Singer-songwriter Olivia Marsh’s agency addressed plagiarism concerns regarding her track “Backseat” on Tuesday, following allegations that the song closely resembled Isaac Dunbar’s 2019 hit “Onion Boy.”

“We directly compared both songs and found validity in Isaac Dunbar’s claims,” Marsh’s agency, MPLIFY, said in a press release. “As a result, we have reached an agreement with him and are taking necessary steps to protect creators' rights, including negotiating shares and updating credits.”


Dunbar’s name has now been officially added to the songwriting credits for “Backseat,” alongside Marsh.

“We will take this as a lesson to thoroughly review our internal systems and ensure that such issues do not arise again,” the agency added.

“Backseat,” one of the double lead tracks from Marsh’s debut album "Meanwhile," was released on Feb. 13.

Marsh, the sister of NewJeans member Danielle, began composing music in 2023 under the name Livy when writing either the lyrics or music, and uses the name Gyuna as a vocalist.

She has collaborated with several renowned K-pop artists, including girl group Kep1er for “Happy Ending” (2023), Loossemble for “Sensitive” (2023), BoA for “Emptiness” (2024) and Kiss of Life for “R.E.M” (2024).

BY YOON SEUNG-JIN [yoon.seungjin@joongang.co.kr]