South Korean girl group, NewJeans surprised fans upon the announcement of their new group name.
Hanni, Danielle, Hyein, Haerin, and Minji will now be collectively called ‘NJZ.’ Such changes within their group were prompted by the ongoing legal battle with their former agency, Ador along with its parent company Hybe.
NewJeans will officially debut and perform as NJZ at the ComplexCon Hong Kong festival from March 21 to 23. During the three-day event, the girls will premier a brand new song which will mark this new chapter in their career.
The band was previously under the management of Ador and was introduced to the public back in 2022. However, they are now in the middle of a legal dispute with the company when the girls claimed that there were incidents of bullying, harassment, and subterfuge, along with invalid contracts.
Ador on the other hand denied the allegations thrown at them and accused the girl group of trying to sign independent deals without their company’s approval which made them resort to legal action, “to prevent confusion and potential harm to third parties, including advertisers.”
In November of last year, NJZ held a press conference announcing their departure from Ador followed by a filing of court papers to seek legal separation from their former agency. However, Ador argued that the band’s contract must be upheld as it was supposed to last up until 2027.
The girl group stood firm and remained persistent in upholding their independence while managing their musical career at the same time. Now carrying a new name, band member Hanni Pham said on a recent CNN interview that they do not want the legal dispute “to be the focus of our careers.” She furthered that the rebrand allowed them to optimistically shift their perspective and turn it into something exciting for their careers.
“There’s nothing holding us back anymore,” Pham emphasized. The 20-year-old singer also clarified that they are not fully moving on from their former band name, as they are only leaving it “for a bit.”
NewJeans, despite their relatively short stay in the industry, had already made waves and marked a legacy of their own, one of which was being the eighth biggest selling act in the world back in 2023. This reputation will surely follow suit as they rebrand with “a lot more sharp [and] a lot more bold,” musical and fashion style as NJZ.
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