U.S.-born singer-songwriter Bekuh Boom, the hitmaker behind many of BLACKPINK’s signature tracks, has gone public with claims of abusive treatment during her time working in Korea—sparking a major controversy.
Recently, Bekuh Boom posted a lengthy statement and video on her social media, alleging that, as a teenager working in Korea, her label subjected her to unfair treatment. She claimed, “I was subjected to verbal abuse and controlling behavior as a condition of a record deal, and when I disclosed my pregnancy, I was told, ‘If you have the baby, your career is over,’ and pressured to get an abortion.” She added that after refusing and returning to the United States, she was even billed for her airfare.
While she did not directly name a specific company, some online have pointed to YG Entertainment based on her past collaborations, further fueling the debate. Bekuh Boom is known to have come to Korea in 2012 and participated in K-pop projects for an extended period.
She also alleged unfair treatment during her work with BLACKPINK. Bekuh Boom said she heard demeaning remarks while working on ‘Typa Girl.’ She further claimed that Lisa’s solo track ‘Money’ was released without sufficient consultation with her and that the revenue split was unfair. She added remarks to the effect that “everyone knew about the situation, but no one protected me,” signaling sympathy with parts of the fan response.
Born in 1994, Bekuh Boom made her name in K-pop by co-composing Taeyang’s ‘Eyes, Nose, Lips’ in 2014. Since then, she has worked on multiple hits including BLACKPINK’s ‘BOOMBAYAH,’ ‘DDU-DU DDU-DU,’ and ‘Kill This Love,’ as well as collaborations with WINNER and Jeon Somi.