(YG Entertainment)

With 2NE1 member CL gearing up for her debut in the U.S., the media is increasingly paying attention to the powerful female rapper from South Korea.

In a recent interview with the U.S. magazine Complex, CL expressed her determination in the run-up to breaking into the U.S. market as a soloist.

“There are so many Korean people here ? and Chinese and Japanese ? but they don’t have one pop artist that they can look up to. That’s kind of sad. I wish I could be that person for them to be proud of,” said the 24-year-old rapper in the interview.

Asked about the relationship with her producer and talent manager Scooter Braun, CL said, “He definitely respects me already as an artist, and he loves what I’ve been doing. He just wants to bring that out here and balance it out.”

For her entrance into the U.S. market, CL is partnering up with Braun, who owns two record labels and helped world-famous pop stars such as Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande and “Gangnam Style” star Psy hit the big time on the world stage.

“It’s not like I am going to sing a whole song in Korean like Psy, but I think it’s a good balance. I want to represent Asian women in the right way. He wants to support that.”

The hugely popular hip-hop artist across Asia hopes to maintain her home-grown “cool” image to boost her profile in the U.S. market.

“Well, you know my image when I was in 2NE1. And I’m not going to change that. I’m not against being beautiful or sexy or anything, but I have this ‘cool’ image that I want to keep,” she said.

Above all, it is all about good music at the end of the day, she said.

“It’s not like I’m a rookie -- I have been doing this for a long time in Asia. It’s just a new market. I have to have good music, so I’m just focusing on that.”

CL recently unveiled a star-studded lineup including British band Florence and the Machine, Swedish pop star Erik Hassle and Indian Music producer Jake Troth for the recording of her upcoming album.

She will make her much-anticipated debut in the U.S. this spring.

(khnews@heraldcorp.com)