Rising Chinese Boy Band Nine Percent Stays Mum About Wanna One Copycat Iss

by Skylar Kenn / Jun 21, 2018 10:58 AM EDT

Nine Percent is a newly formed group out of the Chinese audition show Idol Producer

Netizens are outraged over a plagiarism controversy that involves two popular boy groups: Wanna One and Nine Percent. Wanna One has been active in the K-Pop scene since last 2017 through the second season of the series Produce 101. Meanwhile, Nine Percent is a newly formed group out of the Chinese audition show Idol Producer.

From the very beginning, Idol Producer had been receiving flak for its similarities to Korea's Produce 101. However, it seems that Chinese show's own boy group is modeling itself from Korea's own Wanna One.

Nine Percent Allegedly Mimicking Wanna One's Photo Shoot

South Korean fans were quick to point out the cunning similarity of Nine Percent's newly posted photo on social media. According to Wanna One fans, Nine Percent's recent photo has a striking resemblance to the Korean boy group's "1st Look" photo.

Of course, Nine Percent fans weren't so happy about the accusation and defended their idols, saying that the Chinese boy group's music is nothing similar to Wanna One's. The commotion can be easily noticed in many Korean news sites including All Kpop, one of the first sites that reported the alleged plagiarism incident.

One fan noted that the pose is "pretty generic," and that a lot of boy and girl groups have already done the laying-down-looking-up-at-the-camera pose. Representatives from both boy groups had not commented yet about the matter.

Idol Producer Not A Remake Of Produce 101

Mnet, showrunner of Produce 101, previously announced that China's Idol Producer is not a licensed remake of the South Korean talent show despite being similar in terms of format, design, audition method, and program goals. A statement made by Mnet said that the company "did not take any part in the production or collaboration" of the hit Chinese show.

In other news, members of Wanna One are seen on a trip to Jeju Island. The escapade was documented in the group's new reality show Wanna Travel, which airs every Tuesday and Thursday at 6pm KST using the app Olleh TV Mobile.