CLC

## CLC (group)

**CLC** (Korean: 씨엘씨, an acronym for "CrystaL Clear") is a South Korean girl group formed by Cube Entertainment in 2015. The group currently consists of five members: Seunghee, Yujin, Seungyeon, Yeeun and Eunbin; former member Elkie officially left the group in February 2021 while sorn left in September 2021.

Their debut EP *First Love* was released on March 19, 2015 with five group members: Seunghee, Yujin, Seungyeon, Sorn and Yeeun. The remaining two members, Elkie and Eunbin, were added to the group with the release of their third EP, *Refresh*, on February 29, 2016, though Eunbin did not participate in official promotions until the release of their fourth EP, *Nu.clear,* in May 2016.

## History[edit]

### Pre-debut[edit]

The five original members of CLC (Seunghee, Yujin, Seungyeon, Sorn and Yeeun) made their first appearance as back-up dancers for G.NA in 2014. They also modeled for the uniform brand Smart, featuring in a promotional music video with the boy groups Got7 and B1A4. Before their official debut, the group began to gain publicity through street performances that raised money for children with disabilities. These featured on their online reality show *CLC's Love Chemistry*.

### 2015: Debut and further EP releases[edit]

CLC in March 2015
CLC debuted in 2015 with a five-member lineup of Seunghee, Yujin, Seungyeon, Sorn, and Yeeun. They released their first EP *First Love*, including the lead single "Pepe", on March 19. Their debut showcase was held the day before at the Acts Hotel in Seoul, where they performed their debut song for the first time. They made their debut music show performance on *M Countdown*. "Pepe" is a retro dance number written by Duble Sidekick and Yang Geng. Part of the song's choreography was choreographed by Rain.

On April 16, CLC released a digital single titled "Eighteen", described as a song about teenage love influenced by 1960s/70s motown and 1980s synthpop. They began promotions for the single the following day on *Music Bank*. Their second EP *Question* was released on May 28. Its lead single "Curious (Like)". On October 10–11, CLC held their first overseas promotional tour in Malaysia entitled "First Love Promo Tour in Malaysia". For the tour, Universal Music Malaysia released an "Asia Special Edition" version of *Question*. The special version included tracks from *First Love* and *Question,* as well as the digital single "Eighteen".

### 2016: Reformation as 7 members and Japanese debut[edit]

CLC at the Asia Music Stage on September 3, 2016
CLC's third EP *Refresh* and its lead single "High Heels" were released on February 29, 2016. This marked the addition of two new members: Elkie Chong and Kwon Eun-bin. Eunbin was a participant on Mnet's girl group survival show *Produce 101* at the time. Cube Entertainment stated that Eunbin had been part of the group's original lineup, but was dropped following delays in production of the group's debut album. Due to *Produce 101* contractual restrictions, Eunbin was not able to promote the single "High Heels" on music shows or other broadcasts, nor appear in the single's music video. The agency planned for Eunbin to join promotions in the event that she was eliminated from the show, or else to postpone her activities as part of the group until after *Produce 101* promotions if she was a winner. On February 29, a short version of the "High Heels" music video that included Elkie but omitted Eunbin was released. The full version of the music video, including Eunbin, was released on March 21.

CLC made their Japanese debut on April 13 with the release of their first Japanese EP, *High Heels*. The album includes the Japanese version of "Pepe", "First Love", "Like", "High Heels", and a cover of Kylie Minogue's "I Should Be So Lucky".

On May 12, CLC launched their official Naver V App channel, followed by a broadcast of Eunbin's first live appearance with the group. The group released their fourth Korean EP *Nu.Clear* on May 30, with the title track "No Oh Oh" written by Shinsadong Tiger. CLC carried out album promotions as a seven-member group in June. On July 27, CLC released their second Japanese EP, *Chamisma*. The EP peaked at #9 on the Oricon Daily Albums Chart, making it their first release to enter the Top 10 of the Oricon chart.

### 2017: International Commercial breakthrough[edit]

CLC at the *Crystyle* EP showcase on January 17, 2017.

On January 9, CLC held their first solo Japan fanmeeting at Tower Records in Tokyo. On January 17, 2017, CLC released their fifth Korean EP, *Crystyle*. It marked a revamped image for the group, with a more charismatic, hip-hop concept. The EP contains six tracks including the EDM/trap lead single "Hobgoblin" (도깨비), which was co-written by Seo Jae-woo, Big Sancho, Son Yeong-jin, and HyunA. *Crystyle* debuted on Billboard's World Albums chart at #6, while "Hobgoblin" peaked at #4 on the World Digital Song Sales chart. On May 27, the group held the first fan-meeting for their fan-club, Cheshire, "2017 Cheshire Entrance Ceremony". It took place in the Olympic Hall Muse Live in Seoul.

CLC released their sixth EP, *Free'sm* on August 3. The album title is portmanteau upon the words "prism" and "free", which describes the group's musical and conceptual direction for this EP. The album is inspired by 1990s girl groups Fin.K.L and S.E.S.. It consists of six tracks including the R&B ballad lead single "Where Are You?" (어디야?). This was another new image for the group, contrasting with the group's previous concept with "Hobgoblin".

