Newjeans tell BBC why they spoke

“It took great courage to speak,” Newjeans told the BBC in his first interview, as the court blocked their attempt to leave its recording label in the case that shook the K-POP industry.

“This battle is necessary. Although it will be extremely difficult and difficult, we will continue to do what we have done so far and talk,” said Hairerin, one of the members of the five parts.

“We thought it was important to tell the world about what we had experienced. All the choices we made so far were the best choice we could make.”

Newjeans seemed invincible in the charts when they released what was an unusual rebellion in a tightly controlled world of high-pressure K-POP. Hani, Haine, Hairerin, Daniel and Minghi stunned South Korea and fans everywhere with their decision in November to part with Ador, the label that started them.

They claimed abuse, harassment at work, and an attempt to “undermine their careers”, which Ador denies. He filed a claim for imposing their seven -year contract, which is to expire in 2029 and seek disposition against any commercial activities in the group.

On Friday South Korean Court provided itHe ordered Newjeans to stop all “independent” activities, including songs and advertising deals, while the case was still underway. Since then, Newjeans has challenged the order in court.

The decision on Friday was a “shock”, the group told the BBC.

“Some people think we are known enough to do whatever we want and say what we want. But the truth is that it is not the case at all,” Hayin said. “We kept it for a long time, and only now we finally talked about what we think, what we feel and the injustice we have experienced.”

The K-POP industry has repeatedly fell under fire because of the pressure it exerts on its stars, not only to perform and succeed, but also to look perfect. But rarely, conflicts spill in the public, exposing the stars’ complaints and breaks with their labels.

Newjeans’s dramatic message last year followed a long and public spitting with ADOR and her mother company, Hybe -the largest music label of South Korea, whose list of clients includes K -pop Royalty as BTS and Seventeen.

Ador told the BBC in a statement that the contract with Newjeans is still standing, adding that “most of their claims have grown by misunderstandings.” The court stated that Newjeans did not “prove enough” that Ador had violated the contract, adding that the label had complied with “most of its obligations, including payment.”

The girls were rehearsing for a performance in Hong Kong when the news of the decision was dropped. They understood when Mingji received a worried message from her mother: “She asked me,” Are you fine? “And I was like” What happened? “

“I was stunned,” says Mingji. So were the others when she told them. “At first I thought I didn’t hear her right,” Daniel says. “We were all in shock.”

It was their second of two BBC interviews in so many weeks. In the first interview that happened before the decision, the group was excited to release their new single, Pit Stop – their first since they announced their vacation from Ador and renamed NJZ.

They talked about how they handled a difficult period, including finding comfort in cooking. “I’m not very good at this, but it’s a kind of healing,” Mingji said before promising to prepare an “incredible dinner” for the group.

In the second interview, which was 24 hours after the decision, they seemed discouraged and unresolved, less sure of what was to come. “If we knew we would go through it, we might have chosen …” Hani gave up when she was torn apart.

Seconds later, she continued: “Even if we do our best and it doesn’t work out as we hope to do it, then we’ll just have to leave it in time. I’m sure time will understand it about us.”

The next evening, they took the stage in Hong Kong and despite the court order they performed Pete Stop under their new name. But in the evening they had directed to fans as a new start ended with tears as they said to the crowd that they were going to HiatusS

“It was not an easy decision to make it,” Haine said on stage, as each of them alternates to turn to his fans. “But at the moment it is about protecting ourselves so that we can go back stronger.”

Just three years after their debut, the future of young stars – they are between the ages of 16 and 20 – now it is in question.

But they tell the BBC that this is not the end of the road for them, as they “find more ways” forward. As the legal battle is expected to last months, if not years, Minghi says that it gives them time to plan what they want to do after.

Since their debut in July 2022, Newjeans have achieved remarkable success with each new edition – OMG, Ditto, Super Shy, attention. A year on, they were the eighth best-selling act in the world.

Critics called them a “change of game” because their uniquely playful mixture of R&B of the 1990s and pop tunes covered with sugar and their windy dance movements were highlighted among super-synchronized videos.

They were still on the rise when movie – The former Ador chief and their long -time mentor who launched them – have started to trade in Hybe. The music label had created an Ador, providing min. Minority share and additional stock options before being removed from its role last August.

Now Hayb accused her of intending the ingestion of Ador and Min, an emotional press conference, accusing them of undermining Nudhees, launching another group of girls of a similar style. The battle became more and Min left the company, claiming it was forced.

Newjeans then violated their silence – they asked for the return of min after two weeks to LivestreamS

They failed to contact her for a while, Daniel told the BBC in the first interview: “We did not know what was happening and we had no way of supporting her. It was difficult in itself, because she was always with us and … in a way that one would look.”

Ador had said that Min could not return as CEO, but could continue as an internal director and producer of Newjeans. When Min did not return, Newjeans declared That they were leaving Ador and accused the label of not responding to other requests: an excuse for alleged harassment and actions against what they claim were controversial internal reports.

Ador, who denies all these claims, seems to blame Min for their dispute with Newjeans. “The nucleus of this question lies in the former label management, providing distorted explanations to its artists, leading to misunderstandings. They can be fully addressed and resolved on the return of the label members,” Ador told the BBC in a statement.

During the months thereafter, Hani, Vietnamese-Australian, testifies in tears of South Korean legislators in an investigation into harassment in the workplace. “I came to the realization that this was not just a feeling. I was genuinely convinced that the company hates us,” she told them after describing several incidents in which she said the group was feeling undermined and harassed.

Nayzen’s case was rejected because the Ministry of Labor said K-POP stars did not qualify as workers And they have no right to the same rights.

Then, in December, Nudhean took another rare step, supporting the fans who called for the impeachment of the disgraced President of South Korea, Ion Suk Youol, who imposed a brief martial law – the group provided free food and drinks to the fans that appeared at the huge protest rallies.

With each round of publicity, there was also criticism, much of it included their age. Some said they “crossed the line” while others called them “stupid and reckless” and even “ungrateful” to choose a battle with ADOR. Others asked whether they were making their own decisions.

Being young does not mean that they should be taken less seriously, the group says. “It’s an easy way to depreciate the fact that we’re actually trying to do something,” Hani says. “The decisions we have made in the last year have been resolved through a very, very large amount of discussions between us.”

As the dispute was dragged, critics became stronger by calling girls as the creators of problems, not a change of game. Following the decision that their critics welcomed, Newjeans said they were “very aware of intense control and judgment” since they held this press conference last year.

“There was no moment when we expressed our opinion without worry or tension,” says Mingji. “We thought more than anyone else about how much responsibility each of our actions brings, and we are currently wearing this responsibility ourselves.”

It is not clear how long their hiatus will last. Ador says he hopes to meet the group soon to discuss the future, but Newjeans insists that he does not feel sufficiently protected to go back.

Their case with Ador will return to the titles next week when the hearing begins – and so do five.

The only thing that seems constant is their determination to go together.

Two weeks ago, Hani had said, “We have always said to ourselves, if one person does not want to do it, then we will not do it. We must be all five of us who agree to do it. Here’s how we got here and so we will get to the end.”

On Saturday, she reiterated, “We will go through it.”