On February 8, a video interview with NJZ was uploaded to TV Asahi’s “ANNnewsCH” YouTube channel. The interview took place the day before, when the group officially announced their new name.
In the video, Haerin explained, “‘NJZ’ represents the essence of Minji, Hanni, Hyein, Danielle and myself as individuals. It also symbolizes our pursuit of newness.“
Hanni added, “We wanted to continue our activities with joy under the name ‘NJZ’, and we included a special meaning that only our fandom, Bunnies, would understand. Our debut date is July 22, and today is February 7, which creates a fun mirror-like significance, so we chose this day to make the announcement.”
When asked if they would continue using ‘Bunnies’ as their fandom name, the members responded, “Yes. Recently, some witty fans have been calling it ‘BNZ’, and we think that’s great too.“
Minji, speaking in Japanese, emphasized, “Right now, there are very few media outlets in Korea that will carry our voices. But we won’t be discouraged—we’ll continue our activities with joy and without giving up.”
Hyein also expressed her excitement, “I want to spend many happy moments with our Bunnies.”
Minji concluded in Japanese, “Singing at the Tokyo Dome still feels like a dream. There are so many things we want to achieve, and we will work hard to make them all come true. Please continue to support us.”
Meanwhile, NewJeans declared their contract termination with ADOR during an emergency press conference on November 28 last year and has been operating independently since.
The group recently announced their new team name “NJZ”, signaling their full-scale return to the industry. They are set to perform at “ComplexCon Hong Kong” in March.
Amid the ongoing legal battle between NewJeans and ADOR, the Seoul Central District Court’s Civil Division 50 scheduled the injunction hearing regarding ADOR’s request to maintain agency status and prevent new advertising contracts with NJZ for March 7. The first trial regarding the validity of their exclusive contract is set for April 3.
With the conflict between NewJeans and ADOR still unfolding, all eyes are on NJZ as they move forward with their independent activities.