Another day on K-pop X (former Twitter) and another accusation of stealing concepts. This time JYP Entertainment’s girl group ITZY is facing allegations of copying Aespa’s concept. This is bound to cause some drama on the platform ahead of ITZY’s album release. In the meantime, let’s explore the criticized ‘Born To Be’ concept clip and other artists who faced similar allegations.
Did ITZY copy Aespa in the ‘Born To Be’ concept clip?
The concept video of ITZY’s upcoming album ‘Born To Be‘ depicts the group in their fearless and daring persona. The complete scheme of concept is dark, mysterious, bold, and flaming hot. Some of these attributes are often aligned with the concept of SM Entertainment‘s group Aespa.
https://twitter.com/clcofcontent/status/1734090281257943536?t=iHshoH3h8kSnpcxj3mqeng&s=19
The hairstyles of the four members and the overall vibe also reminded netizens of Aespa’s Drama concept. On the other hand, plenty of fans have come forward to defend the artists saying that ITZY has already attempted this concept in their earlier works such as Ringo and Mafia.
Not to mention, Drama was released just a month ago and the decision for any album’s concept, styling, and the rest is made months ahead of its release. However, this is not the first time that a group has been accused of copying Aespa or stealing concepts.
As much as I used/like ITZY this is so æspa coded pic.twitter.com/1rkLFur1bq
— ram (@braveshabet) December 11, 2023
More groups accused of having similar concepts
A group getting criticized for having a similar concept to other artists isn’t new among K-pop fandoms but it has particularly become a common reason for disput in the past few years. Many groups including BLACKPINK, NMIXX, and LE SSERAFIM were criticized for having similar concepts and/or styling as Aespa.
"itzy copied nmixx who copied aespa who copied le sserafim who copied blackpink who copied-" pic.twitter.com/i9vg6SYaKg
— val (@qweenbeeval) December 10, 2023
BLACKPINK was accused of copying their AI theme while working with PUBG for their in-game concert ‘The Virtual‘ and ‘Ready For Love‘ music videos. NMIXX has repeatedly faced similar allegations after JYP Entertainment announced that they are debuting a new concept. LE SSERAFIM’s Chaewon also continues to receive hate for having similar styling as Aespa’s Winter.
However, the concepts and styling aren’t something that a group can truly own as they are based on trends and often reintroduce the styles of the past. The recent surge of Y2K fashion and USA street styling in new-gen groups is evidence of it.
"This concept is similar to" shut up, they are Itzy https://t.co/YpbRVnImEZ pic.twitter.com/3T8PTRq2Fz
— Aly (@ryejimoon) December 10, 2023
Therefore, instead of criticizing the concept, it is much more entertaining to enjoy how the groups incorporate their innate elements into the concept. In this sense, ITZY ate the ‘Born To Be‘ concept clip and photos.
The group will continue publishing their concept clips and photos until December 15 following which they will release their solo projects until the final album release on January 8, 2024. The group’s member Lia wouldn’t be a part of this schedule due to her temporary hiatus.
