Watch: Hanni has become emotional when the group reacted to the court decision
“It took a lot of courage to express themselves,” Newjeans told the BBC during their first interview since a court blocked its attempt to leave its label, in a case that rocked the K-Pop industry.
“This fight is necessary. Although it is extremely difficult and difficult, we will continue to do what we have done so far and to speak,” said Haerin, one of the five members of the group.
“We thought it was important to tell the world what we have experienced. All the choices we have made so far have been the best choices we could have made.”
Newjeans looked invincible in the charts when they launched what was an unusual rebellion in the high-pressure and closely controlled K-Pop world. Hanni, Hyein, Haerin, Danielle and Minji amazed South Korea and fans around the world with their decision in November to separate from Ador, the label that launched them.
They alleged ill -treatment, harassment at work and an attempt to “undermine their career”, which Ador denies. He continued to enforce his seven -year contract, which should expire in 2029, and asked for an injunction against any commercial activity by the group.
On Friday, a South Korean court granted it, ordering Newjeans to stop all “independent” activities, including outings of songs and advertising transactions, while the case was still underway. Newjeans has since challenged the injunction in court.
Friday’s decision was a “shock,” the group told the BBC.
“Some people think that we are famous enough to do what we mean and say everything we want. But the truth is that it is not like that,” said Hyein. “We have held it for a long time, and it was only now that we finally talked about what we think, what we feel and the injustice we have experienced.”
BBC / Yujin Choi
Danielle (R) said that Friday’s decision was a “shock”, while Haerin said that the fight, although difficult, was also necessary
The K-POP industry has been criticized several times for the pressure it exerts on its stars not only to play and succeed, but to seem perfect. But rarely conflicts are spreading in the public, exposing the grievances and the rifts of the stars with their labels.
Last year of the dramatic announcement of Newjeans followed a long and a public point with Ador and his parent company, Hybe – the largest music label in South Korea, whose list of customers includes K -Pop royalty such as BTS and Seventeen.
Ador told the BBC in a statement that the contract with Newjeans was still held, adding that “most of their complaints have been withdrawn from misunderstandings”. The court said that Newjeans had not “sufficiently proven” that Ador had violated the contract, adding that the label had confirmed “most of its functions, including payment”.
The girls repeated for a performance in Hong Kong, when the news of the decision dropped. They discovered when Minji received a worried message from her mother: “She asked me:” Are you okay? “And I said to myself” what happened? “”
“I was amazed,” said Minji. The others too when she told them. “At the beginning, I thought I did not hear it correctly,” said Danielle. “We were all in shock.”
It was their second of the two interviews with the BBC in as many weeks. In the first interview, which occurred before the decision, the group had been delighted to publish its new single, Pit Stop – their first since they announced their break with Ador and renamed NJZ.
They talked about the way they faced a difficult period, especially by finding comfort in cooking. “I’m not really good, but it’s a kind of healing,” said Minji, before promising to cook an “incredible dinner” for the group.
BBC / Yujin Choi
LR: Minji, Haerin, Danielle, Hyein and Hanni were optimistic in their first interview
In the second interview, which was 24 hours after the decision, they seemed discouraged and unstable, less sure of what was going to happen. “If we knew that we were going to pass through it, maybe we would have chosen …” Hanni interrupted himself by tearing himself apart.
A few seconds later, she continued: “Even if we do everything we can and it does not work as we hope, so we will just have to leave time. I am sure that time would understand it.”
The following night, they went on stage in Hong Kong and, despite the court order, made a stand at the stand under their new name. But the evening, which they had launched to the fans as a new start, ended in tears by saying to the crowd they were going in interruption.
“It was not an easy decision to make,” said Hyein on stage, while each of them would address their fans. “But for the moment for us, it is a question of protecting ourselves, so that we can come back stronger.”
Barely three years after their beginnings, the future of young stars – they are aged 16 to 20 – is now in question.
