Entertainment

Look familiar? K-pop group Aespa's first MV said to be plagiarised


Aespa, the latest girl group from South Korean media powerhouse SM Entertainment, have just made one of the biggest K-pop debuts of the year – but the arrival of the girl group has been mired in controversy over claims the work of other creatives has been copied for their promotional photos and first music video.

The group, comprising four members alongside four virtual “ae” counterparts, they released their first single, Black Mamba, on Tuesday.

Observers were quick to point out some imagery in the music video, as well as an earlier promotional clip, was similar to scenes from the Pop/Stars video by K/DA, a virtual girl group from the League of Legends video game.

Before the release of Black Mamba, a series of teaser photos and related video content promoting the quartet garnered attention for apparent similarities to the work of several artists previously shared on social media platforms.

As the controversy grew, screenshots supposedly showing a Pinterest account set up by SM Entertainment art director Jo Woo-cheol also surfaced.

The screenshots apparently show Jo had pinned and grouped together specific artworks and photos for inspiration for SM projects including Aespa’s debut and releases from other SM artists, including Taemin and BoA.

At least one artist, Bryan Huynh, has responded to the alleged copying for Aespa by SM Entertainment’s creative team.

Canada-based photographer Huynh says he’s flattered and acknowledges how art often fuels new creations.

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At the end of October, as Aespa’s first teaser images were being revealed, fans noticed similarities with an ethereal, fantastical flowery photo shoot directed by Huynh in 2019.

He wrote on his instagram stories about the situation, confirming that he was “not upset” by the apparent emulation of his work, but did “think it’s a bit of a strange thing for a company to do”.

He added that he would “love to speak to the company”.

SM Entertainment did not respond to the Post’s request for comments on the allegations.

This article was first published in South China Morning Post.



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