Newjaans about the courage to speak

“A lot of courage to speak were needed,” said Newjaans told the BBC in his first interview since a court blocked his attempt to leave his record label, in a case that has shaken the K-Pop industry.

“This fight is necessary. Although it will be extremely difficult and arduous, we will continue doing what we have done so far and talk,” said Haerin, one of the members of the five pieces.

“We thought it was important to tell the world about what we have happened. All the elections we have taken so far have been the best decisions we could have made.”

Newjaans seemed invincible in the lists when they launched what was an unusual rebellion in the high pressure and very controlled K-pop world. Hanni, Hyein, Haerin, Danielle and Minji surprised South Korea and fans everywhere with their decision in November to separate from ador, the label that launched them.

They claimed abuse, harassment in the workplace and an attempt to “undermine their careers”, which adorns denies. He was sued to enforce his seven -year contract, which will expire in 2029, and sought a court order against any commercial activity by the group.

On Friday, a South Korean court He granted itOrdering Newjaans to stop all “independent” activities, including song releases and advertising agreements, while the case was still underway. Since then, Newjaans has challenged the court order in court.

Friday’s ruling was a “shock,” the group told the BBC.

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

The K-Pop industry has been repeatedly criticized by the pressure it puts in its stars not only to succeed and be successful, but also seem perfect. But the conflicts rarely spill to the public, exposing the complaints of the stars and cracks with their labels.

The dramatic announcement of Newjaans last year followed a long and public dispute with ADG and its parent company, Hybe, the largest musical seal in South Korea, whose list of customers includes K -Pop royalties such as BTS and seventeen.

Ador told the BBC in a statement that the contract with Newjaans continues standing, and added that “most of its claims have increased from misunderstandings.” The court said that Newjaans did not “prove” that he adorned had violated the contract, and added that the label had confirmed “most of its duties, including payment.”

The girls rehearsed for a performance in Hong Kong, when news fell from the failure. They discovered when Minji received a worried message from his mother: “She asked me:” Are you okay? “And I was like ‘What happened?’ “

“I was stunned,” says Minji. They were also the others when she told them. “At first I thought I didn’t listen to her correctly,” says Danielle. “We were all in shock.”

This was his second of the two interviews with the BBC in so many weeks. In the first interview, which occurred before the ruling, the group had been excited to launch its new single, Pit Stop, the first since they announced their rest of ador and NJZ were renamed.

They talked about how they dealt with a difficult period, including the search for comfort in the kitchen. “I am not really good in that, but it is a kind of healing,” Minji had said, before promising to cook an “incredible dinner” for the group.

In the second interview, which was 24 hours after the ruling, they seemed discouraged and restless, less safe than it was to come. “If we knew we were going to go through this, maybe we would have chosen …” Hanni was left behind while crying.

Seconds later, she continued: “Even if we do everything we can and it doesn’t work as we hope you do it, then we will only have to leave it until time. I am sure that time would solve it for us.”

The next night, they took the stage in Hong Kong and, despite the court order, made boxes under their new name. But the night, who had launched fans as a new beginning, ended up crying when they told the crowd that they were going to a hiatus.

“It was not an easy decision to make,” Hyein said on stage, while each of them took turns to go to his fans. “But at this time for us, it’s about protecting us, so we can make stronger.”

Only three years after their debut, the future of young stars, who are between 16 and 20 years old, is now in doubt.

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

Since they debuted in July 2022, Newjaans has provided remarkable success with each new release: OMG, idem, super shy, attention. A year later, it was the eighth act of greater sale in the world.

Critics called them a “change of play”, since their unique R&B combination of the 1990s and sugar-coated pop melodies crossed a K-pop market dominated by electronic rhythms. And his outgoing dance movements stood out among super synchronized videos.

They were still increasing when movieHis former mentor and former chief of Ador, began to publicly exchange accusations with Hybe. Min had launched Ador and Newjaans, before Hybe sold a majority participation in the agency.

Hybe was now accusing her of consigning the acquisition of Ador and Min, in an emotional press conference, he accused them of undermining Newjaans by launching another group of girls with a similar style. The fight became uglier and Min left the company, claiming that it was forced.

It was then that Newjaans broke their silence: they demanded the return of Min in two weeks in a live broadcast.

They could not contact her for a while, Danielle told the BBC in the first interview: “We did not know what was happening and we didn’t have a way of supporting her. That in himself was something difficult because he was always there for us and … in a way that a person admired.”

Ador had said that Min could not return as CEO, but could continue as internal director and producer of Newjaans. When Min did not return, Newjaans announced that they were leaving ador and accused the label of not satisfying other demands: an apology for alleged bullying and actions against what they affirmed that were controversial internal reports.

Ador, who denies all these accusations, seems to blame Min for his dispute with Newjaans. “The core of this problem lies in the former label management, providing distorted explanations to its artists, which leads to misunderstandings. They can be addressed and completely resolved by the return of the members to the label,” ador the BBC in a statement.

In later months, Hanni, a Vietnamese-Australian, Testified in tears To South Korean legislators in an investigation into harassment in the workplace. “I realized that this was not just a feeling. I was honestly convinced that the company hated us,” he told them, after describing several incidents in which he said the group felt undercut and intimidated.

Newjaans’ case was dismissed because the Ministry of Labor said K-pop stars did not qualify as workers and they had no right to the same rights.

Then, in December, Newjaans took another weird step by supporting fans who requested the dismissal of President dishonor of South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol, who had briefly imposed the martial law: the group provided free food and drinks to fans who presented themselves in the great manifestations of protest.

With each round of advertising, there were also criticism, much of that involving their age. Some said they had “crossed the line”, while others called them “stupid and reckless” and even “ungrateful” for fighting with ador. Others questioned if they were making their own decisions.

Being young does not mean that they should be taken less seriously, says the group. “That is an easy way to devalue the fact that we are really trying to do something,” says Hanni. “The decisions we have made in the last year have been decided through a lot of discussion between us.”

As the dispute has been prolonged, critics have become stronger, calling girls as up toshift instead of game changers. After the ruling, that his critics welcomed, Newjaans says they have been “very aware of the intense scrutiny and trial” since they held that press conference last year.

“There has not been a single time when we have expressed our opinions without worry or tension,” says Minji. “We have thought more than anyone on how much responsibility each of our actions has, and we are currently assuming that responsibility ourselves.”

It is not clear how much your pause will last. Ador says he hopes to meet the group soon to discuss the future, but Newjaans insists that he does not feel protected enough to return.

His demand with ador will return to the headlines next week when the hearings begin, and also the five will do so.

The only thing that seems constant is its determination to overcome this together.

Two weeks ago, Hanni had said: “We have always told each other to each other, if a person does not want to do it, then we are not going to do it. It must be the five that agree to do so. This is how we have arrived here and that is how we will reach the end.”

On Saturday, he repeated: “We are going to overcome it.”