Top Girl Group Supposedly Pays Homage To NewJeans In New Music Video, Sparking Heated Reactions

Fans got emotional over some brief moments.
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Serah S. Cherrie
Serah S. Cherrie

aespa‘s latest release, “LEMONADE,” has sparked quite the buzz on social media after fans discovered what they claim are references to NewJeans in the music video.

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aespa | @aespa_official/Instagram

aespa released a full music video for “LEMONADE” on May 29 (KST), featuring elaborate choreography. Fans were quick to note that two specific moves appeared to be quite obvious references to the HYBE girl group— one similar to the latter’s “Attention” choreography and the other being the same as their “Ditto” choreography.

The fact that both moves coincided with the lyrics “I got no ETA,” with “ETA” being yet another popular NewJeans song, has fans convinced that aespa intentionally gave a shoutout to the girl group in their new music video.

As the clips spread rapidly on social media, they triggered mixed responses across K-Pop fanbases. Most NewJeans fans were deeply moved by the supposed symbolic support shown by the SM girl group, despite their current troubled position.

However, many also complained that had these moves been done by a fellow HYBE girl group, especially ILLIT, they would have been accused of plagiarism. NewJeans fans countered this criticism, arguing that aespa and NewJeans have always had distinct musical identities, and that there was no context to involve the SM girl group in the conversation about plagiarism.

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