### 2018: Breakthrough[edit]

Main article: Black Dress (EP)
CLC at K-POP Sharing Festival in April 2018.
The group released the digital single "To The Sky" on February 1, 2018, as a pre-release track of their upcoming EP. The group released their seventh extended play, *Black Dress*, on February 22. CLC held their third anniversary concert "Black Dress" on April 1. It was a donation-based, charity concert where attendees made donations to a Diabetes Association. CLC held their *CLC Live Show In Hong Kong 2018 – Black Dress* concert at Macpherson Stadium in Hong Kong on July 20.

On November 20, 2018 Cube Entertainment announced that Elkie would be making her official solo debut on November 23, 2018 with the digital single "I Dream".

### 2019: Continued releases and digital singles[edit]

On January 30, 2019, CLC released their eighth EP, *No.1*, with the title track "No". "No" is co-produced and co-written by label-mate Jeon So-yeon and co-written by member Yeeun. *No.1* debuted at No. 5 on Billboard's World Albums chart. On February 12, CLC earned their first music show win on *The Show* with the title track "No".

On May 29, the group released "Me" as a digital single. The song was co-written by member Yeeun.

On September 6, CLC released their fourth digital single "Devil", with Yeeun contributing to the lyrics.

### 2020–present: Worldwide recognition, reinvention, and Elkie and Sorn's departure

On March 1, 2020, *Billboard* reported that the singles "Me" and "Devil" debuted at number 5 and 7, respectively on the US World Digital Songs chart, months after their official releases with "Me" becoming the second best selling song that week only after BTS' "Black Swan".

On August 13, 2020, Cube Entertainment announced that CLC would be making their comeback on September 2, 2020, nearly a year after their last release. On August 20, CLC released a new logo, a more simpler and mature monogram with the 'L' being stylised to look like an upside-down '7' in reference to the seven members. On August 21, Dive Studios announced that the group would be the hosts of the third season of the *Idol 42* podcast, following CIX and Verivery, starting August 27. On September 2, CLC released their single, "Helicopter". Described as a "trap pop and EDM powerhouse song", "Helicopter" was co-written by member Yeeun. On September 17, 2020, CLC released promotional videos in collaboration with Seongdong-gu district, to promote the district's urban regeneration.

On December 25, 2020, Elkie sent a legal notice to Cube Entertainment requesting termination of her contract. She said she had not been paid for her acting activities, and that Cube Entertainment had already stopped their "developmental support" of CLC, putting the group's future on hold. On February 3, 2021, Cube Entertainment confirmed via an official statement that Elkie is no longer with the group, and her contract with the company has been terminated.

On March 9, 2021, CLC members Seunghee, Yeeun, and Seungyeon released an OST called "Another Level" for the Korean web drama *Be My Boyfriend*. On March 17, 2021, Cube Entertainment announced that Sorn would be making her official solo debut on March 23, 2021 with the English digital single "Run".

On November 16, Cube Entertainment announced the departure of Sorn after her exclusive contract was terminated.

## Members[edit]

### Current[edit]

* Seunghee (승희) – vocalist
* Yujin (유진) – vocalist
* Seungyeon (승연) – vocalist, leader
* Yeeun (예은) – rapper, vocalist
* Eunbin (은빈) – vocalist, rapper

### Former[edit]

* Sorn (손) – vocalist
* Elkie (엘키) – vocalist

## Philanthropy[edit]

Prior to their debut, the 5 original members of CLC busked to raise money for children with developmental disabilities. Profits from their b-side track, "Sharala", from their debut EP, *First Love,* were also donated to developmental disabilities charities*.* CLC's 3rd anniversary concert on April 1, 2018, was held for free, attendees had the opportunity to donate to the Pediatric Diabetes Association, which CLC are ambassadors of. On 17 November 2020, CLC was named the ambassador to the "Korea Insulin Dependent Diabetes Association".

## Discography[edit]

Main article: CLC discography

See also: List of songs recorded by CLC

### Extended plays[edit]

* *Question* (2015)
* *Refresh* (2016)
* *Nu.Clear* (2016)
* *Crystyle* (2017)
* *Free'sm* (2017)
* *Black Dress* (2018)
* *No.1* (2019)
* *Chamisma* (2016)

## Concerts[edit]

**Headlining concerts**

* CLC 3rd Anniversary Concert – "Black Dress" (1 April 2018)
* CLC Live Show in Hong Kong 2018 - Black Dress (20 July 2018)

**Showcase**

* Premiere Showcase: CLC (30 January 2019)

## Filmography[edit]

*Find sources:* "CLC" group – news **·** newspapers **·** books **·** scholar **·** JSTOR *(May 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)*

## Awards and nominations[edit]

*Find sources:* "CLC" group – news **·** newspapers **·** books **·** scholar **·** JSTOR *(May 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)*