performed as 2NE1's leader and rapper, while Teddy helped create the music around those performances. A producer can help develop a song's sound, arrangement and recording, making that relationship an important part of how an artist's work takes shape.
Teddy founded The Black Label in 2016. If CL signs, the reunion would place the two within the same company again after her years running an independent operation. Their shared history gives the negotiations a creative dimension beyond a change in management.
For now, the concrete development is a discussion about representation. Any future collaboration would have to take shape through the music and credits announced for subsequent releases.
What CL built after leaving YG
YG Entertainment announced on November 8, 2019, that it and CL had mutually agreed to end her exclusive contract. The departure closed a decade at the company where she had debuted and developed both her group and solo careers.
CL subsequently established Very Cherry, her own agency, and continued releasing music independently. The more detailed chronology places the agency's establishment in 2020, following the end of her YG contract the previous November.
Her first full solo album, "Alpha," arrived in 2021. That release is a major part of the story behind the current negotiations: CL would enter any new company with an established body of solo work as well as her history with 2NE1.
An exclusive contract generally sets out which company represents an artist and manages agreed professional activities. Its scope depends on the agreement. For CL, the practical questions include how a new arrangement would handle music releases, promotion and the business she has already built through Very Cherry.
A solo career that began before independence
CL's solo work began while she was still at YG. She released "The Baddest Female" in 2013 and later "Hello Bitches," developing an individual performance identity alongside her role in 2NE1.
In 2016, her single "Lifted" entered the US Billboard Hot 100. The chart ranks songs in the United States, and the entry gave CL a measurable milestone in her effort to reach listeners outside South Korea.
YG cited that achievement in its statement announcing her departure in 2019, describing her as the first Korean female solo artist to enter the chart. The company also acknowledged her work as 2NE1's leader and rapper and expressed support for her future activities.
The sequence matters to the present talks. CL's career already spans group hits, solo releases under a major agency, a US chart entry and an album released during her independent years. A new agreement would become another stage in that career rather than the beginning of her work as a solo artist.
New music adds urgency to the discussions
CL's reported completion of a music video suggests that preparations for her next release have moved beyond the earliest planning stage. Filming is a substantial part of presenting a new song, particularly for an artist whose work combines music with a strong performance identity.
The next announcements will give listeners the details they can act on: the song's title, its release date and where the video will appear. A contract announcement would answer a different question, identifying the company responsible for the activities covered by the agreement.
CL's 2021 album and the newly filmed video also provide two distinct points in her solo career. "Alpha" established a full album statement during her independent period; the upcoming song will offer the next opportunity to hear where she takes her music.
2NE1's return runs alongside her solo work
CL has also resumed performing with her fellow 2NE1 members. In 2022, she appeared at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival with Park Bom, Sandara Park and Minzy, bringing all four members together onstage after roughly seven years.
The group went on to hold reunion concerts in collaboration with YG Entertainment in 2025. Those performances brought CL back into a working relationship with the company she had left as a solo artist in 2019.
Her recent career therefore includes both independent solo releases and renewed group performances. The October 28 statement concerns CL's proposed individual contract with The Black Label; the group's reunion activities form a separate part of her schedule and career.
The main milestones show how those activities developed:
- 2009: CL debuts as 2NE1's leader and rapper under YG Entertainment.
- 2013: She releases the solo song "The Baddest Female."
- 2016: "Lifted" enters the Billboard Hot 100, and Teddy establishes The Black Label.
- November 8, 2019: YG announces the mutual end of CL's exclusive contract.
- 2021: CL releases her first full solo album, "Alpha."
- 2022: All four 2NE1 members perform together at Coachella.
- 2025: 2NE1 holds reunion concerts in collaboration with YG.
- October 28: The Black Label confirms discussions about an exclusive contract with CL.
A label with several familiar connections
The Black Label's roster includes BIGBANG's Taeyang, BLACKPINK's Rosé, Jeon Somi, MEOVV and ALLDAY PROJECT. Taeyang and Rosé, like CL, have strong career connections to YG Entertainment.
For CL, joining would mean entering a company that combines those established solo names with newer groups. Teddy's leadership and their past work together make it a particularly familiar potential destination.
The central decision is now whether CL and the company reach an agreement. Her completed video preparations give fans a concrete musical development to follow, while the negotiations could determine the organisation supporting her next phase.
Key Points
- The Black Label confirmed on October 28 that it was discussing an exclusive contract with CL.
- A signing would reunite her within the same company as Teddy, who worked on several major 2NE1 songs.
- CL left YG in November 2019, established Very Cherry and released "Alpha" in 2021.
- She has reportedly finished filming a music video for a new song.
- Her solo career has continued alongside 2NE1's Coachella reunion and subsequent group concerts.
- No completed contract or release date for the new song has been announced.
