ADOR States 'How Sweet' Song Sourced Through Former CEO Amid Plagiarism Claims

ADOR, the agency behind K-pop group NewJeans, has addressed allegations that their hit song 'How Sweet' infringes on copyright. An ADOR representative stated that the song in question was sourced through former CEO Min Hee-jin, who selected it via the music label Source Music. The agency is currently reviewing internal data to ascertain whether Min Hee-jin conducted adequate checks on the song's similarity to existing works.

The controversy gained traction following a report by Dispatch, which claimed that four US producers and singer-songwriters filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against HYBE, ADOR, NewJeans, Source Music, and composer 250. According to the report, these producers had been commissioned by Source Music through the US publishing company Pulse Music to create a top-line melody for an instrumental track. However, their submitted melody was reportedly rejected, only to appear later in 'How Sweet'.

“

The song in question was sourced through then-CEO Min Hee-jin via Source Music, and we are currently reviewing internal data regarding whether Min Hee-jin properly conducted reviews of the song's similarity.

'How Sweet,' released in May 2024, is a hip-hop track with a Miami Bass influence that achieved popularity, charting at number 18 on the Billboard Global 200. This is not the first time ADOR has addressed plagiarism concerns for the song. Previously, when the lawsuit was first reported, ADOR stated that Source Music had confirmed no plagiarism occurred and that they would respond to the lawsuit based on Source Music's position.

“

Upon checking with Source Music, who handled the song's composition and production, they stated that there was no plagiarism.