"You will always be loved"— Fans react as NewJeans (NJZ)'s ComplexCon set helps drive 16% attendance surge amid ADOR conflict

On March 28, 2025, the South China Morning Post reported on NewJeans, also known as NJZ, and their impact on the ComplexCon Festival in Hong Kong. The three-day festival concluded with a record turnout of 35,000 attendees, a 16% increase from the previous year.

The pop culture festival was held from March 21 to 23 at AsiaWorld-Expo. On its final day, when NewJeans performed their last performance before their announced hiatus, the festival reportedly saw a peak attendance of 22,911.

The festival generated HK$87.5 million (US$11.3 million) in revenue and attracted fans from across Hong Kong, mainland China, and various international locations. NJZ continued to showcase its influence despite ongoing legal disputes with its former label, ADOR. According to the publication, thousands lined up at their merchandise booth, which sold out within hours.

However, the group's performance was overshadowed by an emotional announcement regarding their temporary break from public activities due to legal restrictions.

The group has been involved in a legal battle with ADOR since mid-2024. A court ruling on March 21 upheld ADOR’s rights over the group, restricting the members from independently managing their activities. In response, the members expressed their disappointment but assured fans that they would not give up.

Fans took to social media to highlight how the group continues to be loved, despite them performing without a label. An X user, @kkunjz, wrote,

"oh njz you will always be loved."

Others also joined in to express similar sentiments. They wrote about how the group will always remain famous.

"DO WE KNOW HOW MUCH NJZ SALES?!?," an X user wrote.

"Waooo This is amazing.. there is no doubt about their power," another person commented.

"My girls will always be famous no matter how much they try to distort it," a fan mentioned.

"NJZ’s impact has never been greater. more and more ppl are showing their support. kmedia is trying to downplay complexcon but the numbers speak for themselves. this is NJZ. and they’re as relevant as ever," a netizen wrote.

Others also noted that ComplexCon set a new attendance record. They remarked that despite the negativity, the group remains "successful."

"Complexcon broke the record of attendance antis might get hit twts hating on njz but irl they will always be loved and succesful," a fan commented.

"We may not be as jobless as the haters just camping in online forums but for NJZ we'd travel across the world just to see them," an X user remarked.

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More about NewJeans (NJZ)’s final stage at ComplexCon Hong Kong

During their highly anticipated set, the quintet performed in front of over 11,000 attendees at the AsiaWorld Expo Arena. The show featured individual performances by each member as they deviated from their usual synchronized choreography. The group also debuted a new song, Pit Stop, before pausing the music to address the audience.

Speaking in both English and Korean, the members shared that they would be taking a break in light of the recent court ruling. They expressed gratitude for the support they had received and acknowledged that the decision was difficult but necessary.

Their words left many fans emotional as this marked their last scheduled performance before the hiatus. According to Billboard, the members announced,

"It is really hard for us to say this, but this might be our last performance for a little while. Out of respect for the court’s decision, we’ve decided to pause all our activities for now. It wasn’t an easy decision, but we believe this is something we need to do at this moment.

"We understand and know that today’s news might be disappointing or upsetting but it was not an easy decision for us to make either. But at the moment for us, it’s about protecting ourselves so that we can come back even stronger."

The event saw significant engagement at their merchandise booth, and their performance remained one of the most talked-about moments of the festival.