At the age of nineteen, 2NE1 leader CL is the youngest artist to be selected for Musician’s Choice. Musician’s Choice is a program that interviews singers on which artists and albums have influenced them the most in their musical careers. CL decided that she would pick female artists that have influenced her. Keep reading to check out CL’s top picks!

1. Madonna - Celebration
Madonna’s greatest hits album. The album, released in September, is composed of digital remastering of already existing hit songs, plus two new songs ‘Celebration’ and ‘Revolver.’ “Madonna has been famous even before I was born. I found out about her, and then, naturally she became my role model. I’ve read Madonna’s autobiography before; she’s sacrificed a lot for the sake of music. Especially since her mother died young and she had to endure mental pain from her father, etc. She wasn’t fortunate as a child. But given the fact that she first liked dance as opposed to music and her Catholic beliefs, we were similar when we were young. I like all of Madonna’s songs, but on ‘Celebration,’ all of my favorite songs are there, such as ‘Music,’ ‘Sorry’ and others. I’d recommend them.”

2. Lauryn Hill - Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
The only solo album Lauryn Hill, a member of the mixed member group The Fugees, released in 1998. “I started liking Lauryn Hill after I listened to the Fugees. When I listened to ‘Ready or Not,’ I didn’t know about her at first. Then I saw her play a lead role in [Sister Act 2] and I started to really like her, making the effort to find her music and listen to it. ‘Superstar’ is an exciting song that showcases Lauryn Hill’s rap and singing. She has a lot of songs with depth but this song is fun and easy to listen to, so it’s good. I had the chance to see her perform on MTV Unplugged with just an acoustic guitar. She played music, even cried and talked with the audience. The side of herself that she shared was really cool.”

3. Lil’ Kim - La Bella Mafia
The third album of Lil’ Kim, the rapper chosen as the sexiest out of female hip hop artists; released in 2003. “Whenever I sign autographs for fans, I always sign with ‘the baddest female.’ When I’m CL, I want to be that bad. When I look at pictures of Lil’ Kim, she looks exactly like the image I have of a ‘bad female.’ I listened to [La Bella Mafia] a lot when I was a trainee. Lil’ Kim and another female rapper, Foxy Brown, were rivals. Foxy had a lot of supporters but I liked Lil’ Kim more. Her clothes and concept were ridiculously cool and her rap overflowed with charisma. What’s more, when I watched Lil’ Kim’s documentary, she was also shy and feminine. I thought she was more charming because of the disconnect between the Lil’ Kim on stage and the Lil’ Kim in real life.”

4. Mary J. Blige - No More Drama
Called ‘the queen of soul,’ Mary J Blige released this album in 2001. “Mary J Blige does so much: hip hop music, professional photography, campaign for disadvantaged children, etc. She knows how to act like a queen while singing soul and rapping. She makes music steadily and expresses herself through various means, so every song gives off a slightly different feel. Especially soul, which she sings so easily that you can listen even more easily. ‘No More Drama’ is a song that Mary J Blige shows us her character clearly. It’s a song that you can’t sing without emotion. When she was married she went through a lot of pain but she overcame it with music.”

5. Erykah Badu’s - Mama’s Gun
American R&B artist Erykah Badu’s album released in 2000. I started liking her when I saw the music video for ‘Love of My Life’ featuring Common. Erykah Badu can dance well, sing with a really dreamlike and soft feeling. She has really great characteristics that are really masculine. She expresses herself through music but fashion is also really important. Madonna is the same but I like Erykah Badu’s fashion sense. With her turban which is always on her head, her skinny frame, and even with her lipstick that’s only applied to the middle of her lips, her personality can be seen. It’s good that she has her own style.”

So where, you may ask, does CL get her exquisite music taste? Well, she says that her father is the one that encouraged her to listen to different genres of music. At the age of sixteen, CL approached YG Entertianment president Yang Hyun Suk personally and gave him a demo CD. Three years later, she became the fierce 2NE1 leader that we all know and love today.

“Singers put music into people’s lives. It’s the same on stage. Music reflects a person’s experiences and values. So if the singer can, through his gestures and speech, tell about his life, you want to know. Because this person’s music started playing.” - CL

Source: omonatheydidnt