Ahead of their comeback, ILLIT released a track video that inadvertently ignited accusations of plagiarism.
A tweet has gone viral, claiming that “IYKYK” sounds remarkably similar to an unreleased demo from NewJeans, which was played by Min Hee-jin during her speech for Hyundai.
ILLIT new song sounds so similar to the demo MHJ released for NJ1 I wonder why pic.twitter.com/c64Xn226vK
The viral tweet highlights the resemblance and shares a side-by-side comparison of both songs, leading to a flurry of reactions online.
Many fans and netizens have expressed their disbelief and criticism of BELIFT LAB, the agency behind ILLIT. One user remarked,
“When I heard the sound, I immediately thought of NJ1’s instrumental. They always had a similar vibe to some of NewJeans’ songs, but now BELIFT has copy-and-pasted the sound and tweaked it slightly.”
This sentiment reflects a growing concern among fans about the originality of ILLIT‘s music.
No hate to Illit themselves but all this is starting to make sense now. MHJ was smart for releasing the demo https://t.co/0wIHk3ObHf
Critics have also pointed out that NewJeans rarely teases their songs prior to release, suggesting that Min Hee-jin’s decision to share the demo was strategic.One fan commented,
“Their job is to copy and paste. Seriously, that company is full of useless people.”
NewJeans rarely has teasers for their songs, the day MHJ shared the NewJeans demo was for a good reason! BELIFT can't even provide their own creative process. Their job is to copy and paste. Seriously, that company is full of useless people.🤷🏻♀️ https://t.co/1BAYxdrmTJpic.twitter.com/UewNafyOQ9
Not long ago hybe Stan shaming NJ + mhj cause the demo for their next song sounded just like the other NJ's songs. They could tell immediately how newjeans's music signature Sounds like. now that belift caught stealing NJ's music, just watch how #they gonna switching up again https://t.co/SNoAiLHwXbpic.twitter.com/kpgyysh00a
— talking to the stars and moon (@to_nightstars) October 8, 2024
Such accusations of a lack of creativity have sparked a heated debate among fans, with some defending ILLIT and arguing that the two groups can coexist with distinct styles.
In contrast, defenders of ILLIT have highlighted the complexities of music production and the improbability of ILLIT‘s producers stealing a sample from a demo released just days ago.
One netizen remarked, “iYKYK was being produced in the studio for months; Min Hee-jin just showed the NJ demo song like a few days ago. Plus, ADOR and BELIFT are literally different sub-labels—how could BELIFT get access to those songs?”
Iykyk was being produced in the studio for months, min heejin just showed nj demo song like a few days ago, plus ador and belift are literally different sub labels how could belift get access to those songs? Stop being dumb let's use our brain https://t.co/bmQlVZsLIF
While the controversy continues to unfold, it raises questions about originality, inspiration, and the competitive nature of the K-pop industry.
How far will agencies go to differentiate their artists while respecting the creative work of others? As the release date for I’LL LIKE YOU approaches, both ILLIT and NewJeans fans will be watching closely, eager to see how this situation develops and what impact it may have on the groups involved.
