It all started with the pure intention of doing dance covers of their favourite K-Pop group EXO, but Thai cover group Millenium Boy was (wrongly?) accused of copying the group’s logo design to sell albums and merchandise illegally.
As cover dance culture is a popular trend among K-Pop fans, Millenium Boy started out by doing cover dances for their own entertainment and taking part in cover dance competitions in Thailand. Just like every other cover dance group, the group imitated the original artistes’ styles and uploaded their choreography to their Youtube channel. Their videos have garnered million of views and they have over 120K fans on their Facebook page largely due to their similarities to the original EXO’s styles and personalities.
Despite not having released any albums or songs, they have performed at solo concerts, held numerous fan meetings and even made TV appearances in their own country!
However, the group started to receive fans’ complaints for copying EXO to gain fame and profit by using EXO’s name. A Thai member received major backlash after posting an edited picture of original EXO member Kai on his own Instagram. The picture shows a blackfaced Kai with only his eyes and mouth visible in this picture and that causes discomfort among the fans.
Due to the massive complaints, the group issued an apology onto their Youtube channel on 12th June.
In the video above, the group promised not to use EXO logo anymore and emphasized that all the fanmeetings they have done or the merchandise they sold were never intended for business purposes. The Thai member also explained that he never intended to insult Kai in the edited picture and apologised for being insensitive. But most importantly, the group explained that they do not have any ill intentions towards EXO and expressed their support for EXO as well.
Earlier, EXO’s label SM Entertainment mentioned that they would take legal action against the group. The company later decided to drop the issue after the explanation but will continue to keep a close eye on their future activities.
With cover dance being the popular trend among K-Pop fans, what do you think about this issue? Sound off in the comments!