Samsung Elec denies rumor of Galaxy ads with Fifty Fifty

Samsung Electronics Co., the world’s second-largest smartphone maker, has denied market rumors that K-pop rookie sensation Fifty Fifty will appear in commercials for its upcoming Galaxy foldable models, a further blow to the four-girl band mired in a legal dispute with its label.

The gossip ballooned as “Barbie Dreams,” an original song by the South Korean girl group on the soundtrack of the upcoming Hollywood movie “Barbie,” contains lyrics of “flip phones dipped in diamonds and pearls.”

Samsung said on Tuesday that the rumor, that the company was considering Fifty Fifty  as an advertising model for its Galaxy Z Flip 5 to be unveiled on July 26 was “groundless.” 

“We have not signed a contract with Fifty Fifty for the Flip 5 ads. We have not even tried for such a deal,” said a Samsung official. “There is a principle that we do not hire celebrities as advertising models for the Galaxy as celebrities have a lot of risks related to their private lives.”

Fifty Fifty has a lengthy track record on US Billboard’s Hot 100 list.

South Korean entertainers such as Jun Ji-hyun, the heroine of "My Love from the Star," and IU, a rare K-pop chart-topping singer-songwriter, appeared in ads for Samsung mobile phones in the past, but the company has not made featured any celebrities in  ads or commercials for its mobile phones or smartphones since the mid-2010s.

FIFTY FIFTY’S LEGAL BATTLE

Fifty Fifty, which debuted last November, has become so popular that its label Attrakt Co. was in talks with a venture capital firm based in Silicon Valley for fundraising after securing money from South Korean companies. The quartet has been on Billboard’s Hot 100 for 15th straight week, the longest for any K-pop girl group, with their hit song “Cupid.”

The band has been on a break since May, however, since one of its members, Aran, has undergone surgery, according to South Korean media reports. Last month, the four members filed an injunction with a local court seeking to terminate their exclusive contract with Attrakt, claiming the label has yet to share profits with them.

Sentiment on the band in Korea as deteriorated as Attrakt founder and CEO Jeon Hong-joon was known to have invested 8 billion won ($6.2 million) in the girl group, including his mother’s savings of 90 million won. Jeon reportedly sold his watch and car to release the band’s album.

The legal dispute has interrupted Fifty Fifty’s activities, local media reported.

The music video release of “Barbie Dreams” has been canceled, the Korea Joongang Daily quoted Attrakt as saying.

The girl group called off its participation in KCON LA 2023 to be held in Los Angeles Aug. 18-20, as well as a K-pop concert scheduled for November in London to mark the 140th anniversary of diplomatic ties between South Korea and the UK, other media reported.

The band may also cancel other events, according to those reports.

Attrakt and Fifty Fifty were not available for comment.

Write to Ik-Hwan Kim at lovepen@hankyung.com
 
Jongwoo Cheon edited this article.