WayV's Cover Art Was Allegedly Plagiarized, And Fans Shut It All The Way Down

Even though WayV has been busy promoting their first full-length album Awaken The World, fans discovered something upsetting regarding the use of their previous mini-album Take Over The Moon.

The golden symbol used for the album’s artwork recently appeared on an album that wasn’t WayV’s.

WayV_‘Take Over The Moon – The 2nd Mini Album’_Symbol Image
⠀#WayV #WeiShenV #威神V pic.twitter.com/5UpTJpPeL4

— WayV (@WayV_official) October 22, 2019

Through Spotify, eagle-eyed fans noticed there was an artist by the name of Messive, or Messive Muzik, that used the exact same symbol for their album Take Over (Reconstruction). Although the color was changed and the symbol flipped upside-down, there was no mistaking how similar they were.

Fans didn’t hesitate in politely bringing the similarity to the South African duo’s attention. Not only was the artwork chosen without their input, but they also hadn’t even participated in releasing the album at all:

As Messive, we were unaware that there was a reupload of the album. The label (High Frequency Sounds), that the album was signed to, did the Reconstruction upload/logo without the involvement of Messive.

Because Messive directed them to the company who was responsible, fans went directly to the source. They were just as helpful as the artists themselves.

In response to the plagiarism claim, High Frequency Sounds revealed that it was submitted by a past designer and moved forward in trying to contact them. Until they receive a response, the company announced that they’ve submitted a request to have the artwork removed.

…we’re trying to contact our precious designer to get clarity. In the meantime, we have requested a takedown to our distributer. We do apologize for any inconvenience.

Although the artwork is still being used for Messive’s album on Spotify, it takes time for requests to process—especially amid the current worldwide pandemic. Throughout it all, Label V has yet to respond.