What the hell is happening with FIFTY FIFTY?

Only months ago, the rookie girl group seemed poised for global domination — but legal disputes with their label have frozen them in place.

FIFTY FIFTY, ATTRAKT

When I launched Let’s Talk K-Pop in May with Junkee, I knew I wanted to open with a piece on Fifty Fifty. Just six months after their debut, they were THE big thing in K-Pop and, as I said at the time, looked set to rise even higher and totally dominate the global pop industry.

But within a month of publishing that piece, FIFTY FIFTY’s trajectory had all but halted, and while they have recently released a new song — ‘Barbie Dreams’ (featuring Kaliii) for the Barbie movie soundtrack — it’s come without the planned music video or promotional activities it was meant to have. Other plans for the group, like K-Con in LA, a commercial with a global athlete, a variety show appearance, and an electronics endorsement deal, have also all been reportedly cancelled. 

So what the hell happened? In short, a total mess. The slightly less short version is that it’s very complicated — but I’ll do my best to give you the gist.

Basically, the four members of FIFTY FIFTY — Sio, Saena, Aran, and Keena (ranging in age from 18-21) — have become involved in a legal dispute with their label, ATTRAKT, as has The Givers, the company ATTRAKT enlisted to help form and launch FIFTY FIFTY. It’s all playing out very publicly, thanks in large part to ATTRAKT CEO Jun Hong Joon consistently releasing details and making statements to the media. 

What are ATTRAKT claiming?

At the end of June, CEO Jun spoke to the media about “external forces” that were trying to poach FIFTY FIFTY from his company and encouraging them to break their exclusive contract. ATTRAKT later released a statement that seemed to suggest these external forces were Warner Music Korea, who had announced a global distribution deal with FIFTY FIFTY back in April. Warner pushed back, calling ATTRAKT’s claims “groundless”.

Jun then said there was a misunderstanding and the “external forces” weren’t Warner Music Korea — eventually, he seemed to suggest The Givers were the third party to blame. ATTRAKT announced they’d sue The Givers and its CEO Ahn Sung-il, aka SIAHN (who had played a key role in creating FIFTY FIFTY and producing their music, including their viral hit ‘Cupid’) for breach of contract and fraud, claiming they secretly bought the ‘Cupid’ copyright to keep for themselves, amongst other offenses.  

ATTRAKT have maintained throughout the whole drama that the FIFTY FIFTY members themselves are being influenced/controlled by “external forces”. 

What are The Givers claiming? 

The Givers have denied ATTRAKT’s allegations, including the idea they’ve tried to poach or influence FIFTY FIFTY,  and are in turn suing ATTRAKT for defamation. They say that after their initial involvement with FIFTY FIFTY, their contracted services with the band and ATTRAKT ended in May, with the exception of working on global promotion with Warner Music at ATTRAKT’s request. They say they are a neutral party in the dispute between ATTRAKT and FIFTY FIFTY.

In terms of the copyright for ‘Cupid’, The Givers argue it was obtained through legal process and was actually in their possession long before they worked with FIFTY FIFTY. 

What are FIFTY FIFTY claiming? 

The members of FIFTY FIFTY have been publically silent since early June. In mid-June, they filed for temporary suspension of their exclusive contracts with ATTRAKT, citing violation of terms of the contract and a breakdown of trust. It was after this that CEO Jun went to the media suggesting a third party was poaching them. Subsequently, a statement was released by a law firm representing the members, emphasising they were acting independently (and not under the influence of “external forces”). 

The main thing the members seem to be asking for is transparency in financial documents, which they say ATTRAKT has withheld, while also complaining about a lack of support, being pressured to promote despite health issues, as well as a violation of privacy when said health issues (a surgery Aran had, and the reason for it) were revealed to the press by Jun without Aran’s consent. 

What do fans think?

Reactions online to the situation have been mixed, with many people sympathising with Jun and ATTRAKT, suggesting FIFTY FIFTY members are being “greedy” and alleging they haven’t been mistreated. However, there are also a lot of people supporting FIFTY FIFTY — including, unsurprisingly, many of their fans.

Aussie fan Mae, who I spoke to about FIFTY FIFTY back in May, says the whole situation has been hard to comprehend as a fan, but that they support the members completely. “They’re not greedy or asking for money, they’re asking for financial transparency and bringing the breaches of contract from the company to light… don’t blame the girls for sticking up for themselves and knowing when they are being mistreated.” 

