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On February 12, 2025, Danielle, a member of the K-pop group NewJeans—now rebranded as NJZ—hinted at a potential world tour during an Instagram livestream. This revelation sent fans into a frenzy, especially amid the group's ongoing legal dispute with their former label, ADOR.
During the livestream, Danielle engaged with fans, expressing gratitude for their unwavering support. She teased,
"I can tell you this. We very very much want to be able to meet Bunnies from all over the world. Whenever that may be. We want to meet Bunnies from everywhere and spend a good time with them. So we are trying hard to prepare a lot so look forward to it."
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Danielle's recent livestream reignited excitement among fans, who have been eagerly awaiting news of the group's future activities and world tour. Social media platforms buzzed with speculation about potential tour dates and locations. One fan wrote,
"The sea ticket gonna cause bloodbath."
While no official details about the speculated world tour have been released, Danielle's comments were interpreted by fans that NJZ is preparing for significant activities in the near future.
"The way I would sell my kidney in order to get those tickets like it really is that serious," a fan wrote.
"My money is so ready for this so pls drop the tour dates rn," another fan wrote.
"NJZ in japan in summer NJZ in japan in summer please please please god," another fan remarked.
Several similar reactions flooded social media as fans expressed excitement over their speculations of NJZ's world tour.
"I’ll do wtver and I mean WTVER it takes to see them," a fan said.
"omg gotta start saving for my girlies first world tour," another fan added.
"And we are soooooo ready!" another fan wrote.
A brief look at NewJeans, aka NJZ's, ongoing dispute with ADOR and when it began
The ongoing dispute between K-pop sensation NewJeans and their agency, ADOR, began in mid-2024, following a public feud between former ADOR CEO Min Hee-Jin and HYBE.
April 2024: Internal audit and initial tensions
In April 2024, HYBE, the parent company of ADOR, initiated an internal audit of its subsidiary amid allegations that ADOR's CEO, Min Hee-jin, was attempting to take over the label from HYBE with full control. Following the audit, HYBE requested Min Hee-jin step down from her position on April 22, 2024.
April 25, 2024: Min Hee-jin's press conference
On April 25, 2024, Min Hee-jin held a press conference and denied the accusations against her, accusing HYBE of mistreatment. She released texts she had with the leadership of HYBE, claiming the firm misrepresented her and disregarded her concerns on their handling of NewJeans and her producer role.
She claimed that the leadership of HYBE was trying to eliminate the distinctiveness of each sub-label by controlling them altogether.
May 30, 2024: Legal actions and shareholders' meeting
HYBE filed both criminal and civil lawsuits against Min Hee-jin, accusing her of privacy breaches, conspiring to crash HYBE stocks, leaking business secrets, and attempting to take over ADOR and NewJeans.
An emergency shareholders' meeting was called for May 30, during which HYBE ordered Min Hee-jin to step down as ADOR's CEO. However, Min Hee-jin filed an injunction to prevent the company from using its majority shareholder voting rights during the meeting.
August 2024: Min Hee-jin's dismissal
In August 2024, Min Hee-jin was dismissed as CEO of ADOR by the independent ADOR board of directors. Kim Joo-Young, HYBE's Chief Human Resources Officer, succeeded her as the new label CEO.
September 11, 2024: NewJeans' ultimatum
On September 11, 2024, the members of NewJeans (now NJZ)—Hanni, Minji, Haerin, Danielle, and Hyein—held a surprise YouTube livestream demanding Min Hee-jin's reinstatement as CEO. They emphasized the importance of her overseeing ADOR and its operation and gave HYBE and ADOR a deadline of September 25, 2024, for her reinstatement.
October 17, 2024: Contract termination announcement
ADOR's independent board of directors re-hired Min Hee-jin as the internal director to supervise and produce NewJeans for the remainder of the group's contract with the label—over three years. On November 13, NJZ sent a letter of demands to both companies with an ultimatum of 14 days, till November 28, to reappoint Min.
November 20, 2024: Contract termination announcement
Min Hee-jin confirmed resigning from HYBE and ADOR over ongoing differences. She stated that she would file another lawsuit as she was wrongfully removed from the position of ADOR's CEO.
November 28, 2024: Contract termination announcement
Meanwhile, NewJeans announced on November 28, 2024, that they were terminating their contracts with ADOR when their demands were not met, citing the company's failure to support and protect them adequately. They expressed intentions to continue their activities independently.
December 3, 2024: ADOR's legal response
In response, ADOR filed a lawsuit with the Seoul Central District Court on December 3, 2024, challenging the group's unilateral contract termination. The label asserted that the contracts remained legally binding and could not be ended unilaterally.
January 13, 2025: Injunction against independent activities
On January 13, 2025, ADOR filed an injunction with the Seoul Central District Court to prevent the members from independently signing advertising contracts while their contract dispute remained unresolved.
February 7, 2025: Rebranding as NJZ
On February 7, 2025, the five members announced a new group name, "NJZ." Additionally, they were announced as headliners for the Hong Kong music festival ComplexCon on March 23, under the new name.
As of now, the legal battle between NJZ (formerly NewJeans) and ADOR continues, with both parties standing firm in their positions. Their first injunction hearing is on March 3, followed by the lawsuit hearing on April 3, 2025. If the court decides to side with the label, then NJZ could end up being penalized for breaches.
