The beloved K-pop girl group NewJeans is stepping back from the spotlight amid legal drama with their record label, Ador.
During a concert in Hong Kong on Sunday, March 23, the five-member band announced they will be going on an indefinite hiatus after a South Korean court ruled to uphold an injunction preventing them from performing independently.
“It is really hard for us to say this, but this might be our last performance for a little while,” member Hanni (full name Phạm Ngọc Hân) said on stage, per social media concert footage. “Out of respect for the court’s decision, we’ve decided to pause all of our activities for now, and it wasn’t an easy decision. It wasn’t an easy decision, but we believe this is something we need to do at this moment.”
NewJeans is comprised of members Hanni, Haerin (Kang Hae-rin), Minji, (Kim Min-ji), Danielle (Danielle Marsh) and Hyein (Lee Hye-in). The group debuted under Ador — a subsidiary of the entertainment company Hybe — in 2022 and became the fastest K-pop act to hit 1 billion Spotify streams in 2023, per Billboard.
Their 2023 track “Super Shy” peaked at No. 48 on the Billboard Hot 100, while 2022’s “Ditto” peaked at No. 8 on Billboard’s Global 200 list.
The band’s record label drama began in September 2024 after they requested that former Ador CEO Min Heejin be reinstated in a since-deleted YouTube livestream. “All we want is this legal conflict to be resolved and have our working environment return back to normal the way it was before,” Hanni, 20, said in the video, per Teen Vogue.
NewJeans announced they were leaving Ador during a press conference two months later.
NewJeans performs during Lollapalooza at Grant Park on August 03, 2023. Josh Brasted/FilmMagic
“Once we leave Ador, we’ll aim to proceed freely with the activities that we really desire,” Danielle, 19, told reporters at the time. “We really wish to be able to release new music for [our fans] Bunnies, next year, as soon as possible, whenever. We really hope that we have the opportunity to meet you guys from all around the world.”
In addition to accusing Ador of “mistreatment” and “manipulation,” Hanni also alleged that she suffered from workplace harassment under the label. “This is not the type of work ethic we respect and not one we want to be a part of, and to continue working under a company with no intention of protecting NewJeans would only do us harm,” she stated, per the BBC.
Earlier this year, the group announced they would be changing their name to NJZ amid the legal drama. “We are working a lot to resolve everything so that we can go … back to normal,” Hanni shared in a February interview with CNN.
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Two days before the hiatus announcement, a South Korean court blocked the band’s members from changing the group’s name and continuing to perform independently, as it would “seriously damage” Ador’s reputation as a result, per court documents obtained by CNN.
Ador disputed the performers’ allegations and supported the group’s decision to perform on Sunday, as long as they did so under the NewJeans name.
“With our status as NewJeans’ exclusive agency now legally affirmed, we are fully committed to supporting the artists going forward,” Ador said in a statement to CNN on Friday, March 21. “We will be fully present at ComplexCon this weekend to guarantee the performance is presented under the NewJeans name. We eagerly anticipate meeting with the artists for a heartfelt conversation at the earliest opportunity.”