Lee Young-ji “seriously considered” removing kiss scene with EXO’s D.O from ‘Small Girl’ music video after fan backlash

South Korean rapper Lee Young-ji has opened up about the music video of her song ‘Small Girl’, which starred EXO’s D.O., and why it was nearly different than the final product.

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In a livestream with television producer Na Young-seok, the rapper discussed her new single ‘Small Girl’ featuring EXO’s D.O. and its accompanying music video, which included a scene of the idol kissing her on the cheek.

Lee shared that some thought that the scene was improvised, and that she initially wanted to leave things ambiguous. “But since my life is on the line, let me clarify now: It wasn’t improvised. We discussed it beforehand,” she joked per SBS Star.

“I’d like to make it clear that the kiss wasn’t my idea,” Lee continued, adding that she even told the director that it would be alright to scrap the scene, since she had “no wish to be hated or meet an untimely death”.

The rapper went on to note how the backlash from fans after she released the music video made her rethink the decision to include the scene once again more. “It received such heated reactions that I seriously considered removing the kissing scene,” she said.

Elsewhere during the livestream, the rapper shared that she was “shaking like a leaf” while filming the music video, as the day of the shoot was the first time she ever met the EXO singer. She explained that the director “wanted to capture the genuine shyness and awkwardness” between the pair.

In other K-pop news, rookie singer Gyubin, best known for her viral debut single ‘Really Like You’, made a comeback earlier today with her new song ‘Satellite’. In a press release, the singer spoke about the message of “love and comfort” that she hoped to share with the new track.

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