K-pop powerhouse, LE SSERAFIM, had their comeback with their third EP titled, “Easy” on February 19. The title track, “Easy,” features a stunning music video showcasing the girl group’s difficult choreography and the group’s concept of the fallen angel.
However, the music video quickly sparked debate as fans realized that the music video was filmed in a church. Fans have become divided on the issue as the question of religion and creative expression have come into play.
Imagery and Symbols
At first glance, the music video seem to feature colorful lights in a dim setting, which makes the music video very eye-catching.
But on a deeper look, a key factor that sparked this controversy was the heavy use of symbols and images in the music video.
In several shots of the video, fans saw the multiple depictions of a giant eye in the background. Many attributed this to the “evil eye.”
Fans also noticed that the group’s logo had replaced the crosses in the music video. In the shot above, the group’s logos are shown in red in place of the crosses as the girls strut into the church.
Such uses of images and replacing religious symbols had many of the group’s fans questioning whether it was necessary. Although the group’s main concept is of a fearless, fallen angel (LE SSERAFIM is an anagram for I’M FEARLESS and also stands for the heavenly angel, a seraphim), many felt that this concept could’ve been executed without appropriating a religious location.
Fans have spoke out against the girl group’s music video being filmed in a church:
Performing in a Church
Another critique fans had for the group’s music video was the girls’ outfits and dancing.
Many felt that it was disrespectful for the group to wear revealing outfits while dancing provocatively in a church setting.
Controversy or Creative Expression?
Despite the backlash the group is facing, a lot of fans have also jumped in to defend the girls.
Many fans are reminding that the girl group’s company is ultimately the one behind the group’s concept for each of their comebacks. Like a lot of K-pop groups, the group itself may not have a lot of say into the concepts of their comebacks. So fans are reminding others to direct their questions to HYBE LABELS and the production team – rather than targeting the members themselves.
Many are also feeling that the issue is being overblown, as the church that LE SSERAFIM filmed at has been featured in other music videos and even movies.
The group had filmed at the Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles. Films like The Amazing Spider-Man and the music video for “Helena (So Long and Goodnight)” by My Chemical Romance have all featured this church. So, a lot of fans felt that it was unfair to direct hate and criticism only towards LE SSERAFIM.
The controversy surrounding “Easy” and its church location is bringing attention to the complexities of creative expression – especially in the K-pop scene.
In a world where social media amplifies every opinion, artists must navigate not only their creative vision but also the potential consequences of their choices.
This incident raised important questions about where to draw the line between artistic exploration and respect for sacred spaces. Should artists be allowed to use religious settings in their work, or does this cross a boundary of sensitivity? There is a very fine line between the two, and opinions on the matter remain deeply divided.
The Album Itself
Apart from the controversy surrounding their music video, LE SSERAFIM is still seeing success on their latest EP.
The title track of “Easy” entered Billboard’s Hot 100 at Number 99 with over five million streams. The EP of five songs debuted at Number 8 on the Billboard 200. And the music video currently has over 60 million views.
The title track “Easy” still holds meaningful and inspiring lyrics, where it encourages its listeners to keep on persisting despite getting hurt or being brought down, thus making the impossible seem easy.
So, the album itself is still seeing quite a lot of success.
Controversy in the K-pop Scene
This isn’t the first time that controversies have occurred in the K-pop industry (or really in the artistic industry of music). A very fine line still holds between cultural/religious appropriation and creative expressions. “Easy” is an exemplar at showing all the different reactions a controversy can garner.
