JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
The K-pop band NewJeans, also known as NJZ, is locked in a legal battle with its record label, ADOR. After a South Korean court blocked the group from commercial activities independent from ADOR, the group made a surprise announcement to fans at a concert in Hong Kong on Sunday. Sherisse Pham reports.
SHERISSE PHAM, BYLINE: Five-member girl group NewJeans took the music industry by storm in 2023 with their playful tunes and catchy lyrics.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SUPER SHY")
NEWJEANS: (Singing) I'm super shy, super shy. But wait a minute while I make you mine.
PHAM: But they stunned fans, who call themselves Bunnies, in Hong Kong on Sunday, announcing they'd be taking an indefinite break. The decision comes after a court ruled against NewJeans in an ongoing dispute with their record label. Here's the group speaking to fans, according to multiple videos posted on social media, including this one, posted on YouTube channel, "As One."
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED NEWJEANS MEMBER: Out of respect for the court's decision, we've decided to pause all our activities for now. And it wasn't an easy decision...
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Shouting in non-English language).
UNIDENTIFIED NEWJEANS MEMBER: ...But we believe this is something we need to do at this moment.
PHAM: In 2023, NewJeans became the fastest K-pop act ever to reach a billion streams on Spotify. Their single, "OMG," went viral on TikTok.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "OMG")
NEWJEANS: (Singing) He's the one that's living in my system, baby. Oh, oh, my God. (Singing on Korean). I was really hopin' that he will come through.
PHAM: And their second album, "Get Up," topped the Billboard charts in 2024.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "COOL WITH YOU")
NEWJEANS: (Singing) Cool with you - (inaudible). Cool with you - (inaudible). Cool with you.
PHAM: The meteoric rise came to a halt when NewJeans moved to cut ties with their record label, ADOR, late last year. The group held an emergency press conference, alleging they'd been mistreated and manipulated by ADOR. Here's NewJeans member, Honey.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
HONEY: This is not the type of work ethic we respect nor want to be a part of, and to continue working under a company with no intention of protecting NewJeans would only do us harm.
PHAM: Then the group officially changed its name in November.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
NEWJEANS: We're NJZ.
MIKE VALERIO: It's official.
PHAM: They revealed it to CNN ahead of the official announcement.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
DANIELLE: It feels like a new beginning, it feels fresh, exciting, and we just can't wait to get back there and meet Bunnies. We're so very excited.
PHAM: ADOR disputes the girl group's allegations. The record label maintains that NewJeans remains under contract, meaning its members can't perform or organize events without the label's approval. Last week, a South Korean court sided with ADOR, ruling that NewJeans, even using the name NJZ, must not conduct any independent activities. That includes performing and signing advertising deals. NJZ said on Sunday they accept the court's ruling but had to speak up to protect themselves.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED NEWJEANS MEMBER: We truly believe that standing up for our dignity, our rights and everything we just deeply care about is something that we had to do. And that belief will not change.
(CHEERING)
PHAM: The group said they planned to challenge the court's decision.
For NPR News, I'm Sherisse Pham, in Hong Kong.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "NEW JEANS")
NEWJEANS: (Singing) New hair, new tee, new jeans, do you see? New hair, new tee, new jeans, do you see? New hair, new tee, new jeans, do you see? New hair, new tee, new jeans, do you see? Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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