K-Pop Band Aespa In Plagiarism Controversy Again Over Latest Teaser Images For Upcoming Mini-Album ‘Savage’ (Photo : SBS Radio/CC BY 3.0)
South Korean K-pop girl group aespa is in the middle of a plagiarism controversy again, following the release of their "Savage" concept photos.
The girl brand released a teaser image on social media for their first mini-album "Savage" on September 29. Within 24 hours of the teaser's release, netizens on social media and online communities pointed out that the image resembles Japanese illustrator Hajime Sorayama's work.
In the teaser by aespa, member Karina is seen wrapped around a robot, which represents Black Mamba. On the other hand, Sorayama's illustration features a nude woman wrapped around a robot that resembles an insect.
That's not all, the netizens also compared the image that features aespa members in masks to British designer James Mary's collection, making them question whether the k-pop group had officially collaborated with the designer.
This is not the first plagiarism controversy for the girl group, and they have been embroiled in it since their very debut.
During the debut of the band's first music video Black Mamba, German visual artist Timo Helgert claimed that the teaser video seemed like a copy of his work. He posted an Instagram story comparing clips from aespa's video and his work side by side. The similarity was apparent.
Meanwhile, aespa is continuing to prepare for their mini-album, which is going to drop on October 5. The latest set of individual teaser photos, featuring Ningning and Winter were released on September 30 at midnight KST. The two looked gorgeous in the chic visuals. A day earlier, teaser images of Giselle and Karina were released.
The band has already released the tracklist for "Savage". The album includes six tracks, "Lucid Dream", "ICONIC", "YEPPI YEPPI", "I'll Make You Cry", "Aenergy", and the eponymous "Savage".
The posts on the group's official Twitter account described the song "Savage" as a trap number that will tell the next story of aespa's universe. "ICONIC" is an energetic dance track while "I'll Make You Cry" is a powerful dance song, "YEPPI YEPPI" will have a positive message and "Aenergy" will tell the story of the band's universe. The album itself is geared to present unparalleled energy, according to aespa.
The group will also have an online showcase on October 5 at 8 PM KST. The four-member K-pop group was formed by SM Entertainment. aespa became ambassadors for Givenchy in February this year, making them the first K-pop artists selected by the French fashion house.
