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NJZ's Neglected Potential
- Anicia Trejo-Flores
- Mar 27
- 5 min read
Does everything have to be complicated?
NJZ's Awaited Debut
NJZ, or well known as 'NewJeans' has been in a long legal battle with their record label since August 2024, in the beginning; Min Heejin (CEO of ADOR, NJZ's record label) held press conferences in April 2024 discussing the alleged replications HYBE used for their upcoming groups, odd behavior, and mistreatment HYBE, Ador's parent company has shown behind the scenes toward their employees and other record labels. Since then, NJZ has made their mark on their statements against the company, and hoping to debut as five once again, finally freeing themselves from their record label.
Amidst the legal battle, the five members decided to create their own, separate Instagram account from their company's, this was the beginning of their movement against HYBE. Giving them more access to interact with fans and show some of the things they've been working on during their break. In February 2025, they began to post teasers and photos of their new name and aesthetics, NJZ. A variation of their former name NewJeans, and a fresh look for their new style. Fans were excited and anticipating for their new rebrand, hoping the group would successfully depart from their former label and creating an impact in K-pop. The teasers continued on their Instagram, making people more hopeful for their win against HYBE.
The group was scheduled to perform at ComplexCon, little did fans know this may be the first and last time we would be seeing the group perform as NJZ.
What Exactly Is Happening?
In November 2024, the first action to start the battle was the five members terminating their contract with ADOR. After their termination they would have court hearings testifying against their label, stating the alleged mistreatment and misconduct HYBE and ADOR subjected their employees to. ADOR scheduled an injunction in Seoul court, meaning that ADOR would hold the rights of the groups, reinforcing the control the company has on NJZ's future activities. As the legal battle was still going on, the group recently performed as NJZ at ComplexCon in Hong Kong.
They performed their new song "Pit Stop" and solo stages, my personal favorite being "Dontcha" by The Internet covered by Kang Haerin. Pit Stop was a new sound and finally showed fans their constantly improving their style. Fans were most especially excited because everyone was finally hearing them perform again, seeing them dance, sing, and excite the crowd with the duality of their performances each time they step on stage. Though, as fun as it was, there were some things that were beginning to be foreshadowed.
This is one of the few times the group has performed on stage since their case, after they finished their last song, all of the members stood side by side reading letters they've written for the fans. Visibly upset, they announced their hiatus. Before their performance at ComplexCon, the group lost one of their cases against ADOR/HYBE, the case prohibits NJZ's from doing any activity that isn't under ADOR.
Completely removing the opportunities that NJZ's could've had-leading the members to announce their hiatus at the end of their show. Leaving many fans frustrated and doubtful for the future of NJZ's career. Everything now is very uncertain and leaves much curiosity to fans about what will happen next, they performed a new (and fully produced) song that would be used for their NJZ debut, but now there is no official chance for victory because of the essential "lockdown" that the group is under now. Their case is still ongoing as there are more cases that are needing to be ruled in court, their recent court case was the first one they've lost against their company.
The Reality of K-pop and How NJZ Presents It
NJZ's large and long battle between their company showcases the unforgettable reality K-pop continues to hide, the fan wars that have sprouted from this 'controversy' examine the underlying themes of misogyny, sexism, and harm that the industry projects onto fans in and outside of South Korea. Arguments between fans are examples of this, fans who are supportive of HYBE's actions over the five members project the misogyny and doubt they had because of the members being women in the K-pop industry, and how there would be "no hope" because no judge would believe their case. The case itself is frustrating and one of the first times that a group's case has gone global, the frustration is the fact NJZ lost one of their cases against one of the most pretentious companies in K-pop. Next to NJZ's attempted departure from HYBE, an under recognized group 'Fromis_9' also left HYBE from their continued mistreatment since their debut, 2018.
Alongside Fromis (and being in the same company), NJZ are examples of the constant mistreatment that is hidden within amount of glossing that each company does for their groups, limiting fans from seeing the problems that are continuous throughout the large popularity of the industry. NJZ still has a lot more potential that will likely never get expressed, since they are limited from doing any further activities without the confirmation of the label, it's likely they are going to be overworked or not making any music in their future. Because of this, there is a larger reality that is now being seen. The truth is, NJZ is not the only group that experiences this, and they were only lucky because of how popular the group is outside of the court case. The case alone has examined the reality that a lot of idols experience, NJZ has displayed what truly happens behind the scenes and how often it happens inside the industry.
Although NJZ has been fortunate enough to fight against their company, but it's not that often that stories like NJZ are highlighted and successfully acknowledge by bigger news platforms. It's frustrating to see how easy this gets brushed under the rug and is almost expected by each record label after they announce new groups to their company and ignore their previous groups. It gets increasingly more frustrating because people continuously normalize and undermine the seriousness of idol's true experiences.
Though, NJZ's story is not ending and they will not stop fighting for themselves despite the setbacks they're facing, their story will be a forever recognized legacy and constant reminder of the reality that the K-pop industry purposefully (and successfully) hides from fans.
Sources:
"Why K-Pop Group NewJeans—Or NJZ—Is Brazenly Taking On an Industry Giant" (Time Magazine) -https://time.com/7270186/njz-newjeans-exclusive-hybe-ador-legal-battle-complexcon-hongkong/
"NewJeans Had Planned a Rebirth. The Performance Ended in Tears." (NY Times) - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/24/arts/music/newjeans-njz-complexcon-hong-kong-hybe.html
NJZ Debuts New Song ‘Pit Stop’ at ComplexCon Hong Kong, Announces Hiatus (Billboard) -
Videos:
NJZ Full ComplexCon Performance -
Written by: Anicia Trejo-Flores