Dispatch has taken a deep dive into the plagiarism accusations made by the composer of Fin.K.L‘s “Time of Mask” against BTS Jungkook‘s “Seven.”
In an exclusive report by Dispatch, the media outlet, alongside an outside expert, determined there were no grounds for the plagiarism accusations made by “Time of Mask” composer Yang Joon Young against “Seven.”
BTS Jungkook’s “Seven” Accused Of Plagiarism By Fin.K.L’s “Time Of Mask” Composer
In a phone call with Dispatch on August 22, Yang Joon Young told the media outlet the reason why he believed there was a plagiarism issue.
The key of the songs might be different, but the four-bar scale system between the two songs are the same.
— Yang Joon Young
Yang Joon Young pointed out how there were similarities between the chorus of “Time of Mask” (0:52-1:10 of the song) and the bridge of “Seven” (0:55-1:03 of the song). However, looking at the original key of each song, “Time of Mask” is E major, but “Seven” is B minor. The two songs are sung at different keys. To make a better comparison, they changed the keys of both songs — “Time of Mask” to A minor and “Seven” to C major — to be more similar.
Following the change, the notes of each syllable were compared, with no similarities seen between the songs.
Ra Do Re Mi Re Do Do Ra / Do Re Mi Re Do Do / Ra Do Re Mi Re Do Do Sol / Sol Fa Fa Mi Re Re Do …
— “Time of Mask” notes
Mi Sol Ra Si Ra Sol Mi Mi / Mi Sol Ra Si Ra Sol Mi Mi / Mi Sol Ra Si Ra Sol Mi Mi / Re Re Do Do Si Ra Ra …
— “Seven” notes
Dispatch also changed the key so that the melody of the two songs would match, leaving “Time of Mask” at A minor and changing “Seven” to F major. They then once again compared the notes.
Ra Do Re Mi Re Do Do Ra / Do Re Mi Re Do Do / Ra Do Re Mi Re Do Do Sol / Sol Fa Fa Mi Re Re Do …
— “Time of Mask” notes
Ra Do Re Mi Re Do Ra Ra / Ra Do Re Mi Re Do Ra Ra / Ra Do Re Mi Re Do Ra Ra / Sol Sol Fa Fa Mi Re Re …
— “Seven” notes
It can be seen that the beginning notes of the melody are the same, but there are still differences between the overall notes sung between the two songs. Yang Joon Young’s claim that the two notes are the same has not been proved correct.
Dispatch also provided the notes for the original songs, which showed the notes alongside the sharp or flat emphasis on certain notes. It is clear to Dispatch that the key of the songs are different.
Yang Joon Young said he sent a request for clarification to producer “A” at HYBE, but did not get a response back. Dispatch clarified the producer “A” that Yang Joon Young sent the notice to was actually an external producer, not a HYBE producer. HYBE did comment briefly on the situation though.
No information regarding this has been sent to us. The allegations are one-sided, and the song does not meet any criteria that are used for judging plagiarism.
— HYBE
Dispatch asked for the opinion of an outside composer on this situation, and the composer stated that plagiarism dispute is nonsense.
There are a total of only 12 notes (including sharps). Because of that, there are countless songs that include similar notes.
At least two factors, such as the melody or the chords, must match to bring up the discussion of plagiarism. However, the two songs here are completely different. The plagiarism dispute is nonsense.
— Composer “B”
Watch Dispatch’s video showcasing the two songs with side-by-side comparisons below.
