The K-pop band NewJeans plunged deeper into turmoil this week after its management label said it had dropped one member of the five-person girl group, one of the genre’s most influential acts in recent years.
The announcement on Monday by the group’s label, Ador, that it was terminating the contract of Danielle Marsh, who performs as Danielle, is the latest flashpoint in a more than yearlong legal battle between the label and the band.
The label did not provide a reason for dropping Danielle. It said that three NewJeans members — Haerin, Hyein and Hanni — would continue working while it continued “discussions” with Minji, a fourth member.
Neither Danielle nor Minji responded immediately to requests for comment on Tuesday. It is unclear when or whether NewJeans will record music or perform as a group again.
Ador is a subsidiary of Hybe, a major entertainment company managing acts that include BTS, a seven-member boy band that was one of the first K-pop acts to achieve mainstream success in the global music market.
Even though K-pop labels often let go of artists, Danielle’s dismissal has prompted intense scrutiny and news coverage in South Korea. That’s because it illustrates the complexities of management structures and contracts in a largely top-down industry that is highly restrictive and led by a handful of powerful entertainment conglomerates.
Last year, the five members of NewJeans tried to break their contract, claiming workplace hostility and creative sabotage. But in October, a South Korean court upheld its validity.
During the dispute, the members briefly rebranded as NJZ, performing once under the name in Hong Kong. They also filmed advertisements individually for major Western brands. But they later said they would suspend such activities after court rulings prevented them from operating independently.
K-pop artists rarely take contractual or internal grievances to the public sphere, experts say. Disagreements involving contract terminations or legal settlements are usually resolved internally and then conveyed to fans through carefully managed statements.
“This practice reflects the highly centralized nature of the K-pop system, in which agencies tightly control branding, messaging, and media access,” said Ray Seol, an expert on the K-pop industry at Berklee College of Music in Boston.
K-pop entertainment conglomerates have attempted to streamline and scale the creation of pop stars. But K-pop also includes more innovative groups, including NewJeans.
Since its 2022 debut, NewJeans has had an enormous impact, infusing K-pop music and dance with a looser, carefree spirit that veered away from the rigid and near-perfect performances of many acts.
Many in the industry view the group as the next global standard-bearer after BTS. In 2023, NewJeans became the first K-pop girl group to perform at the Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago.
Jin Yu Young is a reporter and researcher for The Times, based in Seoul, covering South Korea and international breaking news.
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