“APOLOGISE TO SOYEON” – Fans call out Yseult for dragging I-dle’s leader into R.Tee’s ‘DAMDADI’ plagiarism claims despite her being just a feature

On October 10, 2025, French singer-songwriter Yseult accused South Korean producer R.Tee and I-dle’s leader Soyeon of copying her 2024 music video Bi*ch You Could Never in the visuals for R.Tee’s track DAMDADI. The allegation quickly sparked one of the most heated online debates.

However, fans quickly came to Soyeon’s defense. They emphasized that she was only a featured artist on the track and was not involved in the concept or direction of the music video. Within hours, the hashtag “APOLOGISE TO SOYEON” started trending worldwide on X.

Many criticized Yseult for unfairly tagging Soyeon in her posts instead of contacting R.Tee’s studio or the creative team behind DAMDADI. After her initial post calling out the alleged plagiarism was met with backlash from fans, Yseult responded again on her X account, @yseultofficiel, and wrote,

Fans pointed out that the idol only performed in the track, following the producer’s creative direction, and should not be held accountable for alleged visual similarities. An X user, @nebo_mon, wrote,

Fans also condemned the increasing harassment against the K-pop star. They pointed out that a few X accounts, including one named @YseultUpdates, were allegedly promoting defamation and encouraging hate toward the singer.

They demanded that R.Tee’s production team and Yseult clarify their statements. They also stressed that accountability should rest with those responsible for creating the visuals, not a guest performer.

Yseult’s accusations and her posts criticizing I-dle's Soyeon & DAMDADI team

DAMDADI is a collaboration between R.Tee and Soyeon of I-dle (formerly known as (G)I-dle. It was released on August 10, 2025. The controversy began when Yseult posted a series of tweets accusing DAMDADI’s production team of copying her music video Bi*ch You Could Never.

She stated that the new video was a “straight-up copy.” She called out the "director, label, artists" involved and also demanded they credit her source. She wrote on her official X account,

"Director, label, artists everyone involved the least you could do is have the decency to credit your source. To see it get copied like this is wild…"

The French singer then claimed her team’s visual work had been replicated “shot for shot." She also pointed out similarities in color schemes, framing, and choreography.

"I’ve built a world that was never meant to be protected .. a world criticized, ignored and pushed aside because being a Black alternative pop woman scares the system. And now ? I’m watching artists copy my music video shot for shot with zero credit and zero respect. And the irony ? I wrote this song about artists copying me. Well… I guess when you go global, the thieves go global too right ?," the singer wrote.

Yseult’s statements quickly escalated as she kept posting several explicit tweets showing her anger toward those questioning her claims. In one post, she said, “Go eat my Black a**,” and in another, she added in Korean, “Eat my black a* and choke to your heart’s content.”* These comments sparked backlash online.

Many called them inappropriate and saw them as counterproductive to her original argument. The singer also criticized the K-pop industry more broadly, claiming it has long exploited Black creativity for profit. She argued that the copying of her video was part of a pattern of “sampling our sound, stealing our moves, and wearing our skin like a costume.”

As of now, R.Tee, Cube Entertainment, and the involved label have not issued an official statement.

About the author

Mantasha is a pop culture writer at Sportskeeda who covers K-pop and K-drama. She has recently completed her Masters in English and has a rich 3-year writing experience where she crafted engaging content for top companies such as Unacademy, Apollo Hospitals, Adani Airports, and the Economic Times. Her experience has helped her create a strong foundation that complements her passion for creating the best content related to K-pop, K-dramas and Korean movies.

Mantasha's interest in pop culture took root when her cousin introduced her to classic Hollywood and Bollywood tunes and the rest, as they say, is history. Mantasha’s connection with K-pop supergroup BTS is a special one as their song lyrics, hard work, and dedication resonate with her like no other group does.

Maintaining accuracy, relevance, and ethics in her reporting is extremely essential for Mantasha. She prioritizes thorough research, delving deep beyond just superficial sources, to ensure comprehensive and trustworthy information.

When not writing, Mantasha enjoys journaling and doodling, watching K-dramas and listening to songs.

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Edited by Shreya Das