2NE1 leader CL (이채린) was recently dubbed by TIME magazine as “The Future of K-Pop in America” and she has over 4.9 million followers on Instagram, making her one of the most-followed K-Pop artiste.
Though well-loved by her international fans, the K-Pop idol, who released her first official American single “Lifted” in August, is being heavily criticised for incorporating Quran verses into “MTBD” (멘붕), which was “accidentally” played on her “Hello Bitches” Tour in Los Angeles on 4th November.
Since the incident, CL’s social media has been flooded with hateful comments and the trending hashtag, #cl_stop_using_our_quran. In a Twitter statement, the “Doctor Pepper” singer said that the “MTBD” used during her concert was an old version, adding that it is now deleted “completely and forever”.
“To anyone I have offended I sincerely apologize for my mistake. What happened was my engineer sent the old version of ‘MTBD’ for this tour. I take responsibility for not realising this sooner. My intention was never to use this version,” she wrote.
All Kpop pointed out that when “MTBD”, which also means “Mental Breakdown”, was released in 2014, provoked accusations of appropriation and racism, as many sharp-eared Muslim listeners noticed that the background track incorporated verses from the Quran. YG Entertainment ultimately removed the controversial part after the Korean Muslim Federation had raised a formal complaint.
Taken off 2NE1’s 2nd studio album “Crush”, CL’s upcoming shows in Atlanta, Chicago, and Toronto will feature the edited track.
For a better understanding of the Quran verses of the original “MTBD”, watch this short clip:
What do you think about the controversy? Do you think that her apology was enough to pacify all her haters? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Sources: Billboard, All Kpop (1), (2).
