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The birth of NewJeans:

Back in 2022/2023, NewJeans was created with no teasers, trailers, or notice. On July 22 in 2022, they debuted with their first music video, "Attention." With this new song, they gained instant fame and it became number one South Korea's Circle Digital Chart within 24 hours. They grew in popularity with their other songs like "Hype Boy" and "Cookie." The reason why they exploded in kpop is because they have an extremely fresh and distinct sound that is different from what the rest of kpop is doing. They combine uk grunge, jersey club, and R&B elements into their instrumentals while also having light voices. Their tunes are extremely catchy and they combine western ideas of music with kpop. If you listen to a few of their songs, you will understand that they have a very distinct sound.
Another reason why they popped off the charts early is because of their concept. They used a very Y2K nostalgic concept which is seen in their music videos where they use old camcorders and cameras as well as CDs in their song "Cookie" and VHS tapes. (I will get more into the song and it's meaning more below) They use lenses in music videos that evoke nostalgia with light leaks, or vignetting that make it feel like old film or disposable cameras. If NewJeans debuted right now, I wouldn't bat an eye at their concept because it is now so popularized by them, which is why they were a breath of fresh air back then. I think that they brought Y2K to mainstream kpop and made it a whole concept instead of just exploring it a bit like in the past with aespa and NCT Dream covering 90's songs.

NewJeans, the new "it" group:
After their debut, NewJeans exploded in kpop. When I mean they were big, I mean it. They were on track for becoming as big as BTS and Blackpink and solidifying their name among kpop history in stardom. Many songs of theirs hit the charts, with their most popular being "Super Shy," (the Super Shy dance challenge was everywhere) "OMG," "ETA," "Ditto," and more. They even won multiple daesangs (biggest kpop award, equivalent to winning a Grammy in the west), the highest achievement you can get in very little time. They have won 10 daesangs, crowning them the most awarded female artists in the shortest amount of time. Remember, they debuted in 2022 and went inactive on March 23, 2025.

Music videos, lore, lyrics explained:

  • "Cookie" lyrics controversy explained:
    • When NewJeans' song "Cookie" released, a lot of international fans started to get mad at Hybe and Ador because they thought that the song had a sexual innuendo. Also at the time, the members were 14, 16, 17, and 18 (18 is considered a minor in Korea as well) so fans thought that the company gave them an inappropriate song. Although you could take "Cookie" in a sexual way, the company states they did not intend convey that message. In Korean, the word "cookie" and "CD" are used interchangeably as an idiom, so writers thought the message of the song would come across as wanting to listen to NewJeans' music instead of a sexual innuendo. That's one of the reasons why CDs are seen throughout the whole music video. One thing I don't really understand about the song though is the fact that they didn't pick up that it had the potential to be interpreted in a sexual way by fans overseas. (Or they were aware, idk) Danielle and Hanni literally speak proficient English, and there's probably a lot of checkpoints the song needs to pass through to be approved so I'm surprised they kept the message or didn't clarify earlier to fans in order to avoid misunderstanding, especially with the members being minors at the time.
  • Ditto music video meaning explained:
    • First of all, these interpretations are all my own opinion and speculation. It's okay if you have a different perspective than me or a take.
    I think that there are two main interpretations of this song and the music videos behind them. My first interpretation is that the girl holding the camera, Ban Hee-soo, is a representation of the fans and Bunnies. (Bunnies is the fandom name) First of all, the girl doesn't interact with the members of NewJeans directly like dancing with them, and her face is always hidden by the camera. This puts an obvious wall between her and the group. This explains the relationship between idol and fan, fans admire and are as if they are friends with the members despite the idols not being aware of fans as individuals. You might have experienced this if you are a kpop fan, but once you start liking a group and start watching their content, it seems like you can understand them and are part of the group or you get to have a sneak peak into idols and their relationships with other idols. This idea is represented through Ban Hee-soo.
    My second interpretation is that NewJeans represents the fantasy we have of life while the guy Ban Hee-soo searches for and likes is reality. NewJeans is not real, or at least not present in the music video. They are portrayed as not actually being there while the guy represents the harsh reality. Ban Hee-soo decides to hangout with NewJeans to escape reality, while she sometimes relfects on real life and her responsibilities. In the end of the music videos, she ultimately decides to go to reality and face real life instead of always being in fantasy to escape. This is represented by her breaking her camcorder and walking with the guy in the end.
    My last interpretation is less of an interpretation and more like a reflection of NewJeans' lore and how Ditto contributes to it. First of all, Ban Hee-soo is the sixth member of NewJeans and the reason why they are not actually there is because they all got into an accident which ended up leaving Ban Hee-soo all alone and with her cast. She uses the camcorder as a means of coping with the loss of her members. She is seen holding her umbrella but walking in the rain to show her grief and loss for her members in one scene. One scene in particular is interesting, when NewJeans is writing on her cast, it says "don't die" and "get well soon", showing how the members wish for Ban Hee-soo to go on without them. The boy helped Ban Hee-soo move on from them and showed her that she can still be with her friends without being haunted by them which is represented with the camcorder and the grief she holds on to.

