Lee Chaeyeon, former member of the girl group IZ*one, announced in September that she is debuting solo soon. Fans of the idol were very excitedly anticipating her debut and she gradually started releasing concept teasers for the upcoming release. This is when fans noticed striking similarities to the concept teasers released by SHINee member Key’s recent release, Gasoline.
WM Entertainment, Lee Chaeyeon’s agency, addressed plagiarism allegations they are facing from fans through a statement released on 8 August.
Read the English translation of WM Entertainment's official statement below:
Hello, this is WM Entertainment.
We are very sorry and upset about the similarity in design between Chaeyeon Lee's 1st mini album 'HUSH RUSH' and the album of another artist, and we would like to express our position on it.
- Our artist Lee Chaeyeon’s 1st mini album 'HUSH RUSH' compares the excitement of a vampire's first trip to the world to Lee Chaeyeon's first venture as a solo artist. In addition, we have two packaging for the two versions of the album: Vampires and Influencers. We have designed the album imagining 'MZ generation vampires' carrying them and have packaged it in a transparent bag through which the objects inside it are visible. The 'Vampire Ver' package contains sunglasses, blood bags, and eyeballs, which are objects that vampires can carry in the line of concept of the release. In this way, we applied the concept of 'MZ generation vampires' with the keyword 'Going out to the world of vampires who woke up after 300 years in Goseong' to fit the concept of 'Lee Chaeyeon's solo debut'.
- We have used images of objects like eyeballs and lightning in the album to express the concept of 'vampire', and regarding the use of key color, we have picked tones that are used a lot in horror and Halloween themed designs. The horror inspired paid design font created by Sandoll Co. Ltd. that we used is also in line with the album’s theme.
- In the Influencer version the 'heart' design at the front of the CD portrays the vampire ‘s heart beating again as she wakes up and faces a new world. In addition, the sharp wire-shaped details showcase a vampire's distinctive cold and creepy aura. The design elements for this were purchased by the designer through a paid medium.
- As such, Lee Chaeyeon’a 1st mini album 'HUSH RUSH' is an album with a clear image and unique narrative that the album wants to convey.
- We are sorry for causing concern to the fans who have been waiting for and supporting Lee Chaeyeon for a long time. As this is an album that has been in the works for a long time, we ask for your warm anticipation and interest in Lee Chaeyeon who will present a new image with her 1st mini album 'HUSH RUSH'. Thank You.
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Cover Photo Source: Twitter/official_LCY
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