A boy group under HYBE’s management has been accused of imitating EXO, amid the ongoing conflict between HYBE and ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin.
On May 26, 2024, a forum post titled “Two boy groups with strikingly similar vibes receiving attention”was shared on TheQoo, one of South Korea’s most renowned online communities. The post’s author noted the striking resemblance between the concepts of HYBE’s Japanese boy group, &TEAM, and EXO’s.
It was observed that &TEAM’s teasers for their album, “First Howling: NOW,”bore a resemblance to EXO’s teaser for “Love Me Right.”While &TEAM’s teasers were unveiled in 2023, EXO’s was released in 2015. Both boy groups incorporated the American football theme, featuring uniforms and rugby balls.
The similarity between &TEAM’s “Road Not Taken”thumbnail and EXO’s “Wolf”thumbnail was also pointed out. Fans noticed that &TEAM had incorporated the concept of werewolves, which they felt was too reminiscent of EXO’s “Wolf”concept.
Moreover, both groups’ stage attires exhibited resemblances. Specifically, &TEAM’s red outfits during their rendition of “Scent of you”were likened to EXO’s red outfits when they performed “Wolf.”
Furthermore, the stage outfits of &TEAM during their performance of “Dropkick”were compared to EXO’s outfits during their performance of “Love Me Right.”
The music video for EXO’s “Growl”is famous for being shot in a single take, highlighting their impressive choreography. Some have accused &TEAM of copying this concept for their own “Scent of you”music video, which also featured one continuous shot and showcased their choreography. Furthermore, both groups opted for a serious aesthetic, with &TEAM sporting school-inspired outfits and blazers.
The response to the post was largely in agreement with the poster. Several individuals also accused HYBE of copying EXO’s concepts, with some even joking that the company’s survival depended on EXO and SM Entertainment’s originality. Additionally, some placed the blame on Bang Si Hyuk, who was involved in the production of &TEAM.
Despite having been in the industry for ten years, many still acknowledge EXO as the prevailing trend.
Several comments mentioned,
- “Wow, MOVE. Again?”
- “It’s been ten years, but EXO is still the trend. HYBE’s identity actually having no competency, but having a lot of greed.”
- “Is HYBE unable to make a group without copying? They don’t own anything.”
- “How would HYBE have survived if SM wasn’t there? They are ripping everything off them.”
- “This isn’t just a similar vibe. It’s straight-up the same.”
- “This is severe. If they wanted to copy from someone, why would they steal from someone as big as EXO? I’m not even their fan, but their concept was legendary.”
- “Wasn’t &TEAM produced by Bang Si Hyuk?”
- “&TEAM is the group that makes comments about Japan, right? They’re a mess.”
- “Wow, look at how consistent HYBE is at copying SM. HYBE, again?!”
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