On Wednesday, February 21, LE SSERAFIM performed their recent track, Smart, for the album showcase of their latest comeback, EASY. While fans couldn't stop talking about the song and its choreography, many netizens pointed out that it looked too similar to the viral song, Tyla's Water.
People pointed out that both tracks followed the Afro Beats and Amapiano style and accused the group and its agency of allegedly plagiarizing Tyla's track. While netizens were discussing the accusations, Tyla's recent X post, a GIF of a confused woman, sparked further speculation. Many took the post as her nod towards the allegations of LE SSERAFIM plagiarizing or copying Tyla's style in the recent track, Smart, which led to criticism towards the group.
However, Tyla cleared the air by making another X post, saying she didn't mean anything with her post and supported the girls without any controversial feelings.
"Why is my phone blowing up. No weird vibes, always love to all girls."
Regardless, netizens continued to hold their allegations against the group, and fans have been defending the girls by stating that it's just a music style that can largely used by any artist and that the style doesn't strictly belong to Tyla.
Netizens divided following the speculations of LE SSERAFIM plagiarizing Tyla's Water for their latest track, Smart
Following the release of LE SSERAFM's third mini-album, EASY, the five-piece K-pop girl group rolled out their album showcase on February 21, where they performed the album's title track, EASY, and the B-side track, Smart. While fans were already impressed by the choreography for EASY, the choreography and style adopted for their song Smart surprised fans as the group had not played with these aesthetics in their previously released tracks.
The song, Smart, explored the Afro Beats and Amapiano music styles, and its choreography also showcased its Afro Beats influences. While many fans were intrigued and happy to learn that LE SSERAFIM has been extending their musical boundaries, several netizens expressed that Smart shared too many similarities with Tyla's recent viral track, Water.
Many agreed that both the songs shared the same music styles and aesthetics, thereby accusing the group and its agency, Source Music, of allegedly plagiarizing the South African singer-songwriter, Tyla. However, many took the allegations lightly as not many details of the two songs perfectly matched. Tyla's X post motivated fans to express and discuss the allegations.
People mistook the 'confused' GIF she posted from her X account as a call out to LE SSERAFIM for the alleged plagiarism, and netizens grew concerned over the issue, directing much criticism and hatred toward the K-pop girl group. While Tyla cleared the air and stated that she wasn't calling anybody out for plagiarism, the netizen debate continued to dominate the internet.
As netizens continued to accuse LE SSERAFIM of copying Tyla's music and dance style to allegedly profit from the popularity it earned from the masses, several fans came in defense. LE SSERAFIM's fans argued that Afro Beats and Amapiano styles have been long-used in the industry, and it's a musical genre that any artist could dwell into.
Here are some of the fan reactions on X.
In conclusion, since the music style doesn't belong to one particular person, Smart's choreography and aesthetics don't stand as plagiarism. Many also pointed out that they failed to see many similarities between Water and Smart, the connections were too vague, and there is no solid reason to create plagiarism accusations.