NewJeans announces hiatus amidst record label dispute
NewJeans is taking a temporary hiatus following the South Korean court ruling against them in a dispute with their record label, ADOR.
On March 25, the girl group, now branding themselves as NJZ, announced that their ComplexCon performance in Hong Kong would be their "last for a little while."
The court ruled against the embattled K-pop group on March 21, saying that their attempt to rename and work independently could “severely damage” the reputation of ADOR.
In November last year, the group announced their departure from ADOR, accusing their record label of mistreatment, manipulation, deliberate miscommunications, and workplace harassment.
After debuting their new song Pit Stop, the five members of NewJeans, Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, and Hyein, took turns to read their statement to their fans.
“This stage means so much to us and every single one of you who gives us strength just by being here,” Hanni and Danielle started.
“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,” the statement followed.
“We had to speak up to protect the values that we believe in, and that was a choice that we don’t regret at all. We surely believe that standing up for our dignity, our rights and everything we deeply care about is something we had to do, and that belief will not change."
The court ruled that NewJeans’ claims did not “sufficiently prove that ADOR violated their significant duty as part of their contract,” saying that the independent music label upheld “most of its duty including payment."
NewJeans and ADOR have been in a heated contract dispute since August 2024, following allegations that HYBE forced out the girl group's producer Min Hee-jin.
The group demanded Min's reinstatement, but HYBE, the parent company of ADOR, refused.
NewJeans debuted in July 2022, composed of five members—Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, and Hyein. The group rose to international stardom with their hit songs Super Shy, Ditto, and OMG.
