SM Entertainment has finally addressed the controversy over the similarities between aespa's "Black Mamba" music video and other works.
As soon as SM Entertainment's new girl group aespa debuted with the single titled "Black Mamba" on Nov. 17, the female act already dealt with a plagiarism controversy after it was said that some scenes in the music video of the debut song are significantly comparable to the art of the German visual artist named Timo Helgert, In particular, the grass and flowers on a subway train and a huge snake slithering across the train are the scenes that are mentioned to be the copied from Helgert.
The likeness of the works was raised by the virtual artist himself through his Instagram stories, saying that the South Korean agency had copied his work.
Aside from that, a few parts of the music video teaser of aespa's "Black Mamba" were also claimed to be plagiarized from the MV for K/DA's "POP/STAR." It was pointed out that both videos have a subway train, graffiti, and neon color scheme.
RELATED: SM Entertainment Once Again Accused of Plagiarism Following Drop of Aespa's 'Black Mamba' Teaser
And after more than a month, SM Entertainment has released an official statement regarding the plagiarism controversy. On Dec. 22, the company stated that they reached out to the artist and the company involved in the matter. SM said that they explained to them their planning process and the girl group's world story. They added, "The artist and company understood our agency's planning and production process, and they confirmed that they have no objections to the music video scene."
ALSO READ: SM Entertainment Accused of Plagiarizing for Aespa Members Teasers
While SM Entertainment has responded to the accusations of plagiarism concerning the music video of aespa's "Black Mamba," the label has still not addressed the scandal over the resemblances of the teaser images of the members, as well as the stage set-up of the girl group's performance in a music show and a work of a different virtual artist.
In October, SM Entertainment revealed the teaser photos for aespa's members that feature a starry night and futuristic-looking flowers and plants, plus shades of pink, purple, and blue. Upon seeing this, a Toronto-based photographer named Bryan Hyunh spoke up about how similar the girl group's images are to his past photoshoot with Paper Magazine X Euphoria, which was issued in June 2019.
ALSO READ: SM Entertainment Faces Yet Another Plagiarism Accusation for Aespa's Inkigayo Performance
Despite the accusations, aespa's debut was still pushed through and it was a success. The rookie group performed their debut song "Black Mamba" in different music shows, including SBS's "Inkigayo." While many people thought there will be no more plagiarisms following the female act's debut, another virtual artist claimed that her works were copied for the stage setup of aespa on SBS's "Inkigayo." Plants and trees with fairy lights and pyramids can be noticed on the stage, which the LA-based virtual artist named Kathryn Blake said to be the same with her work, the pyramids and the ceiling in particular.
Meanwhile, aespa has been participating in interviews, appearing on a radio show, and they recently performed at the 2020 KBS Song Festival (Gayo Daechukje) as one of the rookie groups.
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Written by Mhaliya Scott
