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Promotional photo for NewJeans' single 'Bubble Gum.' Photo from NewJeans' X account

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Label refutes plagiarism claims vs NewJeans' 'Bubble Gum'

Paul Xavier Jaehwa Bernardo

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1721711949591240723 BUBBLEGUM.jfif" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Promotional photo for NewJeans&#x27; single &#x27;Bubble Gum.&#x27; <em>Photo from NewJeans&#x27; X account</em></span></span></span>South Korean label ADOR refuted allegations on Tuesday that &quot;Bubble Gum,&quot; a recent single by its girl group NewJeans, was plagiarized from a song by an English band.</div><p>A day after NewJeans celebrated its second debut anniversary, the five-piece act&#x27;s agency took to Instagram to post a lengthy statement addressing the issue.</p><p>Released on April 26, &quot;Bubble Gum&quot; is a catchy pop tune that blends easy-listening melodies with a groovy vibe and tinges of synths.</p><p>After the release of &quot;Bubble Gum,&quot; English band Shakatak has claimed that the song bears similarities to its track &quot;Easier Said Than Done,&quot; according to ADOR&#x27;s statement and reports from Korean news outlets.</p><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-1" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/C9v1aCMyxE_/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=540&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fnews-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A1%2C%22os%22%3A11344709.900000006%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="746" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-1" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><p>ADOR said it consulted the songwriters behind &quot;Bubble Gum,&quot; who responded that &quot;they had never even heard of the song &#x27;Easier Said Than Done&#x27; before the complaint was raised and therefore could not have used Shakatak&#x27;s music without permission.&quot;</p><p>The label also commissioned an analysis from two musicologists, which found that the two songs differ in their chord progressions, beats per minute (tempo), and &quot;overall feeling and movement.&quot;</p><p>&quot;Tellingly, it was deemed that the claim of unauthorized use over something so simple as a melody where a single bar sounds similar is a complete misrepresentation of the truth,&quot; ADOR said.</p><p>&quot;It is, however, also difficult to argue that this particular melody is unique to &#x27;Easier Said Than Done&#x27; because it&#x27;s the one that was in common use in pop songs of all subgenres before &#x27;Easier Said Than Done&#x27; and one that remains common today,&quot; it added.</p><p>Shakatak has also hired a musicologist to analyze &quot;Bubble Gum&quot; for plagiarism, news outfits such as the Korea Herald and Korea JoongAng Daily reported.</p><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ft70sAYrFyY?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></div><p>In its statement, ADOR also took a swipe its parent company, HYBE, for its handling of the issue and the manner in which it communicated with the media regarding the controversy.</p><p>ADOR claimed that HYBE was the one that received the complaint from Shakatak. &quot;And yet, despite the highly sensitive nature of the issue, HYBE disseminated the contents across departments without our consent, involving a far greater number of people than was necessary,&quot; it said.</p><p>&quot;Moreover, not only did HYBE not look to work closely alongside us to handle the issue and minimize negative press coverage, but they actually demonstrated a lukewarm and even passive attitude toward the issue,&quot; ADOR said.</p><p>As of writing, HYBE has yet to respond to ADOR&#x27;s accusations.</p><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CottVz0rX0E?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></div><p>This developments comes months after HYBE <a class="fr-green" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/2024/4/25/bts-agency-to-file-complaint-against-subsidiary-head-over-breach-of-trust-1942"><strong>filed a complaint against ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin</strong></a> for allegedly orchestrating a plan to break away from the parent company.</p><p>Min has denied the allegations, saying her issue with HYBE began after she accused another sub-label of copying NewJeans with their girl group ILLIT</p><div><a class="fr-green" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/2024/4/23/hybe-labels-explained-k-pop-acts-their-sub-labels-1451"><strong>HYBE Labels, explained: K-pop acts, their sub-labels<br/></strong></a></div><p>In the statement, ADOR also noted that NewJeans would take &quot;a well-deserved rest, after which they&#x27;ll be back to getting ready for their next exciting project for their fans.&quot;</p><p>Consisting of Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin and Hyein, NewJeans quickly rose to stardom with their distinctively laidback songs. Their music, characterized by pop, R&amp;B and club sounds reminiscent of the 1990s and 2000s, include hits like &quot;Attention,&quot; &quot;Hype Boy,&quot; &quot;Ditto,&quot; &quot;OMG,&quot; and &quot;Super Shy.&quot;</p><p>The septet visited the country in December for the 2023 Asia Artist Awards, held at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan.</p><div><em>For more news and features on K-pop, K-drama, and K-stars, visit the </em><a class="fr-strong fr-green" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/kcontents"><em>Hallyu Corner </em></a><em>microsite.</em></div><div><br/></div>

<p>South Korean label ADOR refuted allegations on Tuesday that "Bubble Gum," a recent single by its girl group NewJeans, was plagiarized from a song by an English band.</p>

South Korean label ADOR refuted allegations on Tuesday that "Bubble Gum," a recent single by its girl group NewJeans, was plagiarized from a song by an English band.