NewJeans, HYBE, and ADOR are now facing a U.S. copyright lawsuit over “How Sweet.” Four songwriters are alleging that the track copied material from their unreleased demo “One of a Kind.” The complaint quickly turned into one of the biggest K-pop plagiarism stories. Audrey Armacost, Aidan Rodriguez, Adam Gokcebay, and Michael Campanelli are named as petitioners.
According to the filing, in early 2024, Armacost was given a music track and asked to write the melody and lyrics for a potential NewJeans song. The writers say their version was turned down. Still, they claim the final release of “How Sweet” still uses key parts of their original demo.
What the lawsuit claims about “How Sweet”
The main issue is the first verse of “How Sweet.” The petitioners claim that both “How Sweet” and the track “One of a Kind” are written in the key of B-flat minor. It follows a standard four-beat rhythm and contains a segment lasting about eight bars. That’s why they believe it features a significant amount of identical musical phrasing.
The most noticeable part of the accusation is the claim that a matching set of thirty-one musical notes is the same in that starting part. The original songwriters now ask for official recognition as the creators of “How Sweet.”They are also demanding a portion of the money earned, which makes this situation much more serious than rumors about NewJeans copying other artists.
HYBE and ADOR’s response
HYBE and ADOR have denied the allegations and said they remain committed to originality and integrity in music production. Still, the lawsuit arrives at a very serious moment. A larger court conflict involving the music label ADOR, NewJeans, the parent company HYBE, and the former leader, Min Hee-jin, is going on. Consequently, endless legal fights and bitter public reaction have kept NewJeans appearing in the headlines for several months.
Some Bunnies see the lawsuit as opportunistic and argue that melodic similarities do not prove copying.
Others believe that the specific facts listed in the legal papers are valid. Specifically, the key of B-flat minor, the four-beat timing, and the claim of thirty-one matching notes. It means the fight between “How Sweet” and “One of a Kind” can take a serious turn.
