NewJeans’ last album is “Supernatural,” a Japanese double single released in June last year. Regarding Korean albums, “How Sweet,” a double single released in May of the same year, is the last Korean album. News of the new album has been cut off for more than a year.
Since debuting in July 2022, NewJeans has grown rapidly, releasing consecutive hits such as “Attention,” “Hype Boy,” “Ditto,” and “Super Shy.” It is the first time that they have been absent from the group for more than a year. Previously, the longest hiatus was about 10 months between their second EP “Get Up” and “How Sweet.”
The biggest cause of the long-term gap is a legal dispute with the agency, ADOR. Five members, including Minji, Hani, Daniel, Haerin and Hyein, insisted on the termination of their exclusive contracts and independent activities, but the two sides have continued legal battles as ADOR refuted this.
However, the independent activities of the members of NewJeans have been put on hold for now. This is because the court cited a provisional injunction filed by ADOR to “preserve the status of an agency and prohibit the conclusion of advertising contracts.”
On top of that, the court even accepted the additional indirect compulsory application filed by ADOR. Under the circumstances, each member must pay 1 billion won (approx. If all five members engage in entertainment activities without prior approval or consent from ADOR before the first trial is sentenced to a lawsuit to confirm the validity of their exclusive contracts. If all five members engage in independent activities, indirect compulsory fines of up to 5 billion won (approx.
The court cited the fact that the members appeared in Hong Kong performances under the group name NJZ and revealed a new song on stage after the decision on the provisional injunction as the background of indirect coercion. This was seen as a violation of the obligations set in the provisional injunction decision. It was judged that there was a possibility of violating obligations in the future. A lawsuit is currently underway to confirm the validity of the exclusive contract between the two sides.
Despite the suspension of official activities, the members of NewJeans are continuing to interact with their fans through SNS. Minji and Haerin, who recently celebrated their birthdays, shared their updates by leaving proof shots and thank-you messages.
However, fans who are waiting for “NewJeans” on the stage are getting thirstier at the same time. The absence of popular groups in the K-pop market lasts for more than a year because it is disadvantageous in terms of maintaining competitiveness.
In fact, a number of rookie groups have debuted during the NewJeans hiatus, and the fifth generation is rising to the K-pop mainstream. Groups that were classified into the same generation as NewJeans and competed are generating good results and expanding their global fandom through active activities.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Billboard recently selected NewJeans on its “21 Under 21” list for the second consecutive year. The list selects artists under the age of 21 around the world considering their overall impact on the industry. Analysts say their presence is still valid despite the suspension of their activities.
