BTS 'Swim' faces plagiarism lawsuit in US

BTS's title track "Swim" from their fifth studio album "Arirang" has been hit with plagiarism allegations.

Billboard reported Thursday that three obscure Los Angeles-based songwriters — Steve Cooper, John Sandler and Graelyn Johnson — filed a lawsuit against the composers of "Swim." Named as defendants are Hybe, Hybe America, Big Hit Music and Ryan Tedder, a former member of OneRepublic. BTS member RM is also credited as one of the song's composers, but Billboard said BTS and its members were not named as defendants.

The plaintiffs said they wrote a demo track with the same title and sent it to industry contacts — including executives at Artist Publishing Group — beginning in March last year, and that they shared the demo with some of the composers of "Swim." BTS released "Swim" in March this year.

They also cited BTS working on the "Arirang" album in Los Angeles in 2025, meeting with various songwriters and producers to select tracks for the record, and noted that the Netflix documentary "BTS: The Return" references a song titled "SWIM."

The plaintiffs said there are substantial similarities between BTS's "Swim" and their demo. Musicologist Alexander Stewart, retained by the plaintiffs, said the similarities span "from the hook referencing the title to distinctive harmonic, textural, rhythmic and lyrical elements," adding that "it is an inescapable conclusion, from an expert's perspective, that ('Swim') is not BTS's original creation but a copied work."

Stewart has previously been involved in plagiarism cases involving Ed Sheeran's "Thinking Out Loud" and Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven," both of which were ultimately dismissed.

"Swim" is the title track of "Arirang," BTS's fifth studio album released in March 2026, and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 upon its release.