UPDATE:
The five members of NewJeans (as they are currently known) surprised everyone when they debuted a brand new Instagram account and new name, Jeanz, over the weekend. Members Hanni, Haerin, Hyein, Minji and Danielle launched the new account amidst concerns over whether the group would legally be permitted to keep the name NewJeans, given that the group’s name was created and debuted under Ador. How do we know that the account is legitimate? The girls have posted a short video on the account saying, “It’s really us”, and they have been posting never-before-seen photos of themselves from their childhood. Not a bad strategy at all.
While it remains to be seen whether the group will truly change their name to Jeanz as the account indicates, fans (who for now remain as Bunnies) are already excited for the change. Fans are speculating about the origins of the Jeanz name, with some of them guessing that the Jeanz is a hint towards the group being Gen Z and trendy. One thing’s for sure, regardless of the quintet’s names, their fans are going to follow them for a long time. Here’s hoping that the girls of NewJeans (or Jeanz) will be able to make music—sans legal issues—very soon.
Read on to see how the dispute between NewJeans and Ador began earlier this year.
It’s official, K-pop girl group NewJeans announced through an emergency press conference yesterday that they would be terminating their exclusive contract with their management label Ador. The girls of NewJeans first made waves in the music scene in 2022, with their debut song Attention, under the direction of Ador’s then-CEO Min Hee-Jin. For those unfamiliar with the K-pop industry, Ador is a subsidiary of HYBE, one of the largest and most successful entertainment labels in Korea. HYBE is also home to BTS, the sensational boy group that has taken the world by storm in recent years.
The Press Conference
During the press conference held on 28 November, members Hanni, Haerin, Minji, Danielle and Hyein presented a united front, stating first and foremost that the group made each and every decision during this troubling time together. What they were referring to is the the certification of contents that NewJeans had sent to their agency 14 days prior, stating the breaches of contract that were carried out by Ador during their time with the company. The group held a livestream two weeks ago, stating that their management agency had mistreated the group and “breached the trust” of the members and their contracts.
Background
These disputes came bubbling to the surface when Min, the woman credited for the success of NewJeans, was accused by HYBE of trying to take over full control of Ador—and by extension, NewJeans as well. Min and HYBE then got tied up into a full-blown and fully publicised dispute that took over headlines in Korea. Across multiple press conferences and press statements, Min and the executives representing HYBE got into heated discussions around each party’s rights and responsibilities. This later led to Min’s forced departure from Ador, a move that brought NewJeans into the picture.
NewJeans’s Voice
When Min was forced to leave Ador as its CEO, the girls of NewJeans quickly came to the defense of their beloved leader. Min has been recognised as the person who built NewJeans’s signature Y2K, girl-next-door image, and built their unique sound as a group. Obviously distraught by the news, the girls then set out their demands, asking for HYBE to reinstate Min as the “rightful” CEO of Ador.
It was thereafter that the group surprised everyone—including top level executives at HYBE and Ador—with a livestream on YouTube. The group came together to voice their demands, and talk about the mistreatment that the members have faced from not only senior management and executives at the company, but also managers of other K-pop idols under the HYBE umbrella. While it has not been confirmed, netizens suspect that it was a manager of ILLIT who instructed members of the girl group to not greet NewJeans when passing by them in the company building—a big mark of disrespect in Korea, considering that NewJeans is a senior group compared to ILLIT, who just made their debut this year.
Later, Hanni also stood before Korean lawmakers to openly address her allegations of workplace bullying and harassment, sharing a tearful testimony about how NewJeans had been constantly undermined by members of the company’s senior management.
The Termination Of Their Contracts
During the press conference, all five members stated clearly that that if their demands were not met within the 14-day period, they would terminate their contracts with the company immediately. And when Ador made no moves to rectify any of the wrongs put forth by NewJeans, the group announced that with immediate effect, they would be terminating their contracts with the management label. The group also stated that they did not breach any terms of the contract, and said instead that they should be compensated by Ador for this breach of trust.
Meanwhile, Ador has come forward to assert the validity of the girls’s contracts, stating that the group will continue to perform under the company, despite their claims of breach. While it’s not clear at this point which side of the ongoing dispute will prevail, one thing remains plain to see: the future of NewJeans as we know them is at stake.
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