ADOR has issued a brief statement responding to NewJeans‘ recent rebrand to NJZ, calling it a “deeply regrettable” move.
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NewJeans unveiled their new group name on February 7, which came as they were also announced as the headliners ComplexCon Hong Kong 2025 this March. Their upcoming appearance at the festival will feature a brand-new song from the band and mark their first performance as NJZ.
“Even though we have to leave our previous name behind us for a bit, we’re not fully moving on from it. And we don’t want to either, because [being NewJeans] was still a very special period of time to us, and it’s something that our fans also probably hold really dear,” Hanni told CNN at the time of their announcement.
ADOR have since responded to the girl group’s announcement in a statement. “It is deeply regrettable that the members made this unilateral decision before any legal ruling has been made regarding the validity of their exclusive contracts with ADOR,” the company said, as translated by Soompi.
“ADOR will continue to do our best to protect the brand value of NewJeans,” the label added. ADOR also said that it is “always open to meeting with NewJeans members or their legal representatives to resolve any misunderstandings and discuss the group’s future activities”.
NewJeans’ rebrand came shortly after the girl rgoup said they “have no intention of ever returning” to ADOR and HYBE after they terminated their contracts with the company in November 2024. the quintet had also rallied fans to provide the band with new group name suggestions.
In the same statement, the NJZ members also clarified that they will be facing their former label in court after ADOR filed a lawsuit to verify the validity of its contracts with the members and an injunction preventing them from signing brand deals as independent artists.