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| A teaser for Lee Chae-yeon's upcoming debut solo EP, "HUSH RUSH" / Courtesy of WM Entertainment |
By Dong Sun-hwa
Lee Chae-yeon, a former member of now-defunct project girl group IZ*ONE, denied allegations that the design of her upcoming debut solo EP, "HUSH RUSH," is a copy of the "Gasoline" album by Key of K-pop boy band SHINee.
Her management company, WM Entertainment, released a statement on Saturday refuting the plagiarism allegations raised by some internet users, who claimed the teasers for "HUSH RUSH" have a similar font and color combination with Key's second studio album. They also pointed out that a number of features ― such as lightning and a full moon ― seen in Lee's teasers are also found in Key's album and that both of their CDs include heart images.
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| A scene from the "HUSH RUSH" teaser video / Captured from YouTube |
"We are very sad and upset," WM said. "'HUSH RUSH' is a mini-album with its own distinctive image and a unique narrative. It revolves around a vampire who leaves her old castle after waking up from 300 years of sleep and we tried to depict Lee as a vampire of the young generation. When designing this album, we made use of the objects and colors that are often used to show horror or a Halloween vibe. In the case of the font and the heart image, WM and our outsourcing company paid to use them as they fit well with the overall mood of the album," it added.
"We want to apologize to Lee's fans ― who have been looking forward to her debut for a long time ― for fueling worries. Please continue to support Lee, who will embark on a new musical journey," WM said.
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| A scene from the "Gasoline" teaser video / Captured from YouTube |
However, despite the company's denial, numerous K-pop fans are still skeptical.
"We can understand that some features seen in Lee's EP are commonly used to give off a spooky vibe, but it looks so much like Key's album that came out just two months ago," a fan commented. "Even if this is a coincidence, WM should have changed its design."
Another wrote, "Why is WM talking about the narrative of this album and the fact they paid for the font? What we want are more explanations about the similarities of the two designs."
Key's record label, SM Entertainment, has not commented on the issue.
Lee made her name known to the public through Mnet's hit audition show, "Produce 48" (2018), joining IZ*ONE after finishing 12th on the program. Lee, the older sister of Chae-ryeong ― a member of K-pop girl group ITZY ― also appeared in Mnet's "Street Woman Fighter" (2021), a dance competition show that propelled numerous female dancers to stardom.
"HUSH RUSH" is scheduled to hit store shelves on Oct. 12.
