CUTIE STREET & FRUITS ZIPPER Under Fire for "♡Momo-iro Kataomoi♡" Cover at FNS Kayousai

CUTIE STREET and FRUITS ZIPPER recently collaborated for a special performance on FNS Kayousai Summer 2025, a major music program broadcasted live on Fuji TV. They covered the beloved classic “♡桃色片想い♡” (Momo-iro Kataomoi / A Peach-Colored Crush)—originally performed by J-pop icon Matsuura Aya.

However, the performance sparked intense backlash online. Viewers criticised the rendition heavily, and remarked that the vocals and rhythm felt completely off from the original. Here's some of the comments that I've seen on SNS:

• "Their pitch and sense of rhythm are completely off. It feels disrespectful to the original."
• "There’s barely any vocal strength and the pitch was all over the place."
• "You can’t perform this song without keeping time with the 16-beat rhythm… it sounded like a different song altogether."
• "They’re cute, but that’s not enough."

The criticism escalated further when one member mistakenly referred to the song as “Momoiro no Kataomoi” on SNS, misnaming the title. To many fans of the original, this slip-up added fuel to the fire, reinforcing the perception that the performance lacked preparation or respect for the source material.

On the other hand, some came to their defense, saying things like:

• "What’s wrong with them singing it in their own style?"
• "Thanks to this cover, the younger generation is discovering Matsuura Aya and Momo-iro Kataomoi. That’s something to celebrate."
• "Rather than demanding a perfect performance, the emotions and significance behind it are much more important."

As someone who's watched many of their performance videos, I do think they’re generally quite solid singers and performers. This makes me wonder if the cover was a last-minute decision, giving them limited time to rehearse. It also might not have helped that the two groups haven’t had many opportunities to perform together, which could’ve made coordination more difficult than expected.

I’m linking a video of the performance, along with a link to one of the news articles covering the controversy.

Curious to hear what everyone thinks — was the backlash fair? Or did people go too far?