The 2024 MTV EMAs have officially taken place. As MTV’s annual major awards show in the European market, the EMAs attract considerable attention from music fans. This year, LE SSERAFIM was the only K-pop representative to perform at the EMAs. This was another opportunity for girl group HYBE to expand their reach onto the international awards stage, but the response wasn’t as positive as hoped.
Bring a performance of Chasing Lightning – Crazy for the EMAs, the LE SSERAFIM stage was a truly impressive production, with a great team of dancers, intricate choreography and a 360-degree scenography that highlighted their performance skills.
Focusing on dance, the group upped the difficulty with brand-new choreography, and Japanese member Kazuha stole the spotlight with challenging ballet-inspired moves. However, in their intense focus on dance, LE SSERAFIM resorted to lip syncing.
After LE SSERAFIM’s performance at the EMAs was shared across all platforms, K-pop fans noticed that the group did not sing live, with up to 90% of the performance appearing to be lip-synced. The audio seemed overly smooth and the members’ expressions seemed overly refined, indicating that they were probably using playback. While Crazy is not particularly difficult to sing, LE SSERAFIM’s repeated use of backing tracks and lip syncing, even during a major awards show, has led to criticism.
Before LE SSERAFIM, BLACKPINK’s Lisa faced harsh criticism from international media, labeled as the “Queen of Lip-Sync” for relying heavily on playback on major stages such as the 2024 VMAs, Global Citizen Festival and the Victoria’s Secret Show. Now that LE SSERAFIM is under attack, Korean netizens feel embarrassed. After Coachella, LE SSERAFIM faced accusations of a “talent crisis,” becoming known as “the most hated girl group in K-pop” and even called a national embarrassment. Yet, almost a year later, LE SSERAFIM still faces these issues.
In the controversy surrounding LE SSERAFIM, primary responsibility falls on parent company HYBE and direct management company Source Music. Recently, HYBE’s internal documents were leaked to the public, revealing the company’s implicit acknowledgment that LE SSERAFIM performs lip-syncing due to their live performance capabilities being inadequate for award show stages.
Rather than focus on improving the skills of its own artists, HYBE would analyze the weaknesses of rival groups to employ “dirty media tactics” as a means of countering crises.
LE SSERAFIM has been gifted with top-tier resources in K-pop, performing on the biggest stages despite only debuting two years ago. However, their actual skill level has only decreased. Compared to their debut, LE SSERAFIM’s vocal abilities have worsened, leaving audiences frustrated with HYBE’s continued focus on image and results over genuine improvement in talent.
