NewJeans' last official activity is the release of their debut single in Japan "Supernatural" on June 21, 2024. In Korea, that is the single How Sweet released on May 24, 2024.
After that, 5 NewJeans members - Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, Hyein - held a press conference in November 2024, announcing the termination of their exclusive contract with management company ADOR (under HYBE Group).
They have since started a legal battle with ADOR. However, plans to re- debut as a new group named NJZ failed, after the court approved ADOR's request for a temporary ban, to "maintain the status of management companies and prohibit NewJeans from signing advertising contracts".
While the main lawsuit to determine the validity of the exclusive contract between ADOR and NewJeans is being heard, NewJeans suspension period is expected to be extended further.
Due to the impact of the lawsuit, NewJeans gradually lost their position in the advertising field. Brands say that NewJeans' temporary suspension is becoming a "risk" in the industry, and they are starting to look for new factors to replace it.
Girl group aespa recently filmed a performance video for Dirty Work on the iPhone 16 Pro, similar to how NewJeans created the ETA MV on the iPhone and became a hot topic in 2023.
Oh Haewon (NMIXX) became an advertising model for Coca Cola - a brand that has collaborated with NewJeans in many MVs. Stray Kids replaces NewJeans as a global model for Pepero.
The MEOVV group participating in the event organized by Nike also signals a replacement for NewJeans.
Shinhan Bank ended its contract with NewJeans and has not re-signed since December last year, after the group announced its departure from ADOR.
A representative of the advertising company said that brands value the connection of models with brand images, but they also seek trust and the ability to stay together continuously.
Critic Lim Hee Yoon said: "K-pop is a rapidly growing industry. No matter how successful the group is, a year of hiatus can still risk eliminating them.
In the Japanese market, the absence of NewJeans is becoming increasingly clear. It has been a year since Hanni's hot performance with the song "Aoi Sangoshou" at Tokyo Dome. According to Google Trends, the number of searches for the keyword "NewJeans" in Japan has decreased sharply after the group stopped activities since March this year.
Not only do groups of the same generation benefit, Kpop rookies also have more opportunities when NewJeans temporarily suspends activities.
Starship Entertainment's new girl group KiiiKiii; SM Entertainment's Hearts2Hearts group; P Nation's first girl group, Baby DonT Cry, produced by Soyeon, i-dle group... are attracting attention.
Or the recent debut of Allday Project, a mixed rock group with member Annie, the niece of Shinsegae Group Chairman Lee Myung Hee, has become a hot topic.
With the potential of management company The Black Label as well as the reputation of the members, Allday Project is predicted to become a formidable force among Kpop rookies.
The proof is that Allday Project was sluggish on the cover of Vogue Korea on its launch date, June 23.
However, critics also believe that NewJeans' musical color, artistic vision and cultural impact on Kpop are still valid.