Another fan, Stella, tells me she’s never doubted the members. “When all the legal issues are resolved, my hope is that FIFTY FIFTY and its members will be able to continue as a group under a new company… Regardless of what happens, I’ll continue to support the girls, even if they can no longer stay together.”

What do I think?

I’m certainly no expert — especially when it comes to financial and legal matters — but here’s my take: the dominant pattern in the music industry is men in power taking advantage of young stars, particularly young women, and it’s hard to see this through any other lens. In this case, the issues seem to stem from the tension between ATTRAKT and The Givers — ie the men in power on both sides — and the FIFTY FIFTY members are the ones who have been caught in the crossfire and had to deal with the consequences. 

At a time in their career when they should be taking off and spinning their viral momentum to their advantage, their opportunities have completely stalled. It honestly feels like such a waste of potential, and I can’t help but feel sad for the members. Whatever the outcome of the legal dispute, I hope they can find a way to continue to make music together and one day pick up where they left off.

Kiss of Life by KISS OF LIFE: KISS OF LIFE are a new four-member girl group who have debuted with a self-titled mini album, including catchy title track ‘Shhh’, sweet b-side ‘Bye My Neverland’, and solos for each of the members, all of which have music videos: ‘Sugarcoat (NATTY Solo)’, ‘Countdown (BELLE Solo)’, ‘Kitty Cat (JULIE Solo)’, and ‘Play Love Games (HANEUL Solo)’.

‘Super Shy’ and ‘New Jeans’ by New Jeans: These two songs are pre-releases ahead of the girl group’s July 21 Get Up album release. ‘Super Shy’ is a fast-paced, fun track with a bright, boppy music video and addictive (and primed-for-TikTok) choreo, while ‘New Jeans’ is a good vibes track with a MV that sees the group team up with the Powerpuff Girls and transform into super-cute cartoon superheroes themselves. 

YOUTH IN THE SHADE by ZEROBASEONE: This nine-member boy group was formed through reality show Boys Planet earlier in the year, and their long-awaited debut is finally here. YOUTH IN THE SHADE is a six-track mini album, which includes title track ‘In Bloom’, a lively pop song that quite literally leans into the K-Pop flower boy image. 

EXIST by EXO: EXO’s seventh full album features nine smooth tracks, including title track ‘Cream Soda’ and pre-release singles ‘Let Me In’ and ‘Hear Me Out’ (my personal fave off the album, along with b-side ‘Love Fool’).

Another new release in the last week was ‘Do It Like That’, a collaboration between TXT and the Jonas Brothers. It’s a feel-good bop that just makes you want to dance, and it’s pretty delightful to see the two unexpected groups come together. It got me thinking of other K-Pop collaborations with Western artists, so here are some of my faves:

The BTS World OST by BTS and assorted artists: BTS have done a lot (A LOT) of collabs with Western artists — as a group, as sub-units, and individually — and so many of them are absolute bangers (special shout-out to the one that hooked me in, ‘Boy With Luv’ with Halsey). But some of their best collabs are also their most under-the-radar, perhaps because they went on the soundtrack of one of their mobile games rather than an official album: ‘Dream Glow’ featuring BTS’ Jin, Jimin, and Jungkook alongside Charli XCX; ‘A Brand New Day’ featuring BTS’s J-Hope and V with Zara Larsson; and ‘All Night’, which brought BTS’ RM and Suga together with the late Juice WRLD. 

‘Physical’ (Hwasa remix) by Dua Lipa and Hwasa: Hwasa was the perfect addition to this remix of Dua Lipa’s hit ‘Physical’, bringing her breathy sensuality to an opening verse in Korean that fits in perfectly with vibes of the songs while adding something fresh. 

‘If You’re Over Me’ (Remix ft Key from SHINee) by Years & Years: I love Key’s voice, and it adds such a rich texture to this peppy anti-love song, making for irresistible listening. 

‘A Little Space’ by Pentatonix ft ATEEZ: ATEEZ’s San, Yunho, and Jonghon feature on this Pentatonix track, their voices blending smoothly with the acapella group’s to create an upbeat bop of a breakup song. 

‘Sour Candy’ by Lady Gaga and BLACKPINK: BLACKPINK have done several collabs with Western powerhouse women, but this is my pick for their best. It feels like a true collaboration that fits the sound of both acts while creating something fresh and fun for fans.

With love,

Jenna