As the absence of the group NewJeans extends, significant changes in the girl group lineup are actively occurring.
NewJeans was a representative of the 4th generation girl groups, a rookie that shook the domestic music scene. Since their debut in July 2022, they have hit the charts with every release, including "Attention," "Hype Boy," "Cookie," "Ditto," "OMG," "Super Shy," "ETA," "Cool With You," and "ASAP," establishing themselves as a unique girl group with exceptional musicality.
They have swept various awards, including rookie awards and major awards at ceremonies, even winning grand prizes, becoming a model of a trendy group. Their distinctive easy-listening music style and team concept were quite different from the typical girl groups.
They emphasized natural music and visuals that are not provocative or flashy, which resonated with the public beyond their fandom. Up until the so-called Hive-Min Hee-jin incident that broke out last April, their music was successful. The attractive and addictive songs released at that time, such as "How Sweet" and "Bubble Gum," seemed to pave the way for their continued success.
However, since that incident, NewJeans has not been able to release any new songs or engage in activities.
NewJeans is currently unable to engage in any activities due to a court ruling that upheld the injunction against their independent activities issued by their agency, Ador. They declared the termination of their exclusive contract last November, calling for a departure from Ador, and this situation has continued to this day. Despite their upcoming 3rd anniversary next month, there has been no movement.
In the meantime, with the giant mountain that is NewJeans removed from the music industry, a rush of girl groups from other agencies is continuing.
Major agencies such as Hearts to Hearts (SM Entertainment), Kiki (Starship), Baby Don't Cry (P Nation), and All Day Project (ADP, The Black Label) have begun launching new groups in large numbers. This can be interpreted as a strategy to replace NewJeans while existing popular girl groups like aespa (debuted in November 2020), (G)I-DLE (debuted in May 2018), IVE (debuted in 2021), and LE SSERAFIM (debuted in May 2022) are taking a break from their comeback activities.
The absence of NewJeans has also created a void in the advertising industry. They were active as advertising models for major brands across various fields, including iPhone, Musinsa, LG Gram, McDonald's, Nike, SK Telecom, Shinhan Financial Group, and Coca-Cola. However, they are now all withdrawn and unable to exert any influence.
In the music charts, the power of girl groups has become a thing of the past. The music of NewJeans, which used to dominate the charts, has long since receded, and perhaps due to their absence, the recent performances of new songs from girl groups have not been outstanding.
The aura that NewJeans once had as a signature and model for the so-called MZ generation has long since disappeared. Not missing this opportunity, agencies launching new girl groups are emerging in large numbers in a short period. One of them is ILY:1 from Belift Lab, which is actively promoting with a recent release.
The absence of NewJeans is likely to continue for quite a long time, and there is a possibility that it could end this way. It remains to be seen how much of a foothold and growth any girl group will establish during this period.
[Ji Seung-hoon, Star Today Reporter]
