IU, who starred in "You're The Best Lee Soon Shin" and who will soon appear in "Pretty Man" with Jang Geun Suk," has been charged with plagiarism but her agency says the charges will not interfere with her upcoming promotional plans.
The charges say that her recent song "Red Shoes" is too similar to "Here's Us," a track released by electro-jazz German duo Nekta in 2009.
The song appears on her third full-length album, "Modern Times," which features swing, jazz, and bossa nova. "Red Shoes" was composed by Lee Min Soo with lyrics written by Kim Ee Na and the song quickly rose to the top of the charts. Her agency, Loen Entertainment, has denied the plagiarism charges.
"After talking to the songwriter, Lee Min Soo, and getting opinions from outside music experts, we concluded that the melody in some parts of the two songs may sound similar, but the two songs' chord progressions are completely different," said Loen Entertainment in a statement. "The dominant scale in 'Here's Us' is B flat major, whereas 'The Red Shoes' is in B flat minor."
To accuse someone of plagiarism means they copied either your musical idea or took part of your recording and used it in a different song.
Such accusations are not uncommon even in kpop. In 2009, G-Dragon's "Heartbreaker" was said to be similar to Flo Rida's song "Right Round."
And it doesn't just happen in kpop. Earlier this year, Katy Perry was accused of copying Sara Bareilles' song "Brave" in her song "Roar." Other famous artists that have been accused of plagiarism include Avril Lavigne, Radiohead and Coldplay.
To determine whether a song was plagiarized, the compositions must be carefully compared. Even without conclusive proof, such accusations can damage a singer's career. Singer Lee Hyori temporarily left the music scene after she was accused of plagiarism.
Loen representatives said that the charges would have no affect on IU's promotions for her new album or cancel any other planned appearances.
IU is already rehearsing for her role in "Pretty Man." She will play Kim Bo Tong, an ordinary girl who has a crush on the world's prettiest man, played by Jang Geun Suk. Despite his looks, he never manages to find true love. But that's probably because he never noticed IU.
The drama also stars Han Chae Young and Lee Jang Woo. It's based on a popular manga series about the prettiest man in the world.
