How LE SSERAFIM Survived K-pop’s Most Brutal Smear Campaign and Came Back Stronger

LE SSERAFIM was dragged through one of the nastiest smear campaigns K-pop has ever seen—false rumors, nonstop hate, and even threats. Most groups would’ve crumbled. But somehow, they didn’t just survive—they came back louder, stronger, and completely unstoppable, which has made people question: how did they pull that off?

Table of Contents

• Early Struggles and Debut Controversies
• The EASY Era: When Criticism Escalated to Hate
• Coachella Performance: The Turning Point
• HOT Era: More Plagiarism Accusations
  • The “Tanned Guaiac” Controversy
  • Born Fire Concept Video Backlash
• When the Baseless Claims Started Falling Apart
• Coachella 2024: Putting Things in Perspective
• The Turning Tide: Recognition and Support

Early Struggles and Debut Controversies

It’s safe to say that LE SSERAFIM hasn’t had peace since day one. Even before their debut, things were quite messy as Garam’s mistreatment allegations sparked huge debates and discussions, and soon after, random accusations like helmet and motorcycle-related plagiarism started showing up. Despite all that noise, they still managed to rise, comeback after comeback, with a fanbase that stuck by them no matter what.

The EASY Era: When Criticism Escalated to Hate

Things really started spiraling during the EASY era. It began with teaser clips that stirred backlash over the styling. Then came the controversy about using a church for filming, despite it being a common location for movies and MVs. After that, plagiarism claims surfaced again, this time about their B-side Smart. Still, none of that compared to the storm that hit after one specific encore performance of Easy.

That stage drew intense backlash worldwide, and what began as criticism quickly turned into full-on hate. It was as if no idol group had ever struggled vocally before or had a bad encore. Suddenly, people were calling for LE SSERAFIM to disband and leave the industry, with some saying the members didn’t deserve to continue their careers.

Coachella Performance: The Turning Point

In the midst of the hate train, LE SSERAFIM’s Coachella stage couldn’t have come at a worse time. To make it clear, they performed for forty minutes straight, with live vocals, barely any backtrack, intense choreography, and those at the festival said it was a fun, energetic show. But once the clips hit the internet, things took a turn.

However, the backlash online wasn’t just about the performance, and it soon exploded into something much bigger. People were tearing into the girls for everything, how they looked, their skills, their families, even their personal lives. Posts bashing them racked up hundreds of thousands of likes and quote retweets, and the hate just kept growing.

Despite all of that, the members acted like things were normal. They kept posting, smiling, showing up to schedules like nothing was wrong, even as strangers wished the worst on them day after day. The hate train started rolling back in March of last year—and it hasn’t slowed down since.

HOT Era: More Plagiarism Accusations

Things took another turn when LE SSERAFIM kicked off their HOT era. Well, sort of. The moment the teasers dropped, the same cycle began, and people accused them of plagiarism out of thin air, like clockwork.

The “Tanned Guaiac” Controversy

On February 23rd, the group revealed their “Tanned Guaiac” concept photos. The desert setting, the sun-kissed, slightly burnt look all matched the HOT theme perfectly. The sunburnt concept, especially, is a visual that’s been around forever, used by countless artists and brands, and it recently went viral thanks to GQ China’s Heat Stroke photoshoot from June 2024.

So, it made sense for LE SSERAFIM to go with a similar vibe for a concept literally called HOT. Still, that didn’t stop Twitter from erupting. Instead of seeing it as a natural concept choice, people accused them of copying Sabrina Carpenter’s Espresso music video, specifically a scene with the word “espresso” tanned onto a guy’s back.

One person even claimed that a group photo with yellow fonts in two different styles was also ripped from Sabrina. And just like that, the internet ran with it. The comments from Twitter users said: “Down to the font is crazy,” and “What’s wrong with their creative director?”

