HYBE’s TUIDE Faces Pre-Debut Plagiarism Allegations and Fan Backlash
HYBE is facing major backlash online over the latest release by their new girl group, TUIDE. The rookie group, poised for a highly anticipated debut, has found themselves at the center of a swirling controversy just as their pre-release activities ramp up.
TUIDE recently teased their debut with a captivating music video and a powerful performance of “GRLS,” a track from their upcoming mini album TUNE & PLAY, which is set to be released on August 24, KST. The pre-debut buzz was immense, but it quickly took an unexpected turn.
Producer Ricky Luna Raises Concerns Over “GRLS”
After the thrilling release, a notable producer named Ricky Luna, who has previously made waves working with groups like BABYMONSTER on multiple tracks, posted a cryptic Instagram story. His story subtly, yet pointedly, raised questions and doubts about how “Meet My GRLS” was sonically and conceptually similar to a demo he had created back in April.
This is the third time this has happened. I made this demo in April 2026, and a song released today sounds very similar in the chorus and concept. I don’t know if it’s coincidence, but I’m starting to think my demos may be getting leaked. I’m sharing both so you can listen and tell me what you think.
— Ricky Luna
The story quickly went viral across K-Pop communities, igniting a fierce debate among netizens who were quick to accuse HYBE of potentially ripping off producers – a serious allegation in the competitive music industry.
Hybe is never beating the allegations pic.twitter.com/HHtk6mexax
— َ (@karinairline) August 8, 2026
wasn’t this the guy working for babymonster before…. hybe is so shameless omg https://t.co/UsRENc3Cto
— ᵕ̈ (@pinksbabymon) August 8, 2026
Hybe never beating the plagiarism and stealing allegations. https://t.co/TXfgtjaj2s
hybe repeated offender idk why they keep doing this shit when they can just work with the producer himself https://t.co/1gvYt4Lx8P
However, the narrative took another twist when Ricky Luna later posted a crucial clarification. He explicitly stated that he wasn’t claiming the song was plagiarized. Instead, he simply expressed a genuine concern about the possibility of his demos being leaked, and merely wanted the opinion of his industry peers regarding the similarity, not to accuse.
Fandom Defends TUIDE Amidst Accusations
Amidst the heated discussion, devoted fans also rallied to defend TUIDE. They insightfully pointed out that the group’s songs were likely finalized much earlier, possibly last year, well before Ricky Luna’s demo was even created, making direct plagiarism highly improbable.
The origination of GRLS, along with the rest of TUNE & PLAY has been traced back to 2025 when we first learned about the groups 6 member lineup.
It’s unfair towards the producers who made GRLS to accuse them of stealing when they worked hard on this song. https://t.co/YvIBgNDzbs
— TUIDE NEWS ༄.° (@NewsTuide) August 8, 2026
his demo was created end of april this year, tuide members attending practices were already being leaked in 2025??? the only similarity is the songs talking about “girls”, but we know that tuide’s debut was already being practiced in 2025… MONTHS before the creation of his demo. https://t.co/hQJNXlyNQb
— 𑣲eli || seeing aespa (@che2ning) August 8, 2026
much respect to the producer but this demo is from april 22, 2026. tuide’s debut song was prolly already finalized by then, im pretty sure if a group is debuting on august, they won’t prepare their debut song 4 month before it, so something doesn’t sit right with this whole thing https://t.co/QE2NFsNtxW
— 𝗇𝖺 | tuned for tuide (@zyopjm) August 8, 2026
Furthermore, many in the K-Pop fandom felt that the two tracks, upon closer listening, were not significantly similar to begin with. They argued that the only commonalities between them – namely the word “girls” in the title and the use of a house beat – were far too generic and widely used in music to be considered any kind of unique element subject to plagiarism claims.
Additional Controversy: NewJeans Copying Allegations
Meanwhile, the controversies didn’t stop there. TUIDE has also received additional pushback for allegedly copying stylistic elements of another popular girl group, NewJeans, adding another layer to their pre-debut challenges.
