One of the world's biggest K-pop acts, NewJeans, has rebranded amid their long-running legal dispute with former label ADOR.
Last November, the quintet declared their intention to end their contract with the HYBE-backed imprint due to “mistreatment.” ADOR denies the group’s accusations, and has filed a lawsuit to prevent them from breaking away and signing with another label.
It appears that NewJeans are moving forward nonetheless. Haerin (Kang Haerin), Minji (Kim Minji), Hyein (Lee Hye-in), Danielle (Danielle Marsh), and Hanni (Pham Ngoc Han) announced today that they are reforming as NJZ. Their first gig is slated to be at the ComplexCon Hong Kong festival in March, where they will debut a new song.
View this post on Instagram
Hanni told CNN that, “We are working a lot to resolve everything so that we can go… back to normal.” She also said that this name change helped them “this rough period of time into something more exciting.”
The rebrand also signals a shift for the band creatively and aesthetically. “It’s definitely going to be very different to what people are familiar (with) … and the image that we debuted with,” Hanni continued, explaining that the band wants to “experiment with different types of performances.”
“Beforehand, we were very focused on being the kind of ‘girl next door’… So, we’re going for a (look that’s) a lot more sharp, a lot more bold. And fashion wise: We love wearing streetwear and non-gendered kind of clothing. I think that concept and aspect is going to play a really strong role in our (new) fashion as well.”
Like what you read? Show our writer some love!
-