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BIBI performs “Midnight Cruise” on KBS2’s Park Bo-gum’s Cantabile. / Source: KBS

BIBI’s latest track “Midnight Cruise" is under scrutiny after listeners raised concerns over its similarity to a Japanese city pop song from the 1980s.

The track, part of BIBI’s second full-length album released on May 14, is a city pop number co-composed by BIBI and producer PURPLE, with lyrics written solely by the singer. It marks her return with a full album after two and a half years.

During a music show appearance on May 16, BIBI introduced the song as the one she felt “most emotionally attached to,” explaining, “I wrote it thinking of my late grandfather who appeared in my dream.”

However, shortly after its release, users on online communities began claiming that “Midnight Cruise” bears a strong melodic resemblance to “Wonderland Yuuyami City” (Wonderland 夕闇 City), a song released in 1986 by Japanese singer Atsuko Nina, which has since been covered by other artists. Both songs fall under the city pop genre, but netizens argue that the melodies in the chorus are “strikingly similar.”

A music composer who spoke with this outlet noted, “The arrangement follows the grammar of 1980s retro and synth-pop, so similarities in sound sources and rhythm patterns are to be expected,” but added, “The chorus melody over three to four bars does warrant a more precise judgment on whether it infringes on musical originality.”

As of May 21, Feel Ghood Music, BIBI’s label, has not responded to requests for comment regarding the similarity controversy surrounding “Midnight Cruise.”