The very popular South Korean girl band, NewJeans, caused a stir in the K-pop world by announcing this Thursday, November 28, that they were leaving their label ADOR, accusing it of “bad treatment.”
Composed entirely of women, NewJeans debuted on the K-pop scene in 2022. The girl band has five members, all under the age of 20: Haerin, Danielle, Hanni, Minji and Hyein.
They are part, along with the boyband BTS, of the successful K-pop groups of the South Korean agency HYBE, parent company of the NewJeans label, ADOR. The group topped global charts, including the US Billboard 200.
As of last year, they have been the K-pop group to quickly surpass one billion streams on Spotify, according to Guinness World Records. Its producer is Min Hee-jin, one of the best known in the K-pop scene.
Min Hee-jin expelled
But last April, ADOR’s parent company, HYBE, attempted to oust Min Hee-jin, then head of ADOR’s subsidiary, accusing her of breach of trust, triggering a legal and media battle.
Min Hee-jin then accused HYBE of having copied her model of launching K-pop stars to promote a competing girl band. After being ousted as CEO in August, the producer resigned from ADOR’s board of directors last week and vowed to sue HYBE.
In solidarity with her, NewJeans members sent an ultimatum to HYBE, stating that the group would terminate their contract unless certain demands were met, such as the immediate reinstatement of their producer.
The group’s demands to HYBE also included an apology for a comment made by one of the company’s managers, whom NewJeans accused of harassment. During a press conference on Thursday evening, the group announced that it would be terminating its agreement with ADOR.
The record label, however, told AFP that its exclusive agreement with the members of NewJeans “remains in full force” and, therefore, has “respectfully requested that the group continue its collaboration with ADOR for future activities, as has been the practice.” until now”. .
“NewJeans never dies”
The legal battle between the brand and NewJeans will continue and “the procedure should last a long time,” estimates lawyer Kim Tae-yeon, who predicts a result within two or three years if the case goes to court. According to experts, NewJeans members could have to pay a contractual fine of 620 billion won (420 million euros).
“If the court finds that the company is at fault, as NewJeans claims, and that NewJeans did nothing wrong, they could defend themselves against any sanctions,” Kim said.
HYBE’s share price was down 5% on Friday morning. Meanwhile, the group’s members have indicated that they will continue to fulfill their contractual obligations, but clarified that they may no longer be able to use the NewJeans name.
But Danielle, one of the members of the girl band, said that they will continue fighting to be able to continue making music together. “Whatever we call it, remember that NewJeans never dies,” he said.
Towards a change in the industry?
In 2009, the famous boyband TVXQ also surprised by suing its label, to which it was bound by a 13-year contract, described by the group as a “slavery contract.” The cause is excessive working hours and an unfair distribution of profits, according to TVXQ.
More recently, in 2023, the members of the group FIFTY FIFTY suspended their contract with their label, deploring the lack of financial transparency.
“Historically, contractual relationships between agencies and group members have always posed problems over time,” analyzes Lee Dong-yeon, a professor at Korea National University of the Arts in Seoul.
The decision by the NewJeans group did not have an immediate impact on this ultra-lucrative industry, but it could “lead to changes in the way K-pop-related activities are managed,” considers Kim Jing-gak, a professor at Sungshin University in Seoul.
Source: BFM TV
