Olivia Marsh, a solo singer and the older sister of New Jeans member Daniel, expressed her apologies regarding the allegations of plagiarism concerning her new song "Backseat."
On the 24th, representatives of Olivia Marsh noted that after a direct comparison of the two tracks, they interpreted that there was some validity to Isaac Dunbar's claims. As a result, they reached an amicable agreement with Isaac Dunbar, and are taking necessary administrative tasks, such as negotiations on equity and credit registration, to ensure the rights of the original creator are protected.
A representative said, "This reflects our shared commitment to creativity and fair artistic practices," and added, "We will continue our work based on transparency and respect for all creators. Once again, we deeply apologize to Isaac Dunbar, and we sincerely apologize to the fans who may have been disappointed due to this incident."
Olivia Marsh, who had high expectations as the older sister of Daniel, made a bold debut last October with her self-composed song. Her debut song "42," which portrays lovely memories from her childhood spent with family in Australia, captured the hearts of music fans both domestically and internationally. She gained recognition with a successful global debut by taking the stage at the showcase of "SXSW Sydney," one of the world's three major music markets.
On the 13th, Olivia Marsh released her first EP "Meanwhile," featuring five tracks that she composed and wrote. Among the double title tracks, "STRATEGY" and "BACKSEAT," the EP includes "WATERWORKS," "42," and "PINA COLADA," making a total of five songs. However, "Backseat" has been embroiled in plagiarism allegations.
This song captures the sense of freedom and liberation felt when surrendering one's body to the direction of life, as if sitting in the backseat. However, some pointed out that it was similar to Isaac Dunbar's "Onion Boy," and Olivia Marsh unusually issued an apology just ten days after the song's release.
Meanwhile, Daniel, Olivia Marsh's younger sister, along with Minji, Hanni, Haerin, and HAEIN, held an emergency press conference last November, alleging that their agency ADOR violated their exclusive contract and unilaterally declared the termination of the contract. Recently, she has been walking her own path, including officially announcing the new team name "NJZ" through NJZ's official social media channels.
The following is the full statement from Olivia Marsh's side.
Hello, this is Amplify. We would like to convey our stance regarding the recent issues surrounding Olivia Marsh.
Olivia Marsh released her first album "Meanwhile" on the 13th. Following the release, controversies arose regarding the double title track "Backseat" being similar to Isaac Dunbar's "Onion Boy."
We interpreted that there was some validity to Isaac Dunbar's claims after directly comparing the two tracks. As a result, we reached an amicable agreement with Isaac Dunbar and are currently carrying out necessary administrative tasks, such as negotiations on equity and credit registration, to ensure the rights of the original creators are protected.
This reflects our shared commitment to creativity and fair artistic practices. We will continue our work based on transparency and respect for all creators.
We will take this incident as a lesson and examine our internal systems to ensure that similar situations do not occur again. Once again, we deeply apologize to Isaac Dunbar, and we sincerely apologize to the fans who may have been disappointed due to this incident.