Meng Jia apologises for plagiarism

29 Jan – Meng Jia's camp has recently released a statement of apology, after the singer's cover art for her new single was accused of plagiarising someone else's work.

As reported on Sina, the issue sparked on 28 January, when the former member of K-pop group Miss A released the cover art of her new single, "Glass Wall" in which she stood topless with her arms around her chest, wearing only jeans with the front unclasped.

She explained that the decision to go topless was not a cheap way to gain publicity, but to fit the overall feel of the new song.

However, not long after she posted the photo, some netizens were quick to notice that the overall pose, concept and styling were similar to a previous image posted by Italian model Sasha Barss on Instagram, and immediately accused Jia of plagiarism.

Barss herself was notified about the issue, and revealed that she was not contacted by Meng Jia's team at all about adopting the concept.

Hours later, the singer's studio posted an apology, stating that they were told by Meng Jia about her creative concept for the cover art, and the studio went on to find examples for her to approve. They subsequently went on to create the one that she chose without her seeing the original picture of Barss. The studio admitted that it was their fault for not reminding Meng Jia of the risks.

"We apologise to the relevant party who created the original work and will spare no effort to communicate with the other party and discuss the compensation," the studio added.

Meng Jia also subsequently issued an apology, writing, "Sorry and regretful, I've learned a lesson. I am sorry."

Barss later updated her social media regarding the plagiarism allegation, saying that the team has since sent her an email to discuss the issue.

(Photo Source: Meng Jia Instagram, Sasha Barss Instagram)