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Two months after its release, R.Tee’s debut music video DAMDADI, featuring i-dle's Soyeon, is at the center of a plagiarism controversy. Fans and netizens noticed similarities between DAMDADI and French independent artist Yseult’s 2024 video B*TCH YOU COULD NEVER.
Side-by-side comparisons circulating online suggest the visuals were copied almost frame by frame. Yseult spoke out, calling on the director, label, and everyone involved on X.
"To see it get copied like this is wild… but real artistry speaks louder than imitation. And to those trying to guilt-trip me for speaking up : SHAME ON YOU ! SILENCING Black women when their work is STOLEN has always been part of the PROBLEM. Not this time!" she wrote.The 31-year-old also gave credit to her directors, Marita & Shadrinsky, praising their work as timeless. After her post, Soyeon sparked backlash online.
"This is blatant copy and anyone who will say Soyeon doesn’t have responsibility in this is lying to themselves. She surely didn’t get the idea to do it and might not know about it but she’s the one performing it. Stop infantilizing her," an X user commented.This is blatant copy and anyone who will say Soyeon doesn’t have responsibility in this is lying to themselves. She surely didn’t get the idea to do it and might not know about it but she’s the one performing it. Stop infantilizing her.
Fans keep slamming Soyeon over the alleged plagiarism.
I dont understand why people are defending Soyeon. Just because they mistakenly blamed Soyeon first like the point still stands on how the KPOP industry continues to steal from black people and yall will always find ways to villanize and go around the issue 🤦♀️
I absolutely hate K-pop fans. Didn't Soyeon fans used to praise her on how she is involved in every aspect of the music production. Now, she is implicated in plagiarism accusation, she is innocent, and the creator should focus on the producers. She is a producer. Eat rocks
Kpop artist stealing from black artist?fork found in kitchenshe literally took the entire concept edm paired with office siren while chaos is happeningI'm glad Yseult isnt backing down
Meanwhile, others argue that K-pop has a history of drawing inspiration from Black artists and are supporting Yseult, saying she deserves an apology.
not surprised. what is kpop if not an industry built on taking or stealing ideas from other artists? who knows how many artists well known or not have been plagiarised without us ever realising it? hopefully she gets the justice and the respect she deserves
We really hope this will not stop here, they won’t go away with it like nothing happened. Black people and culture has been copied by kpop since the beginning of time and especially ‘small’ independent artist like Yseult. She’s fighting for everyone of them. Without mentioning the cyber bullying she is currently facing from kpop stans who got nothing more but hate towards black women. We still waiting for @rtstlabel explication.
Such blatant THEFT and yall want them to apologize. Tell your kpop fave to stop stealing from Black artists. That's why everybody thinks theyre unoriginal & incapable of doing anything unless a Black person does it first
Yseult & i-dle's Soyeon controversy escalates after solo mention
i-dle's Soyeon and Yseult (Image via Instagram/@tiny.pretty.j, @yseult)The situation escalated after Yseult tagged Soyeon alone in an Instagram story and later reposted a post that blamed her solely. Fans argued this was misleading, emphasizing that Soyeon was not responsible for the visual production.
Fans continue to call for clarity while defending Soyeon, stressing that the real responsibility lies with the creators of the music video, not the featured singer. Many are saying that the K-pop idol only recorded the vocals and had no role in producing, directing, or planning the music video.
As a rapper, singer, songwriter, and producer under Cube Entertainment, Soyeon has been instrumental in composing, writing, and producing the majority of i-dle's tracks. However, in this case, she did not have that liberty. In the BTS video of DAMDADI, the Goodbye hitmaker stated,
"Since I didn't write this (Damdadi) song, I just follow their direction and match the vibe they're going for."Neither R.Tee, the production team, nor ZANYBROS/Hong Minho, and RTST Label have responded to the allegations.
In 2025, (G)I-DLE rebranded as i-dle, dropping the “G” to signal more inclusive identity. The change coincided with their 7th anniversary and was followed by their eighth EP, We Are, featuring full member participation in writing and composition.
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Edited by Shreya Jha
English (US)