NewJeans Changes Name to NJZ and Announces March Hong Kong Performance

The girl group NewJeans has changed its name to NJZ amid a legal dispute with its agency,ADOR, and simultaneously announced a performance in Hong Kong in March. On the 2nd (local time), NewJeans revealed in an interview with CNBC that it will serve as co-headliner at the ComplexCon Hong Kong festival, taking place from March 21st to 23rd. The group plans to debut a new song on the final day of the event, March 23rd, while its members will also hold solo performances during the festival. This performance is expected to be the first major show for NewJeans since its formation in 2022 following its breakup with ADORE. NewJeans declared the termination of its contract with ADORE on November 28th of last year, but ADORE filed two injunction requests in a South Korean court. One injunction was filed in December to confirm the validity of the contract, and another was submitted in January to prohibit the group from entering into independent advertising contracts. ADORE is a subsidiary of HYBE, the K-POP agency that manages BTS. Member Danielle stated, “The current situation is still quite scary,” adding that “ADORE continues to interfere with a lot of our work.” Member Hanni said, “Our goal for 2025 is to release music as soon as possible,” and expressed her desire to “redirect our focus back to our tasks and our original roles.” Hanni also added, “We’re not afraid because we haven’t done anything wrong,” noting that “we’re more excited to see what the future holds.” NewJeans officially announced the new name NJZ through Instagram. This name was finalized after the group received suggestions from fans for a temporary group name following its separation from ADORE. Although NewJeans has stated that it will never return to HYBE or ADORE after terminating its contract, ADORE maintains that the contract remains valid until 2029.