NewJeans has once again proven their status as a leading act in K-pop through their discography. Amid praise for the group’s song “Supernatural,” a review from an acclaimed news outlet drew backlash for its low-key mention of HYBE labels.

On December 10, netizens created a forum to discuss NewJeans’ success in making The New York Times’ “Best Songs of 2024” list. The outlet singled out the quintet’s trilingual track “Supernatural,” sparking a rave among fans.

The song has also been described as “nostalgically precise” and “modernly sophisticated”. However, fans were more focused on the general description of the song, as the explanation indirectly told about HYBE’s negative impact on the group.

HYBE, the multi-label of other K-pop companies such as ADOR, BELIFT LAB, PLEDIS Entertainment and many others, has long been under public scrutiny.

Aside from media accusations, fans were mostly outraged by the bullying NewJeans members suffered from HYBE staff. The conglomerate was also accused of “sabotaging” NewJeans by limiting exposure in their music videos and limiting the flow of sales of the group’s albums.

A netizen commented on the forum: “The person who wrote the New York Times article is talking about facts like: why would you want to sabotage a group like NewJeans. HYBE is so jealous and terrible.”

“I love this for them!” observed another.

One netizen added, “NJ will always win and HYBE with its incel leaders can suffocate.”