'Curry' controversy: ATEEZ members sing controversial song; agency issues apology
The K-pop boy band ATEEZ found itself in soup after a behind-the-scenes video of them singing the controversial song Curry went viral recently. Originally released over a decade ago, the song faced major criticism for its harmful stereotypes of South Asia's culture. ATINYs (ATEEZ's fandom) expressed disappointment with the group for singing the offensive song. In response, the group's agency issued an apology statement.
Why does this story matter?
For those unaware, Curry is a song by the K-pop duo Norazo, released in 2010. Even after 13 years, the song continues to be a notorious hit, remnants of which still exist in Korea's pop culture. What makes it controversial is its music video, which features one of the Norazo members wearing brownface, and the lyrics (such as Shanti, Shanti/Yoga, Fire/I love hot curry).
What exactly happened?
MBC, on Saturday, released a behind-the-scenes video of ATEEZ's guest appearance on the Idol Radio show. The group's vocalist, San, hosted the show as the DJ for the day. During a conversation about how San would handle the show, ATEEZ members Yunho and Seonghwa jokingly sang the lyrics of the song Curry. The video went viral on TikTok, amassing a whopping 111.9K views.
KQ Entertainment and Idol Radio issued apologies
Following the incident, KQ Entertainment—ATEEZ's agency—and Idol Radio took to social media to issue apologies. KQ Entertainment's statement read, "The artist had no specific intent with their actions in the scene in question but unknowingly hurt many of the fans. We would like to extend our sincerest apologies." Idol Radio issued an apology, stating, "We apologize for the inconvenience to viewers around the world."
When SEVENTEEN's Wonwoo sang Curry, which sparked controversy
In the past, a similar controversy erupted when K-pop boy band SEVENTEEN member Wonwoo sang the Curry song during an episode of the K-pop group's variety show, Going Seventeen. Thereafter, Norazo's Jo Bin, upon witnessing the backlash directed toward Wonwoo, issued a statement on social media, saying, "The writing I wrote is not intended to encourage disputes. I wanted everyone to be comfortable. Sorry."
