Recently, on the Korean online community theqoo, a post about the plagiarism controversy involving the international hit "APT." by Rose (Blackpink) and Bruno Mars attracted more than 80 thousand reads and more than 700 comments.
The post stated: “APT., the song that is making new history in K-pop, has been embroiled in a plagiarism controversy. The song bears a resemblance to “I’m Sorry, I Can’t Be a Good Child” by Japanese singer-songwriter Miku Sawai, released on November 13, 2013.
The song was also very popular in Japan, peaking at number 37 on the Oricon charts at the time.
Many have pointed out that the main melody at the 40-second mark of “I’m Sorry, I Can’t Be a Good Child” and the melody at the 33-second mark of “APT.” are similar. When the tempo of “APT.” is adjusted to fit the format of the song “I’m Sorry, I Can’t Be a Good Child,” the similarity is even more obvious.
Miku Sawai’s song is a vibrant dance track that captures the rebellious spirit of youth. Although the overall intro is different from “APT.”, the main melody that plays an important role in both songs has been controversial and is considered similar.”
The article also quoted a comment saying: "Rose used a melody that could have caused problems. Looking at how Toni Basil's "Mickey" is credited (APT. sampled the song Mickey), it seems like Rose and Bruno Mars were aware of the potential plagiarism issues. But the crucial chorus has been used so much that it's hard to know who the original author is."
In response, netizens cited a YouTube video saying that the suspected plagiarism of “APT.” is similar to hundreds of other songs such as “One Of Your Girls” by Troye Sivan, “Bad Romance" and “Judas" by Lady Gaga, “So Am I" by Ava Max, “White Mercedes" by Charli XCX, “Night Changes” by One Direction, etc.
Many other comments suggest that HYBE Labels may be behind the media stunt to sabotage other labels' international hits.
"APT." achieved a “Perfect All-Kill” certification on October 27, when it swept the Top 1 spot on all major music streaming platforms in Korea including Melon, Genie, Bugs, FLO, VIBE, and YouTube Music, as well as taking the No. 1 spot on Instiz iChart's real-time and weekly charts.
"APT." also made history as the first K-pop song to simultaneously top the Spotify global and Spotify US charts for 7 consecutive days, and top Apple Music globally for 4 consecutive days.
