Four songwriters just named HYBE and ADOR as co-defendants in a copyright infringement suit over 'How Sweet.' And, yeah, that shared courtroom address is the weirdest structural twist in this whole saga so far. NewJeans Daily — and today we're sorting through a fresh lawsuit, what the 'Supernatural' credits actually tell us, and why 'co-defendants' changes the whole shape of this thing. We’ve been tracking three separate legal lanes all week, and this 'How Sweet' suit is a fourth one entirely. So no, it does not get to ride along with the others. And the members didn’t write the composition. So now their catalog gets pulled into a case built on choices they never made. That part is not a detail you can just gloss over. From EuropeSays:
Songwriters Audrey Armacost, Aidan Rodriguez, Adam Gokcebay, and Michael Campanelli (the plaintiffs) have claimed that the hit track‘ How Sweet’ is in fact a copy of their unreleased demo track ‘One of a Kind’. The songwriters claim that they submitted their demo track to ADOR in January 2024, although sadly, at that time, ADOR rejected it.
Four songwriters — Audrey Armacost, Aidan Rodriguez, Adam Gokcebay, and Michael Campanelli — say 'How Sweet' copies an eight-bar, 31-note melodic sequence from their unreleased demo 'One of a Kind,' which they say they sent to ADOR in January 2024 and had rejected. The named defendants are HYBE and ADOR, not NewJeans. So procedurally, this is a fourth distinct civil track next to the contract validity appeal, the Source Music May 29 hearing, and the ADOR-Danielle damages suit. And this is the first case in this whole cycle where HYBE and ADOR are on the same side of the caption instead of fighting each other. From Kbizoom:
“Supernatural” by NewJeans blends smooth R&B-inspired vocals with airy harmonies that give the song its dreamy and weightless atmosphere. Built around groovy basslines, soft synths, and nostalgic early-2000s pop instrumentation, the track creates a warm yet futuristic soundscape that perfectly complements NewJeans’ delicate and effortless vocal delivery.
Kbizoom published the full credits for 'Supernatural' today — released June 21, 2024 on ADOR, written by Gigi, Minji, Pharrell Williams, and Ylva Dimberg, and composed by 250, Pharrell Williams, and Ylva Dimberg. That’s public record, and it matters this week because 'How Sweet' is under a copyright infringement suit right now, so keeping the catalog credits clean and sourced is a big deal. And look, Minji does have a writing credit on this track. The members didn’t control the composition decisions on 'How Sweet' that are being litigated now, but Minji is credited on 'Supernatural' as a lyricist, so those are two different things and we should keep them separate. The lyric moves through Korean, Japanese, and English in one chorus, so the translation and attribution layer matters here too. If there’s ever licensing or a dispute around it, a credits-first piece like this is exactly the kind of detail you want on the page. If you’re enjoying NewJeans Daily Podcast, hit subscribe and leave us a quick review wherever you’re listening. It really helps other fans find the show and stay caught up with us.
You’ll find links to every story we covered today in the show notes, so if something caught your ear, you can head there and read more.
That’s NewJeans Daily Podcast for this Wednesday, May 20th. This is a Lantern Podcast.