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In one of IU’s songs, she was accused of s*xualising a five-year-old protagonist. It had created a lot of buzz all around. Read on to know what had happened.
Almost over 40 years ago, a Brazilian novel was first published, which became a highly sought-after read after the South Korean pop star IU was allegedly accused of using the five-year-old protagonist in one of her songs and over-s*xualising it. José Mauro de Vasconcelos first published the book My Sweet Orange Tree in Portuguese in 1968 and in English in 1970. The story is set in Rio de Janeiro and follows the life of a boy named Zeze. As he gets into mischief, he gets mistreated by people.
Although the book has stopped being printed, it became one of the most searched titles after controversy sparked over the pop star’s song Zeze, which is based on the story ‘My Sweet Orange Tree.’ The bookseller Richard Davies once mentioned that My Sweet Orange Tree was a ‘much-loved book in South Korea and often studied in schools.’
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As per the copy in the first UK edition, the writer described the boy: “Everyone beats him. If you look softhearted, he will tell you it’s revolting the way they beat on a little kid. Can you believe him when he says he’s only six? No! The boy is a liar. He is five years old.” On the other hand, IU’s song Zeze’s lyrics run as, “Zeze, come on up the tree quick and kiss the leaves, don’t be naughty and don’t hurt the tree, come up the tree and get the youngest leaf … you are innocent but shrewd, transparent but dirty and there is no way of knowing what’s living inside.”
According to the Korea Times, the book’s Korean publisher regretted the whole situation and issued a statement, “We regret the way the five-year-old character is portrayed as a s*xual object.” After the massive backlash, IU stepped up to solve the issue and explained that ‘My Sweet Orange Tree’ is a treasured book, “I swear I did not write the lyrics to s*xualize a five-year-old child. The Zeze in my song is a third-party fictional creation taken from the motif in the original novel.”
She further apologized from her end and said, “However, after listening to the opinions of those who have listened to the song, I realized that its contents could have given offense and even caused some to grieve. As a lyricist, I am wholly responsible for my immature handling of things.”
This happened years ago, and since then, IU has tried to avoid any controversy related to her songs. She is gearing up for her upcoming K-drama, When Life Gives You Tangerines, alongside Park Bo-Gum.
What are your thoughts about the accusations made against IU? Let us know in the comments.
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