FELIP has addressed plagiarism allegations. 

In a post made on 31 May, the SB19 member—who is also known as Ken—released a statement responding to allegations concerning the similarities between his latest single 'Bulan' and 'Lit', a 2020 track by Chinese singer-songwriter Lay Zhang. 

Hello, this is FELIP & team.
We are aware of certain posts circulating on social media alluding to the similarities between Bulan & Lay Zhang’s Lit. We’d like to clarify the allegations & shed light on the concerns as these are issues that need to be addressed. pic.twitter.com/bTNmgi1CJf

— FELIP (@felipsuperior) May 31, 2022

In his statement, FELIP shared how even though his creative process takes inspiration from a lot of his musical influences, one of which includes Lay Zhang himself, 'Bulan' takes on a different style to 'Lit'.

"While there may seem to be some similarities between the sound of 'Lit' and 'Bulan', a closer examination of the chord progressions, instrumentation, samples used, and even syllabication will prove the claim otherwise. Moreover, the melody and the ethnic chants in 'Bulan' were based on indigenous Filipino ritual music, made modern with the addition of rock and hip-hop elements," wrote FELIP. 

Beyond the track itself, the singer also went on to detail the differences in the two songs' concepts and stories, stating that 'Bulan' was inspired by ancient Filipino lore such as the Bakunawa (serpent dragon).

"Apart from the lyrics, the music video for 'Bulan' was made to be a metaphor for real-world issues, while staying true to common knowledge of what transpired among the characters in most versions of the ancient lores. 'Bulan' was heavily and responsibly researched that details in the MV hed its cultural basis, executed with some variations so as not to offend any cultures/indigenous populations," explained FELIP. 

"However, we are also giving credit to the ground-breaking concept of Lay's 'Lit' MV and acknowledging it as one of the many references that we used for the work we do. As fans of Lay, we are saddened by the situation and wish to clarify that we did not intend to copy his work. We sincerely apologize for this unfortunate predicament and appreciate all the feedback we have received as a result of this."