After separating from their previous agency, ADOR (a sublabel under the entertainment giant, Hybe Entertainment), one of K-pop’s biggest acts in the world, New Jeans (now known as NJZ), has stayed relatively quiet amidst their long-running legal dispute with their former company.
From an exclusive interview from CNN on Feb. 7th, 2025, the 5-member girl group is still in the process of separating from their company following a slew of allegations from the members over the past year.
During the CNN interview, the rebrand was deemed an important turning point in the group’s lives. Member Pham Ngoc Han, or by her stage name, Hanni, quoted, “turning this rough period of time into something more exciting.”
The group has later confirmed to CNN that they will perform under their new name at the ComplexCon Hong Kong festival this month, with the band debuting a new song at the event.
Hanni has expressed her feelings to CNN, “We are working a lot to resolve everything so that we can go…back to normal.” The members have also stated that they don’t want their legal dispute with ADOR to be their main “focus of our careers.”
Image Credit: OLensglobal Wikimedia Commons
When NewJeans first debuted in 2022, they took the global K-pop market by storm with brand deals, concerts, fan events, etc. A year later, they achieved international fame when they released their EP, “Get Up,” which reached the top spot on the US Billboard 200 charts.
The members of NJZ are very young, all of them under the age of 21. The recent announcement of their re-debut has been a huge talk amongst their fans, and in the ongoing battle with their former management.
In late November of 2024, NewJeans put together a press conference as they announced to their fanbase that they would be cutting ties with ADOR, as they accused the label of “mistreatment,” “miscommunication,” and many other accusations. As a response to these allegations, ADOR has denied them, leaving them to file a lawsuit against the members while applying for a court injunction that would prevent the band from advertising deals.
The agency told reporters in their statement to 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. We worry that announcing an unauthorized new group name or engaging in entertainment activities before a legal judgment is reached… could constitute a material breach of the exclusive agency contract.”
The members have broken away from their company-run Instagram account (@newjeans_official) and started their independent account to rebrand as NJZ (@njz_official). Since then, the band has been posting from that account and engaging with their fans on a more personal level, contrasting with their management-run accounts.
Danielle Marsh, or by her stage persona, Danielle, has told CNN, “We believe we will win this battle against Hybe and ADOR.”
Image from Wikimedia Commons
The preliminary court hearing for NJZ and ADOR has recently taken place on March 7, 2025, followed by the lawsuit to be heard in April. Through this time frame, NJZ will stay focused on making new music for their fans and continuing to maintain their new rebrand, freeing them from the shackles of their previous management.
The members continue to express their statements on how much of a creative rebrand can signify a huge milestone. Even amid the legal battle with ADOR, many of the members are still global ambassadors for many brands, like Chanel and Uggs, for example.
When NewJeans was asked to describe their new concept, Hanni told CNN, “Beforehand, we were very focused on being the kind of ‘girl next door’… So, we’re going for a (look that’s) a lot sharper… fashion-wise: We love wearing streetwear and non-gendered kind of clothing. I think that concept and aspect are going to play a powerful role in our (new) fashion as well. “
According to various sources covering this case, on March 21, 2025, the Seoul Central District court issued a ruling that changed the outcome of NJZ and their rebrand.
The court granted an injunction that prohibited the group from engaging in any independent activity, such as the release of music and advertising deals, without the approval of ADOR, the very company they are trying to get away from.
Following this ruling, NewJeans have expressed their disappointment and shock. Member Minji recounted the message from her mother.
In spite of the court’s mandate, the group was able to perform their new single “Pit Stop” at ComplexCon in Hong Kong under the NJZ name. After said performance, they soon announced an indefinite hiatus.
Later, on March 26, 2025, after the announcement of the hiatus, the members were interviewed by BBC News Korea five days after the announcement.
Image from Wikimedia Commons
NewJeans stated to the BBC, “This fight is necessary. Although it will be extremely difficult and arduous, we will keep doing what we have done so far and speak up,” Haerin stated. “We thought it was important to tell the world about what we’ve been through. All the choices we’ve made so far have been the best choices we could have made.”
So far in the fandom, there have been lots of theories and discourse regarding the current situation. An example of this discourse regarding the rebrand and the new concept comes from the users on Reddit.
Fans are analyzing the ongoing drama and sharing their opinions about the group. So far, the general consensus seems to be that many fans believe NJZ is trying to emulate the girl group Aespa in the concept for their song “Armageddon.” However, others are expressing their support for NJZ’s new direction and intend to continue backing the group during their rebranding.
Check out NJZ’s new single, “Pit Stop” performed at ComplexCon in Hong Kong.
What are your thoughts on this drama so far? Let us know in the comments!