NEWJEANS BREAKS OUT
Escape From K-Pop Jail
NewJeans — the band name designed to generate thoughts of timelessness, of comfort, of girls-next-door. That’s the NewJeans vibe, four women that were originally five before Danielle was booted, allegedly for pursuing other deals. The group that is intended to project relatability, and an attainable level of recognizability without submerging itself in the bougie pool has been drowning in legal battles for the last few years.
The K-pop group was created by ADOR, a sub-label of South Korean enormo-business Hybe. As such, there are rules that must be followed, contract stipulations to be adhered to. And yet it all started so positively.
While we haven’t seen a full length album yet, NewJeans dropped their self-titled debut EP in 2022. That’s four years ago, which is an eternity on K-pop, or any pop, years. A second EP, Get Up, followed in 2023 and things were looking rosy for the ladies. Charts were bothered and the buzz was deafening, as NewJeans honed a sound that beautifully blended contemporary synth-pop with soulful R&B and gentle hip-hop.
The lyrics, meanwhile, are personal and, again, relatable. On “ETA,” for example, they sing, “The day you couldn’t come to my birthday party; The day Hyejin got in so much trouble; The day Jiwon broke up with his girlfriend; The day without you he was always; The day he showed up dressed to the nines.”
It’s like a “dear diary” song, and that approach hit home with hundreds of thousands of keen fans. On “Super Shy,” the women get coy: “I’m super shy, super shy; But wait a minute while I make you mine, make you mine; I’m all nervous ’cause you’re on my mind all the time; I wanna tell you but I’m super shy, super shy.”
NewJeans had it all; the look, the sound, the style, and a ton of endorsements and advertising deals. Skincare, anime — it was all happening. Unfortunately, contract disputes with ADOR plus some allegations of copyright infringement (particularly by British fun band Shakatak) slammed the brakes on, and momentum was all but lost.
But hey, there are reasons to be cheerful again. Noises have started to emerge of a return for NewJeans and, despite ADOR’s attempts to temper expectations, the noises won’t go away. Even a new name, NJZ, has emerged from the group.
The situation continues to unfold, but there is at least a sliver of light at the end of a tumultuous tunnel. Who said Pop stardom was easy?
