According to Allkpop, on May 19, American R&B group Emotional Oranges posted a photo with Kpop idol Danielle of NewJeans on their official international account.
They used an emotional icon, an orange representing Emotional oranges, and the image of a rabbit often associated with NewJeans. Along with that was the status line: " Waiting a minute. It will be released soon.
Netizens said that this post is a reference to the upcoming music collaboration of Emotional Oranges and NewJeans, or will be Danielle's solo song in collaboration with this group.
The post was later deleted, but still caused controversy on social media.
Currently, NewJeans is in a state of temporary suspension of group activities, after announcing that it will not return to its management company, ADOR (under HYBE Group).
Many opinions say that if NewJeans is really making a new music product without going through ADOR, then this is an act of disregard for the law.
Because in the trial held in March, the court approved the request for a temporary ban on NewJeans submitted by ADOR company. Thereby, ADOR was maintained the companys management rights and NewJeans was banned from signing advertising contracts.
This means preventing NewJeans from participating in commercial activities under the name of NJZ or operating independently without the company's consent.
2 days after the court's verdict, 5 NewJeans members (Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, Hyein) announced a temporary hiatus from activities.
Some analytical comments said that NewJeans' move with Emotional oranges could be at a disadvantage for the group in the ongoing legal battle with ADOR.
However, on May 21, Emotional oranges spoke up to correct it. The American group said that there is no way they are collaborating with Danielle (NewJeans), but they are only participating in the production of a new song for Danielle's sister, singer Olivia Marsh.
Emotional oranges apologized to the audience for causing misunderstanding. However, many people still expressed confusion when the post of this group used the familiar image of a rabbit of NewJeans.
Meanwhile, despite a contract dispute with ADOR, NewJeans was recently named by Billboard music magazine in the "21 Under 21" list in 2025, honoring the most influential artists under the age of 21.
The magazine explained, "Although NewJeans has been a hot topic in recent months due to legal tensions with HYBE, their dominance over their charts last year shows the unwavering passion of fans."
