[NewJeans Plagiarism Controversy] 'How Sweet' Sued by US Creators, Dispatch Reveals Note-for-Note Comparison

NewJeans' hit song 'How Sweet' is caught in a copyright dispute. According to Korean media outlet Dispatch, four American producers and singer-songwriters are accusing ADOR of plagiarizing their song 'One of a Kind' when producing 'How Sweet.' A copyright infringement lawsuit has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, naming HYBE, ADOR, NewJeans, BANA (Beasts & Natives), 250, and other related parties as defendants.

Dispatch First Compares Musical Patterns, Claims Notes in Relevant Sections Are Identical

Dispatch stated that the report began by revealing two audio clips without song titles, asking readers to only listen to the identical rhythm of the two songs. It then presented the song titles and musical patterns, pointing out that the solfège syllables in the relevant sections were identical. The notes listed for both songs were: F F E♭ E♭ B♭ — F F E♭ E♭ B♭ / E♭ E♭ C C A♭ — E♭ E♭ C C A♭.

The report also recalled that in April 2024, Min Hee-jin publicly expressed dissatisfaction, accusing ILLIT of imitating NewJeans. At the time, she specifically questioned the group's direction, album design, and key choreography, stating: "Why are they using our key choreography without our consent? Our choreographers are very angry." However, 'How Sweet,' released after these accusations, is now embroiled in a controversy over whether it used 'One of a Kind' without authorization.