NewJeans Rebrands as NJZ Following Departure from ADOR

NewJeans is officially now known as NJZ following the K-pop group’s departure from former label ADOR.

The five-piece confirmed the news in a statement with member Hanni telling CNN that their rebrand is one of the ways they are “turning this rough period of time into something more exciting.” NJZ is working to ensure that their highly-publicized dispute with their former label will not “be the focus of our careers,” with Hanni adding, “Even though we have to leave our previous name behind us for a bit, we’re not fully moving on from it. And we don’t want to either, because (being NewJeans) was still a very special period of time to us, and it’s something that our fans also probably hold really dear.”

“It’s definitely going to be very different to what people are familiar (with) … and the image that we debuted with,” Hanni further commented, and teased that fans can look forward to NJZ being more experimental with their 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,” she continued. “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.”

The group announced their departure from the HYBE-owned arm in November 2024 as they accused ADOR staff of “mistreatment not just toward us but also toward our staff, countless preventions and contradictions, deliberate miscommunication, and manipulation regarding multiple areas.” The label is currently suing the group and is asking for a court injunction to ban NJZ from participating in advertising deals, with a preliminary court hearing for the injunction set to take place in March. Fellow member Danielle is confident that they “will win this battle.”