TripleS causes outrage for lip-syncing in front of experts: Not unusual in K-pop?

TripleS' criticism of their showcase has sparked debate about whether K-pop is 'normalizing' not singing live to the point where rookies can perform entirely lip-syncing in front of professionals without fear of backlash.

TripleS group angered experts for lip-syncing in showcase - Photo: Modhaus

According to Money Today , the showcase for the new album of the 24-member girl group TripleS is becoming the center of controversy as the entire performance was performed by lip-syncing. This made many music critics in attendance indignant.

'What exactly is a showcase in K-pop?'

On May 12, TripleS held a press conference to introduce their second studio album, Assemble25 . In front of experts, the group performed a series of new songs, including Are you alive - the title song carrying a message of encouragement for those struggling between hope and despair.

However, immediately after the event, a wave of criticism erupted from the attendees themselves. Music critic Jung Min Jae expressed his disappointment on social media at having to watch a group lip-sync right at the group's showcase.

Some experts frankly declared that they would not attend TripleS' showcase if they continued to lip-sync - Photo: Modhaus

"After 90 minutes of watching the show, I started to wonder what a showcase in K-pop actually is? It was surprising that all three stages were completely lip-synced.

I thought they would at least sing one song live. When even the final title track was lip-synced, I really couldn't contain my anger.

"If there are no live performances, why invite critics?" - he was upset.

Critic Jung Min Jae believes that if experts are invited to give music reviews, at least the artist shows respect and seriousness towards their product by singing live.

At the same time, he declared: "If the showcase still doesn't have a live performance, there's no need to invite me anymore."

Another critic, Kim Do Heon, also couldn't hide his disappointment. He commented that the song " Are you alive" despite its spirit of encouragement and hope, felt out of place in the entire album.

TripleS's new song is considered out of place compared to the entire album by experts - Photo: Modhaus

Overall, Kim Do Heon believes that TripleS' showcase only repeated the fantasy dating motif commonly seen in current K-pop events, increasing the sense of distance between artists and audiences.

Additionally, he also criticized the production team led by Jayden Jeong, saying they needed to maintain a consistent storytelling spirit throughout the entire production.

"A group with a strong choir like TripleS should take advantage of that on stage. But when they don't perform live, they just give off a disjointed, uncohesive feeling. This is too easy a showcase," critic Kim Do Heon concluded.

Not a strange story in K-pop

TripleS's case is not unique in K-pop. Previously, many groups were also exposed by audiences for lip-syncing on big stages.

In 2024, Le Sserafim attracted attention when performing at Coachella. As the first generation 4 group to be invited to participate in the largest music festival in the US, Le Sserafim is expected to bring explosive, unforgettable performances following the success of their senior BlackPink.

Le Sserafim is suspected of lip-syncing, recording breathing sounds to pretend to sing live - Photo: Naver

However, the reaction was completely opposite. In the first week, the group completely disappointed when revealing their weak live singing ability, running out of breath, and constantly being out of tune.

After receiving negative reactions from the public, in the second week, Le Sserafim suddenly improved their singing and had a better performance. However, this raised suspicions that the HYBE girl group lip-synced but tried to pretend that they sang live by recording their breathing.

At the Global Citizen Festival in New York, Lisa (BlackPink) was also accused of lip-syncing most of her hits like Lalisa, Money, Rockstar, New woman and Moonlit floor even though she didn't show much choreography.

Lisa (BlackPink) has been accused of lip-syncing many times on big stages - Photo: AFP

This is not the first time Lisa has faced criticism for lip-syncing. Previously, the female idol was embroiled in a similar controversy when performing at the 2024 MTV Music Video Awards. After the event, the New York Post rated Lisa's performance as one of the worst.

Popular groups such as Aespa, IVE, TXT, and Twice have also faced suspicions of lip-syncing during major performances. This has disappointed the public, especially when they have spent money to enjoy a "live" performance but discovered that it was just a "fake" performance that was not as expected.

According to cultural expert Kim Seong Hyun, in 1990, the Korean entertainment industry called for a ban on lip-syncing, but this is no longer the case. The reason is that the power of music programs is no longer the same as before and they have to follow the requests of entertainment companies and artists.

Although the Korean entertainment industry once had a ban on lip-syncing, to date, that law has had no effect - Photo: Starship Entertainment

He said that using K-pop's unique concept of fast music combined with strong choreography to normalize lip-syncing is unacceptable.

"If we look at it seriously, it cannot be called a concert or a musical performance. If the dance is the most important, we can call it modern dance. If the costumes are the main element, it can be a fashion show.

"If artists just open their mouths like goldfish in a fish tank, it's no different than fooling the audience," he criticized.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/triples-gay-phan-no-vi-hat-nhep-truoc-chuyen-gia-chuyen-khong-la-trong-k-pop-20250515121145175.htm