Skipping forward to three years later, fans have been alarmed this week by a recent Instagram post from the South Korean singer Soyeun, consisting of multiple images and videos of her shooting an upcoming music video. In these behind-the-scenes snaps, Soyeun is also seen riding a mechanical jackknife―with disturbing similarities to Sevdaliza’s own. Internet users have been quick to draw comparisons, with many leaving comments underneath such as “Sevdaliza paved the way”, and “Sevdaliza how many years ago?”.
Sevdaliza, who is now 36 and was born in Tehran in the midst of the Iran-Iraq war, is no stranger to plagiarism. In 2020, she publicly accused French fashion house Louis Vuitton of plagiarising the set of her “Shahmaran” music video (2018) for its Autumn/Winter 2021/2022 men’s fashion show. However, this time around, she took to her Instagram story to respond to the controversy arising from Soyeun’s post with a succinct response: “Yeah I did see it. No, I don’t care.”
With her response standing in stark contrast to the feelings of fans, as well as her past reactions to plagiarisms, Sevdaliza elaborated on her puzzling nonchalant stance via a private DM conversation with a follower. “I don’t know what changed. It doesn’t even phase (sic) me”, she said, before adding that she feels “healthy and privileged enough to see the light in my life” and that “this is so irrelevant to where I am as a being”.
Via Sevdaliza ‘s private DM conversation with a follower
At a time when artistic inspiration can often blur the lines between homage and imitation, the controversy comes as an upsetting reminder of the complex dynamics at play in the creative industries. After all, Soyeun and the rest of her group are backed by Cube Entertainment, a huge South Korean conglomerate, while Sevdaliza is an independent artist working with a small director.