V-pop prince faces another copycat charge, latest music video removed

The complaint, made by another channel on the video streaming platform, is not the first time that the V-pop prince has been accused of plagiarism.

The notification that popped up when netizens click on the "Chung Ta Cua Hien Tai" (We Of The Present) link on YouTube says: "This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by GC."

The video, removed on Monday evening (Feb 22) on YouTube, was restored on the platform after one day.

Three weeks ago, under the GC channel's "Is You Mine" video published in September 2020, a viewer commented on the similarity in the rhythm of the song and Tung's "Chung Ta Cua Hien Tai."

"It's very similar indeed, do you think they plagiarised it?" GC, a London-based music producer, responded. Many of his viewers have agreed.

A still from "Chung Ta Cua Hien Tai." Photo courtesy of Son Tung M-TP's YouTube channel.

GC said he would have not made a copyright violation claim without reason.

To a fan complaining that Tung had spent months making the video and did not deserve to have it taken off, GC responded: "It is retracted already, the producer admits he copied my work. Making money off someone else’s work? We don’t do that here in the West. You never seek to know the full story, do you? The video will be put back on, relax."

So far, Tung has not commented on the accusation of plagiarism.

"Chung Ta Cua Hien Tai" released in December 2020, is a 15-minute pop MV filmed in the central town of Hue. It helped Tung become the first Vietnamese singer to gain eight million subscribers on YouTube.

This is not the first time Tung has faced the charge of plagiarism. In 2016, his MV "Chung Ta Khong Thuoc Ve Nhau" (We Don't Belong To Each Other) was said to have copied from an MV of South Korean singer G-Dragon, and the music also faced criticism for sounding a lot like Charlie Puth's "We Don't Talk Anymore."

In 2018, his MV "Chay Ngay Di" (Run Now) was criticized for copying from South Korean rapper Mino’s 2016 MV "Body."

The GC channel is owned by Gary, who started his music career 12 years ago and has collaborated with many artists in Vietnam, South Korea, and China.