Accusations That NewJeans’ Music Video Was Inspired By TLC Lisa Lopes’s Fatal Car Crash Go Viral

A recent post from a Korean netizen — in which they called out some alarming similarities between NewJeans‘ “How Sweet” music video and TLC Lisa Lopes‘s fatal car crash in 2002 — has gone viral.

The OP said that while there were no official sources, they felt a “sense of familiarity” while watching the “How Sweet” video and decided to post what they found online. They also shared that they felt “quite disappointed with CEO Min Hee Jin” in case the unfortunate accident really did “inspire” the music video.

Lisa Lopes’s deadly crash happened on April 25, 2002. Lisa, also known as “Left Eye,” was driving a rented Mitsubishi Montero SUV in Honduras. The deadly accident happened when the star swerved out of the lane to avoid hitting an oncoming car. As a result of the swerve, the vehicle rolled several times after hitting two trees, throwing Lopes and three others out of the windows, and finally coming to rest in a ditch at the side of the road.

Lisa, the only person fatally injured, died on site after suffering a fracture on the base of her cranium as well as open cerebral trauma. The star was not wearing a seatbelt. Later, it was found out that the collision had been recorded as she was participating in the shooting of a documentary film. The last few moments of Lisa’s life can be seen in the video, which can be found on YouTube as well as other social media platforms.

But why does OP think this fatal accident “inspired” NewJeans’ music video? There are multiple alleged similarities that they point out.

First — and perhaps the most glaring resemblance — the car Lisa was driving when the accident was strikingly similar to the car NewJeans is in at the beginning of the “How Sweet” video. NewJeans’ car also crashed on the side of the road. Netizens have argued that the music video starting as a vlog before the crash happened is also another similarity.

Similar to Lisa in the video, Hyein is also wearing a headpiece and turning to look at the camera.

Furthermore, in the video of Lisa’s last few moments in the car before the crash, she can be seen holding a Coca-Cola inbox in one hand while she’s driving. She then passes the box to the people seated in the back. In NewJeans’ video, one of the members leaves the car to grab a Coca-Cola bottle on the road and drink it. However, it is worth mentioning the bottle could be there as part of NewJeans’ and Coca-Cola brand partnerships.

While Korean netizens in the post’s comments feel as though the similarities are indeed suspicious, fans of NewJeans have condemned OP for using the star’s death to create an agenda against the group and Min Hee Jin. They argue that the car is a different model and brand. They also claim the car is red as part of the Coca-Cola partnership.

Different car(Volvo 850 – Mitsubishi Montero), different accident. Bringing someone's tragedy to diss someone? You are the real devil. https://t.co/FhcKOZZVMM pic.twitter.com/4l26wcn9gb

— . (@NJBUBBLEGUM) May 28, 2024

Meanwhile, the writer of the original post concluded it by making their intentions clear.

If you search for my posts or comments, you’ll see that I don’t have any animosity towards any particular group or preference for any individual. And I want to clarify that I have no intention of criticizing or undermining NewJeans through this post.

However, when making a music video, the concept must have been discussed between the music video director and the art director. If they were, indeed, inspired by the accident, I’ll be quite disappointed in CEO Min Hee Jin. Some people might consider this a memory of some sort… but since interpreting and judging what one sees is up to the individual, I am going to feel disappointed.

TLC was a group that comforted me during my youth. And Left Eye’s death was a shocking event for me, even though I had no personal connection to them. In a positive light, one could say the accident was portrayed as a beautiful tribute. But on the other hand, it could also be seen as making content out of someone’s death.

This might be an overreaction, and it could be seen as an excessive interpretation. But I was inevitably reminded of the accident, so I decided to write about it.

— Original Poster

It remains to be seen if ADOR or Min Hee Jin will respond to these accusations.