NCT’s Doyoung Apologizes After K-Pop Fans Find His Request “Disrespectful”

Following the successful release of his first-ever solo album, YOUTH, on April 22, 2024 (KST), NCT member Doyoung has found himself in hot waters over a “request” deemed inappropriate.

Celebrating “Beginning,” Doyoung’s original work, on MelOn, the idol commented in a chat with his fans that he’d like to hear the song in other artists’ voices.

Are there skilled NCTzens out there? LOL. Someone who can make AI vocal covers… Haha. I’d love to hear other vocalists cover ‘Beginning.’ LOL. Like, think about IU sunbaenim covering the song. Wouldn’t that drive us insane?! Hehehe. Or, like, Park Hyo Shin sunbaenim‘s cover? Wow.

— Doyoung

He then asked his fans if one of them could “create AI covers” of the song in the voices of his sunbae vocalists like IU, Park Hyo Shin, and Sung Si Kyung.

Someone please make them for me, haha. I’m SO curious to hear how it’d sound. For real. LOL.

— Doyoung

These messages were soon deemed inappropriate and even “disrespectful” to the named artists—as AI in the creative art space has been a controversial topic.

• “He’s not the first K-Pop idol to talk about AI covers. It wouldn’t matter if he listened to AI work on his own. But recommending them…? He should think twice. As a creator, he needs to do better to protect all artist rights.”
• “Has he gone mad? Looks like he won’t get it until AI puts his career on the line.”
• “AI covers are stupid. I report all of them because I don’t think we should be supporting them. But… if he’s OK with it, he can make all the AI covers he wants, if it’s using his voice. But not others.”
• “?????”
• “I thought vocalists hated AI.”
• “Doesn’t he sing for a living…? He didn’t think this one through, huh?”
• “I guess he was talking to his fans about this? His fans should’ve let him know… There were instances of idols changing their minds after their fans convinced them to think again.”
• “So he wants to make AI covers using other vocalists’ voices? Not even his own?”
• “But he’s a singer himself…”
• “His fans should’ve told him…”

In response to the backlash, Doyoung then took to the idol-fan communication app platform, apologizing for his “inexcusable mistake.”

I have something to talk about… but it’s rather serious. So I’d like to use honorifics. I hope that what I share comes across as genuine and that I can deliver the true intention behind sending this message.

— Doyoung

This is a rather serious message. But I don’t feel comfortable not sharing it, as it would taint what I had meant in the previous messages. And I believe that NCTzens would also feel more comfortable after I address it.

When I was chatting with NCTzens on MelOn, I mentioned AI covers, commenting how ‘I’d love to hear my song be performed by the vocalists whose voices I love.’ I said that because I was deeply moved by Sunwoo Junga sunbaenim singing, ‘Beginning.’

But I realize how thoughtless that had been. I made a mistake. I thought, in all of the time I’ve been making music, I’d been genuine and that this album was also the fruit of how I feel about music. Yet I didn’t think about how AI covers could harm vocalists and the value of their voices. I considered AI content to be light fun, which is an inexcusable mistake on my part.

I sincerely apologize to all sunbae vocalists, whose voices I truly treasure, and to all of their fans as well. I am also incredibly sorry to NCTzens who love and support me for doing something so embarrassing and putting them through moments like this. I promise that, going forward, I will be more thoughtful about music and careful with my actions.

— Doyoung

While most NCT and Doyoung fans are encouraging the idol to learn from his mistake, some K-Pop fans remain upset regardless of the message for his lack of respect (and apology) for not labeling DAY6 as “sunbaenim” in comparison to all other sunbae vocalists mentioned.

• “So DAY6 isn’t a sunbaenim to him, LOL.”
• “What is the reason he keeps referring to DAY6 without proper labeling? The band is his sunbae.”
• [Deleted]
• “…? Does he even know when DAY6 debuted? WTF.”
• “Aigoo. He must not be aware of the fact that DAY6 debuted before him. He should’ve at least looked it up. Haha.”
• “I wouldn’t mind him using his own voice for AI covers. But a lot of vocalists have talked about how detrimental AI is and their feelings toward the covers. He doesn’t know how his sunbae vocalists feel about their voices being used for AI covers. So he shouldn’t have asked for such. Also… The mislabeling of DAY6 is a problem. This isn’t the first time he referred to them without the sunbae label, so it makes sense for DAY6 fans to be upset.”
• “Isn’t DAY6 also senior to him, though? LOL.”
• “DAY6, though…”

Listen to his new solo track, “Beginning,” here.

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