K-pop girl group NewJeans announced they’re parting ways with their record label, ADOR, in an emergency press conference last Nov. 28.
On Nov. 13, The hitmakers submitted a certification of contents to ADOR demanding to rectify all significant breaches of exclusive contracts within 14 days and warned to terminate their exclusive contracts if demands are not met.
“The reason we are leaving ADOR is very simple […] ADOR does not have the will or ability to protect NewJeans. If we remain here, it will be a waste of our time, and our mental distress will continue. More than anything, there is nothing that we can gain in terms of our work, so the five of us think that there is no reason at all for us to remain at ADOR,” The girl group said.
They pressed that the group did not violate any of their exclusive contracts and had no reason to pay penalties. They also said that ADOR and HYBE were the ones who violated the contract and should be held accountable.
They also added that the group will not be able to use the name NewJeans in the meantime.
“To some people, NewJeans may just feel like a name or a trademark issue, but it is not that simple to us. It is a name that contains the meaning of everything we have achieved from the first day that the five of us met until now […] That doesn’t mean that we are giving up on the name at all, and we will continue to fight for NewJeans. Regardless of our name, just remember that NewJeans never dies,” they said.
Fans took their warm support for the K-pop sensation to various social media platforms and expressed their words of encouragement to the group.
“They came, released hits back to back, built a skipless and timeless discography within two years, took a stand for themselves against a multi-billionaire corporate and now they successfully left them to stay intact to their image NEWJEANS NEVER DIES,” one user from X (formerly known as Twitter) said.
Another X user said “These girls are going against a multi-billionaire conglomerate so fiercely because they know their worth and won’t let themselves be a tool that can just be replicated. NEWJEANS NEVER DIE.”
“Worried they might not be able to use the “NewJeans” trademark. But good for them! Getting out of an ugly situation, especially against a giant label, takes a lot of courage. NewJeans fighting!❤️🔥,” one social media user from Facebook said.
NewJeans also released an official statement on Nov. 29 following their press release on Nov. 28.
Their statement said that they were notifying ADOR of the termination of their contract for breach of contractual obligations and failure to rectify issues within the rectification period and that all five members signed the notice.
“The notice takes effect immediately upon its delivery to ADOR on November 29, 2024. From that moment, the exclusive contract is null and void. Therefore, there is no need to file for an injunction to terminate the contract, and we are free to continue our activities from November 29, 2024,” the statement added.
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