NewJeans’ track 'How Sweet' has been swept up in a shocking plagiarism controversy.
According to Dispatch on the 10th, four U.S. producers and singer-songwriters filed a copyright infringement lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, claiming 'How Sweet' unlawfully used the topline from their unreleased song 'One of a Kind'. The reported defendants include HYBE, ADOR, NewJeans, production label BANA (Beasts And Natives Alike), composer 250, and others.
Previously, BANA allegedly sent the 'How Sweet' instrumental track to U.S. publisher Pulse Music to commission a topline. Audrey Amacost, Aiden Rodriguez, Michael Campanelli, and Adam Gokcebay completed the topline and turned it in, but BANA said it "would not be adopted in the end." However, the four singer-songwriters now claim that about four months later, the topline they delivered appeared in the released version of 'How Sweet'.
Regarding this, an ADOR representative stated the same day, "The track in question was sourced through BANA, which was selected by then-CEO Min Hee-jin, and we are reviewing internal materials to determine whether CEO Min properly conducted any similarity checks at the time."
Back in May, when plagiarism suspicions around 'How Sweet' first surfaced, ADOR also said, "After confirming with BANA, which handled the composition and producing, the position is that there was no plagiarism. Accordingly, ADOR and the members plan to respond to the lawsuit in line with BANA’s stance."