After an article discussing the similarities of NewJeans' "Bubble Gum" to another song, netizens have voiced out their frustration against HYBE, as many accused the multi-label of media playing. Here's what went down.
On May 12, netizens flocked to an online forum titled, "NewJeans' 'Bubble Gum' Plagiarism Controversy Article (Original Video Vs. Rebuttal Video)."
In the thread, the author relayed a now-deleted article from Korean media, which discussed the plagiarism accusations regarding NewJeans' song "Bubble Gum."
The article was also headlined, "Plagiarism or Sampling? Unfortunate News Once Again For NewJeans, as Bubble Gum Is Under Fire For Similarities. What Happens To Min Hee Jin Who Criticized Imitation?"
OP shared:
"The aftermath of the internal feud between HYBE and ADOR has overshadowed NewJeans' comeback. During the ongoing battle, NewJeans' newly released song has sparked controversy due to similarities to another song, starting a heated debate among netizens.
On the 12th, a post titled, 'Is NewJeans Plagiarizing?' appeared in online communities. It also included a YouTube video called 'Comparison of similarities: NewJeans' Bubble Gum and Shakatak's 'Easier Said Than Done.'
The YouTube video was posted on the 11th. The video compared "Bubble Gum," which was composed by 250 and others in 2024, to "Easier Said Than Done" by Bill Sharpe & Roger Odell in 1982.
The reference introduced Shakatak as a British jazz-funk band in the 1980s and is still active today. Regarding the composer of 'Bubble Gum,' the YouTuber mentioned that 250 had composed NewJeans' hit songs 'Attention,' 'Hype Boy,' and 'Ditto.'
Although proper crediting should be given to the original creators during sampling, the YouTuber highlighted that the sampled records were unspecified, which indicated a lack of proper acknowledgement.
The Youtuber also stated, 'Please focus on the music comparison and refrain from harsh criticism towards the singers and composers.'
The YouTuber also cleared out that the channel doesn't produce revenue since all videos are subject to copyright and only serves as a platform for porting plagiarism in the Korean music industry."
The article concluded, stating the reactions from netizens, who were divided towards the comparison. Some netizens claimed that the two songs sounded similar, while others strongly disagreed with the accusations.
OP also revealed that "Easier Said Than Done" has already sampled over 13 songs without being credited, indicating its availability.
After the article was deleted, netizens took their thoughts online and accused HYBE of attacking Min Hee Jin and NewJeans. Here's how they reacted:
- "I get disgusted every time HYBE media plays this way. Just stop already. Just come face-to-face and engage in a fight instead of always attacking from the back, you ugly things."
- "Seriously, they are just so ugly and disgusting. HYBE, screw off."
- "They are trying so hard to try to find something to scratch. They already know it's sampling but pretend like they don't and make it seem like they stole it away."
- "This is disgusting. Honestly, these ahjussis make me barf."
- "This makes me realize just how hard they are trying to get rid of NewJeans."
- "They are really trying to throw NewJeans away."
- "Their intentions are just so obvious that it's just funny at this point."
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Written by Israel Monte