But they tell the BBC that it is not the end of the road for them because they “find more ways”. With the legal battle that should last for months, if not for years, Minji says that it gives them time to plan what they want to do afterwards.
Getty images
Newjeans was a huge success and is one of the best -selling acts in the world
Since they made their debut in July 2022, Newjeans gave remarkable success to each new version – OMG, Ditto, super shy, be careful. One year, they were the eighth best -selling act in the world.
Critics called them as “game changer” while their unique R&B mixture from the 1990s and pop melodies of sugar crossed a K-pop market dominated by electronic beats. And their windy dance movements stood out among super synchronized videos.
They were still on the rise when Min Hee-Jin, their longtime mentor and the former boss of Ador, began to exchange accusations publicly with Hybe. Min had launched Ador and Newjeans, before selling HYBE a majority participation in the agency.
Hybe now accused him of plotting Ador and Min’s takeover, at an emotional press conference, accused them of undergoing Newjeans by launching another group of girls with a similar style. The fight became uglier and Min left the business, alleging that she had been forced to go out.
It was then that Newjeans broke their silence – they demanded Min’s return in two weeks in a live flow.
They could not contact her for a while, Danielle told the BBC in the first interview: “We did not know what was going on and we had no way to support her. It was himself a difficult thing because she was always there for us and … in a way a person to look at.”
Getty images
(LR) Haerin, Danielle, Minji, Hanni and Hyein at the press conference where they canceled their split with Ador
Ador had declared that Min could not return as CEO, but could continue as an internal director and producer of Newjeans. When Min did not return, Newjeans announced that they were leaving Ador and accused the label of not responding to other requests: excuses for alleged intimidation and actions against what they claimed were controversial internal reports.
Ador, who denies all these allegations, seems to blame Min for their dispute with Newjeans. “The heart of this issue lies in the ex-gestion of the label, providing distorted explanations to their artists, leading to misunderstandings. They can be fully discussed and resolved when the members are returned to the label,” Ador told the BBC in a press release.
During the months that followed Hanni, a Vietnamese-Australian, testified in tears to the South Korean legislators in an investigation into harassment in the workplace. “I realized that it was not only a feeling. I was honestly convinced that the company hated us,” she said, after describing several incidents where she said that the group felt undermined and intimidated.
The Newjeans affair was rejected because the Ministry of Labor said that K-POP stars are not qualified as workers and were not entitled to the same rights.
Then, in December, Newjeans made another rare step by supporting fans who call for the disgrace of the disgraced president of South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol, who had briefly imposed martial law – the group provided food and free drinks to fans who presented themselves to the enormous protest gatherings.
Each advertising cycle, there were also criticisms, a large part involving their age. Some said they had “crossed the line”, while others called them “stupid and reckless”, and even “ungrateful” for choosing a fight with Ador. Others wondered if they made their own decisions.
Being young does not mean that they should be taken less seriously, says the group. “It’s an easy way to devalue the fact that we really try to do something,” said Hanni. “The decisions we have made in the past year have been decided through a very, very great discussion between us.”
Getty images
Newjeans at the first hearing of the court for the trial by Ador on March 7
While the dispute dragged, the criticisms have become stronger, nicknning girls as troublemakers rather than as game changes. Following the decision, that their criticisms welcomed, Newjeans says they were “very aware of the intensity and judgment” since they held this press conference last year.
“There was not a single moment when we expressed our opinions without worry or tension,” explains Minji. “We have thought more than anyone about the responsibility of each of our actions, and we are currently making ourselves.”
It is not known how long will last their break. Ador says he hopes to meet the group soon to discuss the future, but Newjeans insists that he does not feel protected enough to go back.
Their trial with Ador will return to the headlines next week when the audiences start – and the five too.
The only thing that seems constant is their determination to go through this together.
Two weeks ago, Hanni said, “We always said to each other, if a person does not want to do it, then we are not going to do it. The five must be who agree to do it. This is how we arrived here and this is how we are going to arrive at the end.”
Saturday, she repeated: “We will go through.”
