K-pop group NewJeans have announced their new name as court dates are set for their multi-layered legal battle with former label Ador.
The group will play their first show under new name NJZ at the ComplexCon Hong Kong event next month. Also next month, the Seoul Central District Court will consider Ador’s request for an injunction banning NewJeans, and presumably NJZ, from entering into any new brand deals.
Group member Minji told reporters that she and her bandmates are “THRILLED” to be “stepping onto the stage for the first time as NJZ” at ComplexCon Hong Kong next month, adding, “it’s a big moment for us and we can’t wait for fans to be a part of this journey with us and show the world our new music that we have been eagerly waiting to share”.
NewJeans announced they were terminating their deal with HYBE owned Ador last November. The announcement followed months of turmoil at the label as a result of HYBE’s very public dispute with Ador founder Min Hee Jin, who was pushed out of the CEO job at the company in August.
Ador insists that NewJeans cannot unilaterally terminate their deal with the label and launched legal proceedings to enforce the group’s contract in December. They then began separate court proceedings last month seeking an injunction stopping the group from entering into any new brand deals without Ador’s involvement.
According to Korean media, that injunction request will be reviewed in the Seoul Central District Court on 7 Mar. The first court hearing for Ador’s lawsuit seeking to enforce its contract with NewJeans is scheduled for 3 Apr. And then, because all good things come in threes, the next hearing in Min Hee Jin’s own legal battle with HYBE is set for 17 Apr.
Although the members of NewJeans, or NJZ if you prefer, are adamant that they were legally entitled to terminate their Ador deal after the label failed to address various grievances they had formally raised with the company, they presumably accept they can’t legally use the NewJeans brand any more. Hence NJZ.