KISS OF LIFE issues apology after cultural appropriation incident
Rising K-pop girl group KISS OF LIFE issued an apology letter on Sunday, April 6, after their controversial livestream for Julie's birthday celebration on Wednesday, April 2.
Many international fans called out the K-pop girl group for their cultural appropriation of hip-hop and the Black culture in general.
In the apology letter, they explained the intent behind the theme of their livestream and shared their feelings for disappointing fans.
“To all our Kissys (fans), we really want to sincerely apologize for the content that was uploaded that caused so much disappointment to our fans,” said the members.
They also acknowledged their delayed statement about the controversial live, “We have to seem calm on the outside, but the time leading up to this letter has honestly been hard. Although we wanted to and should've addressed this sooner. We are taking the first opportunity to address it now.”
According to the members, they only intended to show love for the culture because of its influence on their music.
KISS OF LIFE wrote, “Our intention was to show how much we loved the category of old school hip hop because it greatly influences our music. While shooting the content, we ended up taking the concept too far. We realize now that our content was culturally insensitive and take full responsibility for our actions and can only promise to do better.”
Following the uproar of fans, KISS OF LIFE said they are “learning” and “reflecting” on their actions that disappointed their supporters.
They wrote, “We've spent the past few days learning and reflecting how our actions have disappointed many of you. We know that there is nothing we can say or do that will magically fix the mistake we made. The only thing that we can promise is that we'll continue to educate ourselves and show our sincerity through our actions rather than words.”
At the end of their apology letter, KISS OF LIFE said the situation has been a “valuable learning experience” on their part and that they will continue to “honor” fans in “every way possible.”
“Our mission has always been to spread confidence and love through our music. We truly regret the choices they made and are genuinely sorry for any pain and distress we have caused our fans. This situation has been a valuable learning experience for us. Our Kissy's support means the world to us, and we will continue to honor you in every way possible,” said the members.
To all our Kissys, pic.twitter.com/1eIryGZOks
-- KISS OF LIFE (@KISSOFLIFE_S2) April 5, 2025
KISS OF LIFE brought their recent tour KISS ROAD to the Philippines on April 4, 2025, at the U.P. Theater in Manila.
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