Le Sserafim Sakura’s response to Coachella live performance controversy blows up

Le Sserafim’s Sakura hopped on the fan community Weverse on April 15 to address the K-pop girl group’s April 13 Coachella live performance and all the associated backlash that came with it.
Even before the 2024 Coachella stage, the band had garnered vehement criticism over their alleged poor live performances. However, as the group made its California music fest debut, Sakura attempted to settle the issue by reflecting on all the hardships that led the K-pop quintet to the Sahara tent this past weekend.
She began her message by underscoring the group’s rookie stature in the music industry, especially since they debuted under Source Music merely 2 years ago.
The loosely English-translated message illustrates a heartfelt picture of Sakura reflecting on the group’s Coachella outing.
Raising several questions, she seemed to have found the answers through the preparations for the road leading to Coachella.
“What does it mean to be on stage?
Is it about showing the perfect side?
Is it about entertaining the audience?
Or is it about performing a stage without being allowed to make a single mistake?” she wrote on Weverse.
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Her lengthy message particularly drove the case around people’s “different standards” on the basis of which idols are often subjected to deliver through the filter of unrealistic expectations. Weighing out her imperfections, she proclaimed Le Sserafim’s Coachella performance as their “best performance” yet.
While pondering over the pressures of a performance’s flawless execution, she took back fond memories of the day, especially after hearing positive in-person reviews of their show. Though her address implied the significance of looking past external validation, Sakura’s statement was again met with heavy disapproval. Several discriminatory remarks against Japanese members of K-pop members soured the mood.
While these so-called “Japanese mindset” claims (per AllKpop) resulted in a triggering chain of off-handed responses to Sakura’s message, the international side remained largely divided on the matter. Some even rose up to back the group’s efforts, laying stress on the bombastic response of the audience present during the live performance.
A post shared by Sakura Miyawaki (@39saku_chan)
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As tweets like “had the absolute best time w friends at coachella ♡ and le sserafim, they could never make me hate you…TO VICTORYYY” took charge on social media, opposing claims putting dirt on the group’s name were equally fuelled to put their points across in tweet threads.
As fandom wars were underway, another discussion took shape that put Le Sserafim’s live vocals to test against that of another rookie girl group, BabyMonster from YG Entertainment.
Although the latter music act debuted in November 2023, it has already established a solid foundation of prolific showcases despite standing victim to its label’s underwhelming promotions, barely pushing the group’s name. Notably, BabyMonster members Asa and Ruka are the first female Japanese idols to debut under YG Entertainment’s banner.
In other news, Le Sserafim members are set to hit the Coachella stage again during the second week of the illustrious US music festival on April 20. They recently forged a multi-year collaboration with the NBA. The celebrity program in Asia, titled ‘Friends of the NBA’, celebrates the intersection of sports and music.