Plagiarized or Just Common? NMIXX’s Album Cover Sparks Fierce Debate

On July 3, NMIXX unveiled the music video for “Roller Coaster,” a pre-release track from their third single, A Midsummer NMIXX’s Dream. Already dubbed the “summer anthem,” “Roller Coaster” has been receiving tremendous attention from K-Pop fans around the world.

NMIXX | @NMIXX_official/Twitter

The album cover, however, has raised questions. NMIXX’s album cover shows member Bae underwater holding up a camera. While the snippet comes from a scene in the MV with members having some poolside fun…

Your browser does not support video.A scene from NMIXX’s “Roller Coaster” MV. | JYP Entertainment

…some Korean movie enthusiasts pointed out its similarities with the poster for a movie called Aftersun. The poster, localized for the Korean audience in February 2023, also shows actress Frankie Corio underwater, holding up a camera.

Your browser does not support video.A scene from “Aftersun” starring Frankie Corio. | @mubi/Twitter

Koreans pointed out that, aside from the underwater-with-camera theme, the title in large font across the bottom seemed “too similar.” On the other hand, general K-Pop fans defended NMIXX (and the production team) and claimed that it’s a “common theme,” and that the similarities are coincidental at most.

| theqoo

• “Oh, please… LMAO. This has got to be one of the most common themes to exist, to be a case of plagiarism.”
• “Google it. You’ll find LITERALLY thousands of pictures in this exact angle.”
• “No… This is super common. LOL.”
• “I’m dead. This is such a common reference. Come on! Haha.”
• “LMAO. You see this EVERYWHERE, though. I could even track down friends of mine who have the same pictures.”
• “And I’m supposed to believe that [NMIXX’s album cover] plagiarized [the poster]? What I do know is that NMIXX is so good at making the most aesthetic album covers.”
• “This is super common, though. Instagram sees pictures like these all the time from people who go on summer vacations.”
• “I think OP is picking on NMIXX to create nonsense controversies. I feel bad for NMIXX. Don’t be ridiculous. Also, the poster is from 2023. It’s not even old enough to have been referenced.”

| theqoo

• “Even if the idea is common, I think it’s too similar. Other than the hair and the camera, all else is the same. No? This isn’t JUST referencing, IMO.”
• “If it’s that common, bring me others that show the close-up crop with large, white font at the bottom. Google it? Run a lens search and the NMIXX album cover ONLY brings up the Aftersun poster.”
• “I know some people are attaching underwater-with-camera pictures to prove a point… but it’s actually helping me see how similar these two in particular are. Just look at the structure.”
• “How is this common at all? Show me your own pictures if it’s that common.”
• “I know we’re all trying to protect our biases… but let’s be real.”
• “WDYM? They’re literally the same. LMAO.”
• “You all keep commenting that this is a common angle. Let me see, then? You all keep talking about how it’s an overused concept. But none of the ‘proof’ is as similar as these two are.”
• “I’m so confused. Where else has this ever been done? LOL.”
• “K-Pop is all about copying. There’s no intention or meaning. Just replicas of what’s pretty on the outside.”

Hundreds of comments have accumulated under an online post pointing out the similarities. JYP Entertainment has not responded to the growing online debate over whether or not the album cover is a case of plagiarism.

Watch the “Roller Coaster” music video here…

…and Aftersun‘s trailer here.