French singer-songwriter Yseult claims R.Tee’s ‘Damdadi’ music video featuring Soyeon of I-dle resembles her music video for ‘B—- You Could Never’
Blackpink and Big Bang producer DJ R.Tee is embroiled in controversy over the alleged plagiarism of a French musician’s music video.
Yseult, a French singer-songwriter known for performing a rendition of Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” at the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics, claimed Wednesday that R.Tee’s “Damdadi” music video featuring Soyeon of I-dle, released in August, resembles her music video for “B—- You Could Never,” released in May 2024.
Yseult pointed out that the music video’s workplace setting, as well as scenes in which books fall off a shelf and a person pulls at a male actor’s tie, share similarities with her video.
“The creative director (of the music video) copied and pasted frame by frame of my video. It’s not just a question of ego or aesthetics. When you copy the work of an artist without permission, without credit or repair, you erase history, his time, his means, his team, his vision and especially his voice,” her Instagram post written in French read.
Yseult went on to say that plagiarism is not inspiration, but appropriation and has “real consequences,” adding that it’s a shame for K-pop fans who try to make her “feel guilty” for speaking loudly about the situation.
“(I) spent 100K on a music video I produced last year, only to get it copied and pasted by a K-pop creative a year later,” Yseult wrote in another post.
“I can’t wait to drop a project that will blow up internationally. One day, I’ll be that superstar with 50 million fans behind me. We will flip this rotten industry upside down and scream for equality in my sold-out arenas because I’m done watching the big dogs steal from the kids who made this,” the post continued.
Amid growing calls for R.Tee to address the situation, an official at his agency declined to comment on the issue, explaining that the music video director had already spoken on the matter. The official also declined to comment when The Korea Herald asked if there were plans to remove the music video from online platforms.
On Tuesday afternoon, the video’s director Hong Min-ho issued an apology for the similarities, acknowledging that certain visual elements were unintentionally copied.
“I sincerely apologize for the fact that some scenes were directly similar to Yseult’s original work. It is true that I was inspired by Yseult’s work and her directing style. I have long respected Yseult and the directors she has collaborated with, and that respect naturally influenced several visual ideas during this project,” the director wrote on his Instagram.
“I want to make it clear that the concept and direction of the music video were entirely my responsibility. Artists Soyeon and R.Tee had no involvement in the creative direction or reference selection process,” Hong further explained.
Shortly after posting his apology, Hong deactivated his Instagram account amid mounting criticism.
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