MAMAMOO’s “gogobebe” Is Being Accused Of Plagiarizing Marshmello & Anne-Marie’s Hit Song “FRIENDS”
Even though MAMAMOO’s most recent title track “gogobebe” has received positive reactions and it’s doing great in the charts and music shows, they still have bumped into some questioning about the originality of their song.
A large number of netizens have been expressing on their SNS how “gogobebe” sounds extremely similar to Marshmello and Anne-Marie‘s “FRIENDS”, and are accusing MAMAMOO’s new song to be plagiarized or at least inspired by Marshmello’s track.
gogobebe is a friends by marshmello rip-off like it sounds the same
— a (@rainismin) March 20, 2019
is there a reason why gogobebe sounds like friends
— lena (@honeyjimini) March 14, 2019
THE BEGINNING OF GOGOBEBE SOUNDS LIKE FRIENDS JEHSUVWHSNWKENRNJS
— kaile🌱 (@onewsbread) March 19, 2019
The part that’s the most similar, according to people who have listened to both songs, is the 1st verse sung by Wheein.
so no one is going to talk about how mmm's gogobebe sounds exactly like marshmallow and anne marie's friends????
— 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦 (@jeongasms) March 25, 2019
okay i love ‘gogobebe’ as much as the next girl but it sounds exactly the same as ‘friends’ (anne marie) 😂😂
— soph | 🖤💗 27 DAYS! (@Soph_Carpenter) March 19, 2019
Honestly, gogobebe sounds like anne marie's friends. Slightly disappointed they sound quite similar. Its still a good song though.
— Kim Baz (@KimBazli) March 14, 2019
MAMAMOO’s ‘gogobebe’
Marshmello & Anne-Marie‘s ‘FRIENDS’
A Mash-up version of the songs was done by Youtuber 7LeoMashups. It shows how they fit together extremely well, more than a mash-up it sounds like a really cool collaboration.
In addition, there has been noted that some parts of the MVs have a similar look:
Marshmello & Anne-Marie’s “FRIENDS”
MAMAMOO’s “gogobebe”
Marshmello & Anne-Marie’s “FRIENDS”
MAMAMOO’s “gogobebe”
Gogobebe’s sound has also been accused by Korean netizens to be heavily influenced by the song “Jjang Gah“, a track by South Korean singer and songwriter Kim Gun Mo.
But, what counts as plagiarism?
Acording to Kurt Dahl from LawyerDrummer.com,
The law states that anything that reflects a “minimal spark” of creativity and originality can be copyrightable, including melody, chord progression, rhythm, and lyrics.
In the event of a trial, the person claiming infringement must prove two things:
1. Access – that the infringer had heard, or could reasonably be presumed to have heard, the original song prior to writing their song; and
2. Substantial Similarity – that the average listener can tell that one song has been copied from the other. The more elements that the two works have in common, the more likely they are substantially similar.
RBW, MAMAMOO’s label, has not given any sign of wanting to talk about the issue, and it is possible that it will go unnoticed by them and by the group.
MAMAMOO has already been accused of plagiarism for “You’re The Best” in 2016.
