NewJeans

Did You Know?

• The group's name is a word play on 'new genes,' referring to ushering a new generation of pop music.
• In February 2025, the members changed their name to 'NJZ' amid their contract dispute, but stopped using it two months later following an injunction.
• NewJeans was named one of Time's Next Generation Leaders.

History

Before debuting, several members had prior experience in television, music, and dance. Danielle Marsh, born in Australia, appeared on the variety show Rainbow Kindergarten and other TV programs while living in South Korea. Hyein debuted in the children's music group U.SSO Girl in November 2017 under the stage name U.Jeong, leaving after a year, and later joined the YouTube collective Play With Me Club in December 2020, graduating in May 2021. Hanni Pham performed in Melbourne as part of the Aemina Dance Crew, covering K-pop choreographies. Preparations for a new girl group between Hybe and Source Music began in 2019, with Min Hee-jin as creative director. Global auditions took place from September to October 2019, and Minji, a Source Music trainee, appeared in promotional videos. Hanni was the only trainee from the Plus Global Auditions to join the group. Danielle had been a YG Entertainment trainee and passed a Source Music audition in July 2020, while Haerin was street cast in late 2019 and joined Source in early 2020. Hanni and Minji appeared in BTS's 2021 music video for "Permission to Dance." All members transferred to ADOR at the end of 2021. The project moved to ADOR after Min was appointed CEO, and a second round of global auditions occurred from December 2021 to January 2022. The lineup was finalized in March 2022, with the debut originally scheduled for 2021 but postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Artistry

NewJeans' music spans R&B, electropop, and hip hop, characterized by mellow beats, atmospheric synthesizers, and live vocals. Their debut EP and first single album OMG are predominantly midtempo pop and R&B evoking 1990s and 2000s music, with comparisons to late-1990s K-pop girl groups. Critics identified elements of UK garage, Baltimore club, Jersey club, and moombahton. Their second EP Get Up ventured into dance and club music with rhythmic production expanding on UK garage influences. The "Supernatural" release explored new jack swing and dance-pop, interpolating "Back of My Mind" by Manami. The Hankook Ilbo aligned their style with the "newtro" aesthetic, and critic Choi Eun-soo characterized their sound as "easy listening" without explosive EDM. Critics like Sheldon Pearce and Joshua Minsoo Kim described the music as soft and delicate, contrasting with maximalist contemporaries. The Guardian's Laura Snapes noted their songs as sleek and hooky with retro synths. David Tizzard wrote that many songs are influenced by 1990s British jungle and drum and bass, with "Right Now" being polished and closer to the Sambass subgenre.

Copyright claims and lawsuits

In July 2024, British jazz-funk band Shakatak alleged that "Bubble Gum" infringed their 1981 song "Easier Said Than Done," sending a letter of claim through publisher Wise Music Group. ADOR denied the claims, stating it had responded and requested a credible analysis report. Shakatak announced that Wise Music Group hired a musicologist to assess similarities. On July 23, ADOR reiterated that the songwriters had not known the earlier song and cited independent analyses showing differences in chord progression, tempo, and musical character. As of July 2026, no further public developments or resolution have occurred, and the dispute has not proceeded to litigation. On May 8, 2026, four composers filed a copyright infringement lawsuit alleging that "How Sweet" plagiarized their demo "One of a Kind," claiming a substantially similar first verse. ADOR denied the allegations, confirming with production team BANA that no plagiarism occurred. On July 10, ADOR stated that "How Sweet" was obtained through BANA in connection with former CEO Min Hee-jin and that internal documents were being reviewed. On July 7, 2026, All Surface Publishing filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California alleging that "ETA" copied the backing track of DJ Debonair Samir's 2005 song "Samir's Theme." ADOR stated that the song was obtained through BANA during Min Hee-jin's tenure and was also under review.

Other ventures

NewJeans has been compared to a blue chip in advertising due to their popularity and reliability, with Tamar Herman naming them one of the most in-demand advertising models in 2023. Forbes Korea reported in April 2024 that the group had earned 1 billion in advertising in a single year. Their influence over various generations, especially Generation Z, led brands like Musinsa and Lotte Wellfood to appoint them as ambassadors for overseas campaigns; Musinsa doubled sales in women's fashion and Lotte's Pepero sales increased by 17%. NewJeans has also represented Levi's, Calvin Klein, Olens, Stonehenge, and Carin, and served as global ambassadors for Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, LG Electronics' Gram, Lotte's Pepero, and Indofood's Indomie. They have appeared in campaigns by SK Telecom, Apple, Nike, 5252 by OiOi, Shinhan Bank, Megastudy, Pinkfong, McDonald's Korea, Hyundai Department Store, Lotte, Kao, and Shibuya109. In February 2023, they became public relations ambassadors of Seoul and honorary ambassadors for Seoul Fashion Week. In March 2024, they were appointed ambassadors by the customs division of Incheon International Airport. In May 2024, they collaborated with the British Museum on an audio guide for the Korean exhibit. In July 2024, they were appointed honorary ambassadors by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and starred in commercials promoting local tourism, and also worked with the Korea Craft and Design Foundation to promote hanji.