Seven-member K-pop girl group CLC is back with new single “Helicopter.”
It’s been a year since CLC dropped their song “Devil” and this time, “Helicopter,” a track belonging to the Trap pop and EDM Powerhouse genre, serves as a metaphor for the group taking off anew with confidence.
“Helicopter” was composed by Hyuk Shin, who has worked on albums with Justin Bieber and EXO; Melanie Joy Fontana, who has co-written songs for artists such as f(x), BTS, TWICE and Dua Lipa; Michel “Lindgren” Schulz; and Jisoo Park. CLC’s Yeeun took part in writing the lyrics.
CLC debuted in 2015 and the members are Yeeun, Seunghee, Yujin, Seungyeon, Sorn, Eunbin and Elkie.
Bulletin Entertainment was invited to CLC’s online media showcase on YouTube where the girls answered questions from the media about the comeback and performed their new song.
Seungyeon said they released a single this time “because full-length albums and mini albums are great, too, but we wanted to dedicate all our energy to ‘Helicopter,’ so we decided to release a single upon discussion with our label.”
She added for the new song, “we tried to put our story into it as much as possible. In terms of performance, we are collaborating with male dancers for the first time, so I hope our performance this time feels more sophisticated and grander.”
“We devoted a lot of effort, and we had many talks not just amongst ourselves but also with our label. We studied a lot, and we practiced a lot. I guess the biggest stand-out point is that ‘Helicopter’ contains our genuine voices and message,” said Seunghee.
When asked what compliments they want to receive for this comeback, Elkie said, “We definitely dedicated the most effort to the performance this time, so from now on, I hope people will think of CLC when they think of performance. We want to be the leading performance group of K-pop.”
“I wish we could hear things like ‘of course CLC did that.’ Perhaps ‘experts of stage’? I hope people will feel the joy of watching a performance as they see us,” Yeeun added.
During the group’s hiatus, Yeeun explained they "did promotional activities as individuals, and we also spent time for self-development and had a productive year. I would be lying if I said I didn’t get anxious at all, but we relieved ourselves by preparing very hard over the past year. Because of that—I just felt it earlier when we were on stage—we are able to get on stage with ease. We’re confident because we are well-prepared.”
CLC made their comeback just a day after BTS took the No. 1 spot on Billboard Hot 100 with the song “Dynamite,” the first Korean artist to do so.
“I heard wonderful news recently—I heard that BTS ranked No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. It’s a huge accomplishment, and a sign that K-pop is being loved by people from all over the globe. We also hope to get to see our name on the Billboard charts this time. And I hope all of us enjoy this promotion with no regrets and stay healthy through it,” Seungyeon said.
CLC's 2019 songs “Me” and “Devil” peaked at Nos. 5 and 7, respectively, on Billboard’s World Digital Song Sales chart. “No” charted at No. 4 on the same chart last year.
Yeeun added, “I think if we place somewhere on the Billboard charts, then other achievements will naturally come along with it.”
The world is experiencing a pandemic right now and Sorn hopes after this, they will have a concert tour in different countries to meet their fans.
“We’re in a tough time right now, but when things get better, I hope the seven of us will get to go on a world tour, visit our fans, and share fun and happy moments with them to make up for all the times they spent waiting for us,” she said.