Recently, Chaewon, the leader of the girl group LE SSERAFIM, posted a cover video of the song “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)” by Ariana Grande.
The female idol “went big” by tackling a hit from the American diva, much to the delight of her fans. Chaewon recorded the video in a minimalist style, letting her voice be the main focus as a gift to her fans.
LE SSERAFIM's Chaewon shares a cover of ‘we can't be friends (wait for your love)’ by Ariana Grande. pic.twitter.com/5KVxbamJZx
— Pop Base (@PopBase) June 18, 2024
However, what seemed like a simple, fun moment Chaewon shared quickly turned into a heated debate after the cover video was uploaded. On the platform X (formerly Twitter), many people accused Chaewon’s vocals of being edited. The reason for their suspicion was the pristine sound quality, free of any background noise or mistakes during the performance.
Typically, K-pop idols share cover videos with low-budget settings, wearing casual clothes and singing in a relaxed manner, similar to what Chaewon did. The difference is that other idols usually sing live, without using studio techniques for such cases.
As a result, many criticized Chaewon for merely “showing off” and not daring to sing live, even accusing her of “deceiving the audience” in a simple cover video.
Despite LE SSERAFIM fans’ efforts to defend their idol, the negative comments prevailed. Since Coachella 2024, LE SSERAFIM has seemingly lost the favor of the general public. Any topic related to the group’s skills has sparked controversy after their disappointing Coachella performance.
On the other hand, the public’s anger towards LE SSERAFIM is said to be not only from the group’s lack of skills but also from their unprofessional attitude and lack of progress.
Additionally, amidst the criticism for their disastrous Coachella performance, Chaewon posted a photo showing her middle finger, which was seen as a defiant gesture. Netizens believe the female idol is unaware of her shortcomings and disrespects the audience. As a result, Chaewon’s use of studio techniques in a simple live singing video only deepened the public’s dislike for her.