What made the whole thing even more ridiculous is that Sabrina herself said Espresso, and the whole album, was inspired by the ’80s so even her concept wasn’t exactly brand new. And that photo people claimed LE SSERAFIM copied “down to the font”? That wasn’t even real. The original didn’t have any text, so someone edited it just to make it look similar.

Born Fire Concept Video Backlash

When LE SSERAFIM dropped their HOT concept video, titled “Born Fire,” it was exactly what you would expect for a comeback with that name. But, of course, it didn’t take long for accusations to pop up again. This time, people claimed it was too similar to a Muegler ad featuring supermodel Anok Yai, promoting their Alien Supersense fragrance.

A Twitter user even posted a side-by-side comparison, arguing that the similarities were too obvious to ignore and calling it plagiarism. Someone added: “Plagiarizing a designer brand’s advert AND doing so terribly? Choose a struggle.”

When people looked closely at the side-by-side comparison, they quickly realized that the Twitter user had edited the trailer to make it seem like the sequence was copied frame by frame. Sure, you can argue about whether the trailer was inspired by the ad or if it’s just a coincidence, but what’s telling is the effort someone put into this. They took the time to download the teaser, cut out different parts, and stitch them together—just to make it look like LE SSERAFIM plagiarized.

When the Baseless Claims Started Falling Apart

When the album dropped, the plagiarism claims started to fall apart. For instance, the b-side track Come Over, produced by J.Lloyd Watson and Lydia Kitto of Jungle, was accused of sounding too similar to a Jungle song. Then, it was compared to an eaJ track, which was, once again, a stretch.

Despite all this, LE SSERAFIM just kept going, promoting as usual and handling the criticism with grace. Their performances were all live, their vocals solid, and even their encores received praise from fans online. While there were a few claims that LE SSERAFIM was losing steam both in Korea and internationally, their songs kept climbing the charts, and their popularity only grew.

The backlash against LE SSERAFIM reached an absurd point where it became clear to some people that the hate was built on nothing. Plagiarism claims were being made over baseless comparisons, and their performances were attacked relentlessly, whether they were good or bad.

Coachella 2024: Putting Things in Perspective

However, this year’s Coachella week one performances put things into perspective. K-pop stars like BLACKPINK’s Lisa and Jennie took the stage and received loads of praise for their performances. But something stood out: netizens said that the two relied heavily on loud backtracks, and when they did sing live, their voices were barely audible.

This led people to reflect on LE SSERAFIM’s Coachella performance from the previous year, where the group sang live for almost the entire set that lasted 40 minutes, delivering intense choreography with minimal backing tracks. Fans pointed out that LE SSERAFIM deserved an apology for the criticism they faced, especially for being called out for sounding out of breath after giving their all in a 40-minute performance.

A Twitter user wrote: “LE SSERAFIM’s performance really proves K-pop fans don’t care if you lip-sync or use loud backtrack as long as you are not LE SSERAFIM, who sang completely live.”

While some argued that every artist should face criticism for poor performances, it’s clear that K-pop fans often take it much further than constructive feedback. What they call “criticism” includes life-threatening messages, accusations of sleeping their way to the top, and relentless harassment that forces the group to shut down their social media comment sections.

The Turning Tide: Recognition and Support

Fortunately, things are changing for the better. People are starting to reflect on the hate LE SSERAFIM faced and realizing it was completely unjust. Their hard work and talent are now being recognized and praised, with their music getting the recognition it deserves. The group’s strength and determination have shown that, as long as they stand together, they can overcome anything.

As one Reddit user put it: “They’ve gone through a lot since their debut until now, but they are always thankful and kind. It’s inspiring how their journey really lives up to their group name, and through every challenge, they become even more real and graceful.”

The girls are now receiving more love and support than ever, not just from their fans but also from the public, fellow idols, and even Western artists. With so many people backing them, they’ll have a strong foundation through it all. It’s clear that as long as they keep delivering great music and working hard, nothing, no matter how much hate they face, can break them.