(Credits: New Jeans)
K-pop stars New Jeans have unveiled their new name, NJZ, as a result of their ongoing legal dispute with record label Ador.
Ador is a subsidiary of Hybe, the major player in the K-pop industry and responsible for managing globally renowned acts such as BTS.
NJZ’s Pham Ngoc Han, known professionally as Hanni, said to CNN that the new name is their way of “turning this rough period of time into something more exciting”. She also confirmed their performance as NJZ would take place at the ComplexCon Hong Kong festival in March, which will also include new material.
“We are working a lot to resolve everything so that we can go… back to normal,” Pham also said to the publication. Additionally, the singer stated that she didn’t want their ongoing legal battle with Ador “to be the focus of our careers.”
In November, NewJeans held a press conference to announce that they were terminating their contract with Ador. They also accused the Korean record label of workplace harassment, “manipulation,” “mistreatment,” and “deliberate miscommunications.”
In September, they requested that former Ador CEO Min Hee-jin be reinstated in the company following her dismissal and threatened to walk away if Hee-jin, who played a vital role in their rise to prominence, wasn’t brought back to her previous role.
In a new statement, Ador told CNN: “We regret the escalation of this matter to court and believe that most claims advanced by NewJeans members thus far have arisen from misunderstandings.”
The label added: “We worry that announcing an unauthorized new group name or engaging in entertainment activities before a legal judgement is reached… could constitute a material breach of the exclusive agency contract.”
A preliminary court hearing between NJZ and Ador is scheduled to take place in March ahead of the lawsuit reaching trial in March. NJZ’s Danielle Marsh told CNN that she is confident “we will win this battle”.
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