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On March 21, 2025, NewJeans' Hanni (now rebranded as NJZ) addressed swirling rumors regarding her association with a new record label. In a recent interview with TIME Magazine, she clarified that she and her bandmates are actively seeking new management.
However, she revealed that they have not finalized any agreements. Hanni stated that no formal contracts have been executed. She said,
“We are looking for an agency to help us… a third party to help us in between to communicate with other people.”
This revelation comes amidst a tumultuous period for the group, marked by legal disputes and a highly publicized departure from their former agency, ADOR.
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Court rules in favor of ADOR and restrains NewJeans from engaging in independent activities
NewJeans, formed of Hanni, Minji, Haerin, Danielle, and Hyein, rose to prominence in July 2022, following their debut under ADOR. By November 2024, intragroup disputes arose as the members had opted to terminate their contracts with ADOR independently.
The members claimed they were mistreated and wrongly managed. The main issue started with the firing of Min Hee-jin in August 2024. Min Hee-jin was ADOR's former CEO and was fired from the label due to contract breaches.
Meanwhile, the members advocated for her return and clarified that her creative vision was part of their identity representative. Their demands, however, were met with resistance from ADOR and its parent company, HYBE. This led to a protracted legal battle. The group even rebranded itself as NJZ in February 2025.
On March 21, 2025, during their interview with TIME Magazine, Hanni asserted that they had not expected the situation to get so complicated legally. Group member Minjin further added to Hanni's words and said,
“Since our debut, we have faced so many obstacles and interference from them. And only now are we finally able to speak about it.”
Group member Danielle got emotional and mentioned how heartbreaking the situation became for them as they wanted to break free from ADOR.
“There are probably so many situations similar to ours. It's truly heartbreaking to think that anyone would have to go through a situation like this,” Danielle said.
A recent ruling by the Seoul Central District Court on March 21, 2025, provided a preliminary injunction that prevents NewJeans from participating in any activities outside of ADOR.
As a result, the plan to roll out more songs and music performed by the group as NJZ got halted. However, ADOR allowed the girl group to perform at the ComplexCon venue in Hong Kong on March 23, 2025, and use the name NewJeans, rather than NJZ for the performance.
Despite significant setbacks associated with legal constraints imposed by the ruling, the group continues the pursuit of artistic freedom by appealing the recent ruling in upcoming hearings.
The departure of NJZ from ADOR had significant financial repercussions for HYBE in November 2024. Market Watch reported the conglomerate reportedly lost around $420 million in share value.
