The German band Nekta has spoken out about the allegations of plagiarism regarding IU’s “Red Shoes.”
Nekta is the artist at the center of the plagiarism controversy surrounding IU. Suspicions arose that IU’s “Red Shoes,” released in 2013, bears melodic similarities to Nekta’s 2009 song “Here’s Us.” IU’s agency has consistently refuted the plagiarism claims, insisting that “Here’s Us” and “Red Shoes” are “completely different songs.” This is the first time Nekta has issued a statement on the matter.
Nordend Entertainment Publishing, the official music publisher of Nekta’s “Here’s Us,” stated, “We were greatly surprised by various articles in Korean media (e.g., TenAsia and Soompi) claiming that those responsible for the production had contacted us or the artist group Nekta at the time and clarified the issue regarding ‘copyright infringement.'”
They then stressed, “To date, neither the artist IU nor any official representative of LOEN Entertainment or EDAM Entertainment has contacted us or responded to our multiple attempts to contact them,” despite their attempt to “contact EDAM Entertainment on 28 May 2023 using the email addresses published on the website.”
Nordend Entertainment concluded, “With regret, we have to state that the responsible persons apparently have no interest in averting damage from their artist, us, or other parties involved in this situation. The untrue statements made now cast a very questionable light on these companies, and with their behavior, they also damage the reputation of the Korean music industry.”
In response, IU’s agency also broke their silence. On the morning of the 21st, EDAM Entertainment stated, “We have received and responded to the email sent by Nordend Entertainment. We are also revealing part of the email that LOEN Entertainment responded to via a lawyer back in 2013,” and released the copy.
