"Isn't this a reference?" — Fans divided over Korean band Lucy's plagiarism allegations
On April 27, 2025, a wave of plagiarism allegations began with the online fan community against the Korean band Lucy. Fans have alleged that the Korean band copied content from Japanese pop (J-pop) like Yorushika and Eve.
However, many fans also defended the band. The fans said that the similarity arose from the use of similar notes and artistic styles, and it is not necessarily a copy or a plagiarism attempt. The fan community, The Qoo, was flooded with comments for and against the band. One of the Qoo users wrote:
"Isn't this a reference? It feels like it's barely enough to be considered plagiarism... I'm more suspicious of the music video from earlier"
Fans compared the band's songs like You're Right, Villain, Complex, and even the band's latest release Hippo were compared to J-pop artists Yorushika's Itte, Eve's Outsider, Insomnia, and Last Dance. From the music video visuals to the melody, Lucy was accused of alleged plagiarism.
Fans came in with references as to why the band's songs sound similar to the Japanese songs. While many explained how referencing works, many also acknowledged the similarity that was pointed out in a now-deleted post on X.
Fans on X also noted the similarities in the South Korean band's music and music videos to J-pop artists' works. They accused the band and also expressed their disappointment over the allegations:
"I mean finally some of them are realizing the plagiarism some of Korean musicians do to Japanese’s music," an X user wrote.
"i've been hearing about it a lot this afternoon...didn't they also have an mv where they copied insomnia? or did i hallucinate that?" another fan wrote.
All you need to know about the Korean band Lucy
Lucy is a four-member band that debuted under Mystic Story (MYSTIC89). The band made its debut in 2020 with the song Dear. The members are Shin Ye-chan, Choi Sang-yeop, Cho Won-sang, and Shin Gwang-il. The members have since released several singles and EPs and also embarked on concert tours.
Currently, the group is active as a three-piece band as member Shin Gwan-gil has been enlisted in the military since September 2, 2024. The group released its sixth EP, Wajangchang, featuring double title tracks Wakey Wakey and Hippo, on April 23.
