SB19’s Ken issues statement on ‘Bulan’ plagiarism allegations

SB19’s Ken, also known as Felip, has issued a statement on the plagiarism allegations made towards his recent song “Bulan” and its music video.

Shortly after the track’s release last Saturday, fans of Chinese singer Lay or Yixing took to social media that they noticed some similarities of “Bulan” to his “Lit.”

On Tuesday, Felip and his team said they would like to clarify things and “shed some light on the fans’ concerns as we believe that these are serious issues that need to be addressed.”

Felip first addressed the similarities between the two songs' music and lyrics, clarifying that his process has “always been to write the words and produce the music both at the same time.”

“However, as the creation of art is often borne out of inspiration, it’s inevitable for any of my (or any artist for that matter) songs to have some similarities in style with other artists as I often harness my musical references when creating.”

According to Felip, he had always been open about getting inspiration from other artists including Post Malone, Lay Zhang, One OK Rock, and Jaden Smith.

“But while there may seem to be some similarities between the sound of ‘Lit’ and ‘Bulan,’ a closer examination of the chord progressions, instrumentation, samples used, and even syllabication will prove the claim otherwise.”

“Moreover, the melody and the ethnic chants in ‘Bulan’ were based on indigenous Filipino ritual music, made modern with the addition of rock and hip-hop elements.”

As for the music video, meanwhile, Felip said it was “made to be a metaphor for real-world issues, while staying true to common knowledge of what transpired among the characters in most versions of the ancient lores.”

“‘Bulan’ was heavily and responsibly researched that details in the MV had its cultural basis, executed with some variations so as not to offend any cultures (or) indigenous populations.”

They then enumerated explanations on each of the video’s details, including the dancers, the use of colors, the outfits, the choreography, and the location.

Towards the end of the statement, Felip and his team acknowledged that “it is highly likely that there really will be some points in history and culture where they intersect.”

They also said that Lay’s “Lit” music video really was one of the many references they used for “Bulan.”

“As fans of Lay, we are saddened by the situation and wish to clarify that we did not intend to copy his work. We sincerely apologize for this unfortunate predicament and appreciate all the feedback we have received as a result of this.”

“Moving forward, we will continue to create more art, break stereotypes, and promote Filipino culture and artistry.”

In a previous interview with GMA News Online, Felip said he took the role of “Bulan” to show through ancient Filipino lore how he chooses to respond to negativity around him.

Lay’s “Lit,” meanwhile, was released in June 2020. It has over 24 million views, as of writing. — LA, GMA News