Ok-Pop lady group NewJeans introduced that they’ve modified their title to NJZ within the midst of their long-running dispute with their label, ADOR. Singer Hanni spoke to CNN concerning the change, saying that the five-member group determined to rebrand as a method of “turning this tough time frame into one thing extra thrilling.”
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The primary public outing underneath the brand new banner will come on the three-day ComplexCon Hong Kong in March, the place Hanni, Haerin, Minji, Hyein and Danielle mentioned they are going to debut a brand new track.
“We’re working so much to resolve every little thing in order that we will go… again to regular,” Hanni, 20, added, saying that the band doesn’t need their authorized spat with ADOR to “be the main focus of our careers.”
In a press release saying the title change and upcoming gig, Minji mentioned, “We’re thrilled to be stepping onto the stage for the primary time as NJZ and share one thing new with everybody. It’s an enormous second for us and we will’t look forward to followers to be part of this journey with us and present the world our new music that we now have been eagerly ready to share.”
Again in November, NewJeans introduced that they have been parting methods with ADOR, a subsidiary of the Ok-pop administration agency HYBE, over allegations that the label violated their contract. “As soon as we depart ADOR, we’ll purpose to proceed freely with the actions that we actually need,” Danielle mentioned on the time. “We actually want to have the ability to launch new music for Bunnies, subsequent 12 months, as quickly as potential, each time,” she added, in reference to their fan group nickname. “We actually hope that we now have the chance to fulfill you guys from all world wide.”
Additionally they famous in November that on account of their contract termination, they may now not be capable of use the group title they’ve carried out underneath since 2022. ADOR responded to the information, sustaining that its contract with NewJeans “stays in full impact,” urging the group to proceed collaborating with them on upcoming initiatives. ADOR has disputed the allegations from the group, who’ve accused the label of “manipulation,” “deliberate miscommunications” and office harassment and have filed a lawsuit in opposition to NewJeans, and, in line with CNN, filed for a court docket injunction that might forestall NJZ kind signing promoting offers.
The band’s announcement of their break up got here after months of rancor in a administration dispute between HYBE and ADOR’s former CEO, Min Hee-jin, who additionally serves because the group’s artistic director. Final 12 months, HYBE accused Hee-jin of making an attempt to take the corporate unbiased, a declare he denied; NewJeans mentioned in November that they wish to proceed working with Hee-jin.
In response to NewJeans’ announcement of their new title, ADOR advised CNN, “we remorse the escalation of this matter to court docket and consider that almost all claims superior by NewJeans members up to now have arisen from misunderstandings… We fear that saying an unauthorized new group title or partaking in leisure actions earlier than a authorized judgement is reached… may represent a fabric breach of the unique company contract.”
CNN reported that the group started posting content material underneath the brand new title on the jeanzforfree Instagram web page, which at press time had a “sorry, this web page isn’t out there” word.
A preliminary court docket listening to for the injunction is scheduled for March, with the lawsuit set to be heard by a decide in April. Whereas they wait, Haerin mentioned the group are engaged on making and performing their new music, which she described as having a “very distinctive and completely different sound… there’s nothing holding us again anymore.”
Hanni added that they thought lengthy and laborious concerning the new title, contemplating followers’ options and touchdown on a moniker that retained the “essence” of their unique one. “Regardless that we now have to depart our earlier title behind us for a bit, we’re not absolutely shifting on from it,” she mentioned. “And we don’t need to both, as a result of (being NewJeans) was nonetheless a really particular time frame to us, and it’s one thing that our followers additionally in all probability maintain actually expensive.”
She additionally mentioned their new period will likely be “very completely different” from what followers have come to count on from the group whose 2023 Get Up EP hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart. Hanni promised that the brand new picture will even include “various kinds of performances,” explaining, “Beforehand, we have been very centered on being the form of ‘lady subsequent door’… So, we’re going for a (look that’s) much more sharp, much more daring,” mentioned the singer, who alongside along with her bandmates serves as an envoy for world luxurious manufacturers Chanel and Louis Vuitton.
“And vogue clever: We love carrying streetwear and non-gendered form of clothes. I feel that idea and side goes to play a extremely robust function in our (new) vogue as effectively.”
