LE SSERAFIM, featuring members like Kim Chaewon, Sakura, Huh Yunjin, Kazuha, and Hong Eunchae, made headlines with their debut performance at the prestigious Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 13th (local time). The group delivered an electrifying set of 10 songs, stunned the audience with their intense and grand performances, and set a record for the shortest time for a Korean act to perform at Coachella, just a year and a half after their debut.

Despite the overwhelming popularity and positive reception of LE SSERAFIM’s Coachella stage, interest in Korea turned controversial due to a video circulating online that maliciously edited Kim Chaewon’s performance. The short video, lasting about 10 seconds, misrepresented a high note by Kim Chaewon as off-pitch, sparking negative comments and criticism regarding her vocal abilities.

Kim Chaewon, known for her stable vocals in LE SSERAFIM, faced divided opinions among netizens. Some expressed disappointment and scepticism, highlighting the edited video as evidence of her supposed mistake, while others vehemently defended her, labelling the editing as malicious and unfair.

Supporters of Kim Chaewon emphasized the broader context of her performance, noting that judging her based on a brief clip was unjust and failed to capture the whole quality of her live singing during the extensive Coachella set. Comments defending Kim Chaewon’s skills and dismissing the edited video as misleading and sensationalistic reflect a sentiment of solidarity among fans.

As discussions surrounding Kim Chaewon’s performance continue to unfold, the contrasting reactions underscore the complexities of searching for fame and scrutiny in the public eye. LE SSERAFIM’s journey at Coachella serves as an example of its burgeoning success but also highlights the challenges of managing public perception in an era of rapid information dissemination and online discourse.