Shakatak, the UK-based band that accused NewJeans of plagiarism, has responded to ADOR’s denial of the accusations.
On July 18, the English music label WISE MUSIC GROUP was reported to have filed a letter of claim accusing NewJeans of plagiarizing Shakatak’s “Easier Said Than Done” for their latest release, “Bubble Gum.” The label demanded that NewJeans cease using the song and pay the fair revenue they owed to Shakatak.
In response, ADOR, the agency of NewJeans, denied the claims of plagiarism and sent back a reply to WISE MUSIC GROUP, asking for evidence to back up the accusations.
On June 21, we replied to the claims made by Shakatak’s representatives on June 17. We did not use Shakatak’s original composition without authorization and have requested that they send us a credible analysis of the two songs to back their claims, which we have yet to receive. The accusing side needs to submit a report proving that plagiarism took place, so Shakatak’s representatives are the ones who need to respond.
— ADOR
On July 19, Shakatak released an official statement on their social media channels in response to ADOR’s demand. The statement revealed that WISE MUSIC GROUP was still looking into the case and had even hired a musicologist to assist with proving their allegations.
To all our fans and friends in Korea thank you for all your comments about the usage of ‘Easier Said Than Done’ in several recent songs 🎹Our publishing company Wise Music Group is on the case and has employed a musicologist to take this further 👍👍We will keep you posted 👍👍🎹
— Shakatak
Meanwhile, netizens are criticizing ADOR’s response to the allegations, claiming that their CEO, Min Hee Jin, raised suspicions about ILLIT copying NewJeans without any evidence. On July 10, the Korean news outlet Munhwa Ilbo even reached out to ADOR enquiring if they also submitted an analysis report to prove that ILLIT had plagiarized NewJeans but didn’t receive any response. You can read more about ADOR’s accusations against the BELIFT Lab group here.
