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BTS fans, ARMYs, and several other netizens have raised allegations of plagiarism against both ATEEZ and their agency, KQ Entertainment after the release of their album preview on April 26.
The album preview kickstarted the pre-order for their upcoming tenth mini-album release, GOLDEN HOUR PART. 1. The album comes in three versions, teal, white, and black, with the iconic ATEEZ album symbol placed tight in the center of the album cover. Many fans celebrated the news and excitedly cheered on the minimalist yet aesthetic design of the album.
However, the design raised many eyebrows from the netizens. The accusations claimed that the group and its agency had allegedly copied the design and layout of the debut album released by the BTS soloist member, Jungkook. His GOLDEN album, released in November 2023, also came in three versions, in colors of navy, cream, and green.
When netizens caught a glimpse of ATEEZ's GOLDEN HOUR PART. 1's album design, they couldn't help but parallel it with Jungkook's album. Given that even the names of the albums share similarities, ARMYs have only doubled down on their allegations. On the other hand, ATINYs (ATEEZ's fandom) have been defending the artists by refuting these accusations.
ATEEZ under fire for allegedly copying BTS Jungkook's design for his solo debut album, GOLDEN
Recently, the eight-piece K-pop boy group, ATEEZ, announced a comeback with their tenth mini-album, GOLDEN PART. 1. As fans patiently awaited the album release and its other details, the pre-order link and the album's inclusions were revealed.
The physical album comes in three versions namely, Blue Hour Ver., Diary Ver., and Golden Hour Ver. The entities of the albums are expected to include a CD, photobook, stickers, photocards, lyric sheets, notes from artists, etc. Additionally, they also have a DigiPack version releasing in the shade of maroon.
The DigiPack will come in eight versions, one for each member of ATEEZ, and will include a photobook, bookmark, logo sticker, CD, slide film, etc. With quite an interesting array of things to look forward to with ATEEZ's upcoming album, fans have been counting the days to its official release. However, controversy soon erupted as the album design reached more and more netizens.
ARMYs were quick to claim that the aesthetics, design, and general layout of the physical album of GOLDEN HOUR PART. 1 are too similar to Jungkook's solo album, GOLDEN. Though they might not be exact identical in looks, many claimed there are far too many similarities between the two album designs to eliminate the plagiarism allegations.
Therefore, ARMYs have been calling out both ATEEZ and KQ Entertainment for their actions and accusing them of plagiarism. On the other hand, fans have been defending the group from these allegations. They explained that the color palette and design of the albums do not relate to each other and the plagiarism allegations are a far reach.
Regardless, no official statement from KQ Entertainment has been made regarding these allegations. On the other hand, the upcoming tenth mini-album, GOLDEN HOUR PART. 1, is slated for release on May 31, at 1 PM KST. However, the entire month of May is expected to be filled with promotional content such as concept photos, teasers, and trailer releases.
With ARMYs and ATINYs engaged in a debate surrounding the newly landed plagiarism allegations, an official statement from KQ Entertainment could likely put an end to this ongoing feud.
