Sunmi’s latest single “Heroine,” which has been topping charts upon its release Thursday, has come under fire for allegedly copying another musician’s music.
The controversy came with netizens flooding social media Wednesday to point out striking similarities in the melodies and beats between “Heroine” and “Fight For This Love,” a hit of British singer Cheryl Cole that swept UK charts in 2009.
A concept photo for Sunmi’s new single “Heroine” (MakeUs Entertainment)
Comments by outraged fans included, “This is outright plagiarism. The song’s music video and concept are also undeniably similar to ‘Fight For This Love,” and “I’m not an expert in music composing but this sounds too similar to the British song even to me. Was she in a rush for the comeback? I’m hugely disappointed.”
In light of the backlash, attention is now on how the song’s producer Teddy, a representative of producer team The Black Label, will react.
The famous K-pop hit maker has been embroiled in plagiarism controversies in the past, with songs he produced, such as Big Bang’s “Sober” and 2NE1’s “Fire.” Teddy has so far been able to ride out the storm by keeping silent over the criticisms.
“Heroine,” a prequel to Sunmi’s breakout hit “Gashina,” had topped five of Korea’s main streaming charts as of Friday afternoon.
