aespa vs KATSEYE? Lara faces racism amid plagiarism debate

HYBE America's rookie girl group KATSEYE finds itself in a heated controversy. The teaser for their upcoming track Gnarly has drawn comparisons to aespa's Drama, sparking plagiarism accusations from some K-pop fans. Although the initial claims were made by a BLACKPINK fan, the discussion quickly gained traction and evolved into a major online debate.

What started as a conversation about musical similarities—and visual parallels like black outfits and a red carpet—escalated into something far more troubling: racist attacks directed at KATSEYE member Lara, who is of Indian origin.

Lara's Weverse interaction

Lara recently engaged with fans on Weverse, asking for song cover suggestions. When she mentioned Drama by aespa, many speculated it was a subtle nod to the plagiarism chatter. The post went viral after a screenshot was shared in a now-deleted tweet, prompting a wide range of reactions.

Lara's Weverse interaction

Fan wars escalate into racism

It's important to note that it remains unclear whether Lara intentionally referenced the controversy. While some netizens found the mention of Drama inappropriate and accused her of mockery, others took it much further, targeting her with racist and personal insults.

Blackpink is known in the west, Katseye is nobody there, in korea and lara’s dirty village from india. Next

— barbzsz (@barbszzz23) April 25, 2025

Several fans pointed out the double standards in K-pop, suggesting that if idols from groups like aespa, NewJeans, or BLACKPINK had made a similar comment, the reaction would have been different.

She is aespa's fan so I don't have anything against her but if the situation were flipped and any aespa member said this instead they would be called all sorts of names https://t.co/wDW33MeTvF

— 🌿 (@aentivenom) April 25, 2025

As for the three groups—aespa has faced its own plagiarism controversies, NewJeans is currently entangled in a legal dispute with their agency ADOR, and BLACKPINK has recently made headlines after three of its members allegedly used the N-word, with the group's official Spotify account also being hacked and labeled with racial slurs.

This nugu needs to pipe the fuck down. Karina alone is more popular and relevant than all of katseye members combined. https://t.co/p7vVEbqWw6 pic.twitter.com/nZOIWSQQiy

— prim (@scaendalouz) April 25, 2025

Let a bp member or njz or aespa member post something like this the same funky ass hybe stans would be calling them every name in the book but since it's this cringe hook nose bitch they're hyping her corny ass up also Lara honey you did know wtf KIOF did lmao https://t.co/lEU9VA5krX

— raye (@rayerisa96) April 25, 2025

In contrast, many defended Lara, citing her known admiration for aespa. Some argued that if she was referencing the drama, it was likely aimed at calling out toxic fan behavior—not the group itself. Others applauded her for possibly standing her ground, pointing out how idols are often encouraged to speak out but are vilified when they do. 

there’s nothing wrong with what lara is saying cause she’s not being shady towards aespa just their fuckass fans? she’s always shown that group love but their fans are denying her and her group’s talent and culture over a red carpet. i think she deserves to clock you weirdos! https://t.co/vubGa0Jkw2

— ⭐️ (@heartwoos) April 25, 2025

 

one thing i always see on this app is how people think being racist to indians is a way to combat or call out all the problems in india. south korea has the same problems but i don’t see anyone using those problems as an excuse to be racist to koreans. pic.twitter.com/6vVrK78Biz

— lily (@songyeondan) April 25, 2025

KATSEYE's comeback

The global girl group KATSEYE has officially announced their comeback with the single Gnarly, set to drop on April 30. The announcement came via Instagram, where they shared eye-catching teaser videos that quickly drew attention. 

‘Gnarly’ Out April 30 | 12AM ET | 1PM KST

Pre-Save Gnarly: https://t.co/VBuxTB2SWc#KATSEYE #KATSEYE_Gnarly #Gnarly 🥪 pic.twitter.com/wOe1ne02Ts

— KATSEYE (@katseyeworld) April 22, 2025

Members Manon, Sophia, Daniela, Lara, Megan, and Yoonchae rose to fame through the survival show The Debut: Dream Academy and made their official debut under HYBE in June 2024. They first made waves with their hit track Touch, which sparked a viral dance trend on TikTok.

For all the latest K-drama, K-pop, and Hallyuwood updates, keep following our coverage here.