K-Pop supergroup NJZ, formerly known as NewJeans, announced during a show at ComplexCon Hong Kong on Sunday (March 23) night that “this might be our last performance for a little while.”
It was the first time NJZ appeared together since Friday (March 21), when a Seoul Court granted the band’s former management company Ador — whom they’ve been in a dispute with since mid-2024 — a preliminary injunction prohibiting the girl group from “organizing their own appearances and [conducting] any independent activities — from making music to signing advertising deals,” according to BBC.
After debuting a new song, “Pit Stop,” the five members (Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin and Hyein), visibly nervous, gathered onstage, stopped the music and took turns reading from a letter, addressing “their bunnies” in English and Korean.
“This stage means so much to us and every single one of you who gives us strength just by being here,” Hanni and Dani read. “It is really hard for us to say this, but this might be our last performance for a little while. Out of respect for the court’s decision, we’ve decided to pause all our activities for now. It wasn’t an easy decision, but we believe this is something we need to do at this moment.
The speech (read in full below) came at the end of an hour-long headlining set in front of a sold-out crowd of more than 11,000 fans at the AsiaWorld Expo Arena, Hong Kong’s largest live music venue.
The performance that preceded the remarks focused on “solo stages” from the five group members as they covered R&B songs. It left many in the audience — who showed up to hear new music from their favorite artists — scratching their heads, as it was a departure from NJZ’s high-energy productions, polished choreography and vibrant stage presence. The covers ranged from TLC’s “No Scrubs” from Danielle; UPSAHL’s “Smile For The Camera” from Minji; “Dontcha” from Haerin; SWV’s “Use Your Heart” from Hyein; and Ghost Town DJ’s “My Boo” from Hanni.
In February, NewJeans announced they were changing their name to NJZ as they were added to the ComplexCon bill. BBC reports that the dispute over the group arises from Hybe, the parent company of Ador, allegedly forcing out NewJeans’ mentor, Min Hee-Jin. At a press conference in November, NewJeans announced their departure, saying Hybe and Ador had lost the right to represent them as artists. NJZ says they will challenge Friday’s decision.
This is the second year of ComplexCon, the global streetwear and pop culture festival, in China. In 2024, the event attracted more than 30,000 international attendees. The U.S. edition moved to Las Vegas in 2024 after eight years in Los Angeles. In 2025, over three days, the festival hosted 150 brands, 40 musicians and groups, and 400 creators across music, design, movies and sports.
NJZ had a merch booth inside the ComplexCon marketplace, which commanded a line of more than 2,000 people on Sunday alone. However, the booth was shuttered after it sold out of all new NJZ merchandise.
This year’s Complex LIVE! Concerts, which brought together South Korean, Japanese, Chinese and American hip-hop artists and DJs, featured the Hong Kong debuts of Quavo and Metro Boomin, who headlined the opening night.
Read Hanni and Dani’s full statement below.
“This stage means so much to us and every single one of you who gives us strength just by being here. It is really hard for us to say this, but this might be our last performance for a little while. Out of respect for the court’s decision, we’ve decided to pause all our activities for now. It wasn’t an easy decision, but we believe this is something we need to do at this moment.
Honestly, we’ve known from the start that this journey wasn’t going to be easy and even though we accept the court’s ruling and this whole process, we had to speak up to protect the values that we believe in, and that was a choice that we don’t regret at all. We surely believe that standing up for our dignity, our rights and everything we deeply care about is something we had to do, and that belief will not change.
We understand and know that today’s news might be disappointing or upsetting but it was not an easy decision for us to make either. But at the moment for us, it’s about protecting ourselves so that we can come back even stronger.
There was a lot that we had to go through … things that really we only know about. But even [through] all that, there are so many things that we wanted to share with you guys and so many fun plans that we are excited to announce. But right now, though, it feels too hard to keep going at this pace, and as strong as we are trying to stay, it has honestly taken a bit of mental and emotional toll on us. However, this doesn’t mean that we are going to give up. We will keep pushing forward no matter what, and coming to Hong Kong and receiving all this love and support from you guys at ComplexCon gave us so much strength.
Right now, our hearts are a little bit worn out, and it feels a bit too hard to keep going at this pace. But that doesn’t mean we’re going to give up; we’re going to keep going. With this decision we’ve made, we’re respecting the court’s decision, and for now, it’s just us taking a step back to pause, take a breath and gather our hearts and ourselves before moving forward.
To everybody who has been believing in us and supporting us through everything from the bottom of our hearts, thank you, and we love you so, so, so, so much, and we can’t express how grateful we are, and we promise, no matter what the circumstances we will meet again soon.”