Plagiarism by accident or on purpose?
In recent days, the suspicion of plagiarism of Jungkook has caused Hung Huynh to be in trouble, having to hide the MV that was just released a few days ago. The male singer also had to endure criticism and ridicule from the online community. Similar controversies also happened with Trang Phap, the group Mopius (from Anh trai say hi) or the group LUNAS (from Sister Who Makes Wave season 1).
MVs that are said to be "similar" to Korean idols, melodies that are reminiscent of a Kpop hit, outfits that resemble the style of Korean stars... have become keywords associated with a group of Vietnamese singers for many years.
In 2022, two female singers, MiiNa and Bao Uyen, were accused of copying Blackpink’s image. After being criticized and condemned by the audience, the two young singers’ company had to apologize and announce the dismissal of the creative director. However, the projects of these singers were still boycotted and nicknamed “copycats”.
Not only the rookies, many famous stars in Vietnamese showbiz have also received backlash for "learning" Kpop too much, such as Erik, Duc Phuc, Chi Pu, Min, Thieu Bao Tram... Groups born in Vietnam such as Uni5, LIME, LipB, Zero9, made Vietnamese audiences bored because they "copy-paste" Kpop style but did not do it well.
Even Son Tung M-TP started his career with a series of accusations of copying ideas and plagiarism. During the period 2010 - 2015, Son Tung had at least 6 products that were pointed out to have similarities with Korean artists, including "Em cua ngay hom qua" which is similar to "Every night" (EXID), "Nang am xa dan" which is similar to "As one", "Chac ai do se ve" which is said to be a copy of "Because I Miss You" by Jung Yonghwa... which caused controversy for a long time.
Finding your own identity
Kpop is also a genre that blends many musical elements from the US, Japan and other countries, from which it develops its own characteristics. Combined with a strict management system and policies to promote the cultural industry, Kpop has become a force that has invaded the world music map, closely associated with the spiritual life of millions of audiences.
According to the Korea Times, the situation of many singers “borrowing” and copying Kpop ideas is no longer strange. Mr. Lee Gyu-tag, professor of arts and sciences at George Mason University in Korea, said that Korean record labels and management companies believe that the appearance of copycat versions also proves the superiority of Kpop singers.
“Imitators often cannot surpass or replace the original artists. But the fact that they copy shows that K-pop is their reference model, making the audience feel that K-pop is quality, unique content,” Lee Gyu-tag emphasized.
The Vietnamese music industry has witnessed many times singers being criticized for lacking creativity, “stealing” intellectual ideas, and disregarding the audience when releasing patchwork, distorted copycat products. However, because they are not punished or boycotted to the point of losing their entire careers, plagiarism is still an easy trick to do and easy to become famous in Vietnamese showbiz.
Learning and referring to successful models is not wrong, but the problem is to maintain identity while shaping one's own color.
For a singer like Hung Huynh, trained in Korea, deeply influenced by Kpop, participating in a large-scale idol selection show, when returning to Vietnam, he must find his own path, avoiding becoming a “copy” of Korean stars. Or Trang Phap herself, inspired by Kpop idols, also needs to be alert in the process of creating her own brainchild. Without “Vietnamese quality”, it is understandable that singers cannot conquer Vietnamese audiences.
