K-pop group FIFTY FIFTY (피프티 피프티) has been facing a lot of controversy lately. Long story short, the group filed for an injunction to suspend their contracts with their agency Attrakt, citing the company’s failure to provide financial data and ongoing mistreatment. Three girls have since left the group, leaving Keena, the only active member.
New members have joined the group and will be re-debuting later this September. Prior to the changes, FIFTY FIFTY went global after the release of their song “Cupid”, which also trended on TikTok. The single broke multiple records and the group recently earned recognition for it but fans weren’t so quite happy about the news.
Earlier this week, FIFTY FIFTY was presented with the “Hot 100 Achievement” award for the song “Cupid” at the Billboard K-POWER 100. Members Keena (키나), Chanelle Moon (문샤넬), Yewon (예원), Hana (하나), and Athena (아테나) attended the ceremony but Keena was the one who accepted the award on behalf of the group while the other girls stood behind her. The idols then posed for a photo together.
The photo has since gone viral but the responses were not all congratulatory. Many thought it was unfair for the group to accept the award since none of the members actually sang the song including Keena, who is the only original member. Some called the girls shameless for accepting the award despite having no contribution to its success. Of course, FIFTY FIFTY fans came to the group’s defence saying that Keena, while having little to no lines in the song, was one of the credited composers.
Others pointed out that the company owns the name FIFTY FIFTY and thus, it was not inappropriate for the current members to represent the name. Some argued that the girls were probably pressured to pose for the group photo with Keena since the video showed them letting the original member shine when accepting the award.
It’s unfortunate that the group’s latest achievement is being overshadowed by ongoing controversies, boycotts and fans’ division. Perhaps things will be better once FIFTY FIFTY re-debuts next month.
