Ex Vocalist Lee Sang-mi Steps Up Amid Speculation Over Jeon Soyeon's 'Quit My Job' Similarity

(Photo: SBS Entertainment News)

Band Ex member Lee Sang-mi has personally stepped forward to address the similarity controversy surrounding(Photo courtesy of Lee Sang-mi's SNS) (Photo courtesy of Lee Sang-mi's SNS) (Photo courtesy of Lee Sang-mi's SNS) (Photo courtesy of Lee Sang-mi's SNS) solo title track "Quit My Job" by i-dle member SOYEON.

On September 11, Lee Sang-mi posted several photos taken with SOYEON on her social media account and offered a direct explanation. Lee wrote, "Everyone, please stop making groundless speculations," revealing that the day they filmed the challenge was August 26, which was SOYEON's birthday. She added, "We filmed it back in August. I prepared a cake that suited SOYEON perfectly and wished her a happy birthday all at once."

"Quit My Job," written and composed by SOYEON herself, is a track based on analog band sounds that deals with the daily lives and resignation of office workers. Immediately upon its release, it drew reactions noting its similarity to "Please Take Care of Me" by the band Ex, which won the grand prize at the 2005 MBC Campus Song Festival. It turned out that "Quit My Job" was actually an homage to "Please Take Care of Me."

Appearing on the MBC variety show "Radio Star" broadcast on September 9, SOYEON shared the production process for her first solo full-length album "A Killer Life" and its title track "Quit My Job," which were released on September 7. She said, "I have previously done various styles of band music, but this is my first time attempting domestic band music. I wanted to pay homage to Ex, so I contacted them directly and received permission."

She went on to explain the intent behind the song, saying, "I'm not actually quitting my job. Doesn't everyone think 'Should I just quit?' when things get tough at work? It's a song capturing the romance of office workers." Previously, phrases reading "I'm going to quit my job" were revealed in front of her agency's office building, sparking rumors of an actual departure, but this turned out to be a solo album promotion.

This full-length solo album "A Killer Life" is SOYEON's first in about 5 years and 2 months since her 2021 EP "Windy." As a producer, lyricist, and composer who has led i-dle's music, she experimented with various genres such as rock, hyperpop, and disco in this album.



Reported by Kang Kyung-yoon (SBS Entertainment News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.