K-pop soloist Choi Yena faced an online backlash after her recently released music video, “Hate Rodrigo,” was set to private on Thursday, stirring up controversy and speculation among fans.

The music video is part of Choi Yena’s second single album titled “Hate XX,” which features a collaboration with (G)I-DLE member Yuqi on the song. Alongside “Hate Rodrigo,” the album includes the B-sides “Bad Hobby” and “Wicked Love.” This release follows Choi Yena’s previous single, “Love War,” which came out in January.

The controversy arose due to the song’s title, “Hate Rodrigo,” which led to assumptions that it was a diss track directed at singer-songwriter and “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” star Olivia Rodrigo. Moreover, the music video features actual images of Olivia Rodrigo and contains numerous references to her music videos.

Choi Yena, credited as a lyricist and co-composer of the song, addressed the controversy during a guest appearance on “TheKstarNextDoor.” She clarified that her intentions behind the song were not to express genuine hatred but to convey a sense of jealousy toward Olivia Rodrigo’s success. Yena explained that the phrase “hate her” was chosen metaphorically to represent feelings of envy.

Following the backlash, the music video for “Hate Rodrigo” has been made private on YouTube, and several TikTok videos featuring the song have been deleted. Yuehua Entertainment, Choi Yena’s agency, reportedly responded to a request from Olivia Rodrigo’s team to privatize the music video due to the controversy and potential copyright issues. 

Observant netizens also noticed the removal of many of Yena’s TikTok videos, particularly those utilizing the hashtag #Hate_Rodrigo.

Interestingly, Choi Yena’s “Hate Rodrigo“ release coincides with Olivia Rodrigo’s announcement about her upcoming sophomore album, “Guts,” set to be released in September.

As the situation unfolds, fans and the public closely follow the developments surrounding the controversy and the response it has garnered.

Featured Photo Credit: YENA Official Twitter