Key Takeaways
- acADOR’s contracts reportedly let the label license NewJeans members’ AI voices indefinitely after their deals expire in 2029, requiring payment but giving the singers no control over those uses.
- The agreements also allow reduced payments on post-contract music sales, impose steep exit penalties and omit standard protections for minors; HYBE maintains the terms are legal and consistent with industry standards.
- After a court upheld the contracts through 2029, ADOR announced several members’ returns but terminated Danielle Marsh’s deal and sued her for roughly $22 million, primarily in exit fees.
NewJeans' contracts reportedly reveal a troubling level of control that could extend long after the group's deals expire.
The K-pop girl group’s contracts contain provisions allowing the company, HYBE subsidiary ADOR, to use and license Al-generated versions of the members' voices indefinitely after their deals expire in 2029, according to The New York Times, which obtained and published the agreements.
Unlike South Korea's standard K-pop contract template, which ends a label's rights to an artist's name, image and voice when a contract expires, ADOR’s deals permit continued use of the members' identities, including Al “voice clones or chatbots.”
Although the singers must be paid, they have no say in how their likenesses and voices are used. Legal experts told the Times it is unclear whether these provisions would hold up in court.
The agreements also allow ADOR to continue selling and repackaging NewJeans music after 2029 while reducing payments to the members. Early termination carries potentially substantial penalties, calculated using average monthly sales from months with actual sales during the previous two years, with ADOR also able to pursue additional damages.
The contracts were signed when NewJeans’ members Danielle Marsh, Minji Kim, Hanni Pham, Haerin Kang and Hyein Lee were between the ages of 14 and 17.
Per the Times, they omitted standard protections for minors concerning health, education, sleep and rest. Other provisions purportedly included vague offenses such as an "insincere attitude," "inappropriate romantic relationships" and publicly making statements that damage the company's reputation.
Emails obtained by the Times show that when one member's mother requested revisions in January 2022, ADOR’s vice president responded that "it may be best to reconsider the contract itself."
Lawyer Jong-eon Roh called the agreements "unusually aggressive" and said they restrict artists' freedom to a degree rarely seen in major-label contracts.
HYBE maintains that its contracts are legal, negotiated in good faith and consistent with industry standards.
The conflict intensified after the members announced their intent to terminate their contracts during a press conference in November 2024, according to Soompi. In March 2025, a court ordered them to halt independent activities just ahead of what would become their first and final performance under the moniker NJZ at that year’s ComplexCon Hong Kong.
According to Soompi, the Seoul Central District Court ruled on October 30, 2025, that the contracts remain valid through 2029. The members announced plans to appeal, saying their trust in ADOR had completely collapsed.
In November 2025, Haerin and Hyein confirmed their return to ADOR.
A month later, the company announced Hanni had returned and that discussions regarding Minji’s return were still in progress. However, ADOR shared they terminated Danielle Marsh's contract and sued her for approximately $22 million, primarily in exit fees.
Her lawyer, Jung Jong-chae, accused HYBE and ADOR of trying to end her career, saying, "If you try to escape Hybe's control, this is the price you will pay,” per the Times.
NewJeans made their debut in 2022 with the surprise release of their single “Attention.” They went on to find global success with hits like “Hype Boy,” “OMG,” and “Super Shy.”
