BIGHIT MUSIC have released a statement denying that BTS member Jungkook’s smash hit Seven had plagiarized a first-generation K-pop track. This followed an Aug 22, 2023 report by a Korean news outlet that featured an interview with veteran producer Yang Joon Young. He accused Seven of plagiarizing the 1999 track Time of Mask by girl group Fin.K.L., which he produced.
He claimed that Seven had identical “melodic scales” as Time of Mask, and that other top producers also felt the songs were similar. The news caused a stir amongst music fans, many who rushed to compare the two songs.
Time of Mask by Fin.K.L.
Four-member girl group Fin.K.L. entereed the music scene in 1998. They were one of the first K-pop girl groups to achieve international success. The group’s songs had a strong R&B-pop influence, making them stand out from other groups. Their biggest hits included Forever Love, Now, and To My Boyfriend. Time of Mask was a B-side single that became a cult classic.
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Fans who compared it to Seven claimed that the two sounded distinctly different, both in terms of rhythm and melody. The also questioned Yang’s motivation for making the claim.
Netizens added that Jungkook’s Seven was crafted by an international team. It was highly unlikely that any of them had ever heard Time of Mask.
Judge for yourself below:
BIGHIT MUSIC’s statement
BIGHIT MUSIC responded by stating: “[Allegations] claiming Jungkook’s Seven was plagiarized are false. Seven was made through a collaboration of five international producers and has no relation to the song that is part of a domestic album from 24 years ago.
“The allegations are one-sided, and the song does not meet any criteria that are used for judging plagiarism.”
The statement should help clear up the issue for fans. In the meantime, Seven shows no sign of stopping its chart dominance. It is currently in its fifth week at #1 on both the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. US charts. It also broke digital streaming records for Spotify, reaching 100 million streams within 6 days.
Jungkook himself has also been busy with his duties as a fashion ambassador for Calvin Klein. He recently appeared in the brand’s recent Fall campaign alongside BLACKPINK’s Jennie.
READ | BTS Jungkook follows the beat in Calvin Klein campaign