NewJeans now:

NewJeans is making a come back! ADOR has revealed that they are preparing for a comeback although it is reported that they will only be back as a four member group without Danielle.

My opinion on boycotting HYBE as a means to try to get Danielle back:

I understand that this is an extremely sensitive topic in the community. Please be respectful to everyone's ideas. First of all, HYBE is an extremely big company. They have groups like Katseye, BTS, Tomorrow X Together, Seventeen, TWS, Enhypen, Illit, Le Sserafim, and BoyNextDoor are just a few. They literally have different labels and markets, both successful in the Korean as well as the American market. This means that I think the only people the boycott with harm, is NewJeans and the four members now.
One example of an effective boycott was with LOONA and Blockberry Creative. Fans learned that the company took advantage of the idols, underpaid, mistreated, and left them in more and more debt. One member, Chuu, was mysteriously removed from the group and got falsely accused by the company that she was abusing her staff. (Which is untrue and false) LOONA was having a debut without Chuu, so people decided to boycott the whole group in order to stop the company's revenue and help the members. Fans stopped listening to all of their songs, stopped buying albums, streaming official videos, or purchasing merchandise. This was a success, and has been engraved in kpop history.
The only problem and the difference about BlockBerry Creative and HYBE, is that BlockBerry Creative had LOONA as their main source of revenue. LOONA was their main focus, so losing their revenue, they had a hard time sustaining themselves. This is not like this with HYBE. HYBE has so many successful groups that I suspect that if we were to boycott NewJeans, they wouldn't do anything and especially not bring back Danielle because of the court drama before, with Danielle losing the case. I think that because they're so big, it would be impossible for the boycott to do anything because they have other groups and other sources of revenue. At the end of the day, if we started boycotting, I think that HYBE would possibly drop NewJeans- worst case scenario.
This is also the similar to my ideas with people who wanted to boycott Enhypen because Heeseung was leaving. At first when it was announced, I didn't believe it like a lot of people. Even when his handwritten statement came out, I wanted to keep an eye on Enhypen and him because I didn't want to jump to conclusions and start blaming HYBE. Then, I started to gt more information. Although his members also seemed shocked about him wanting to leave, I don't think it was because the company wanted to force him out unlike someone. *Katseye's Manon, cough cough* (I'll save that rant for a different day) It doesn't make any sense for the company. Enhypen is at one of its peaks right now, and Heeseung is a core part of the group, which also means he helps HYBE bring in a lot of money, so I don't see how Heeseung leaving will be profitable to the company. I do understand that now Enhypen has even more publicity, but not all publicity is good publicity, especially with fans considering boycotting the company. Anyway, I'm not 100% sure that Heeseung did this out of his free will, but I want fans to respect his wishes, especially with his official statements coming out and even his handwritten letter. I understand that people might be upset, but it's not okay for fans to talk constantly about Heeseung when members go on live, especially now that he has left, and typing things like "7-1=0" or "Bring Heeseung back" or "Enhypen is 7." I understand that losing a member is hard, but it's not like the members of the group even have a say in this and aren't as upset as the fans! Not only that, but by boycotting Enhypen, now the members have lost their support as well. Also, I don't understand fans who want to boycott Heeseung now that he has left the group and is now Evan. As a fan who loves their idol, shouldn't you respect their wishes and support them with your whole heart?
And lastly, what were to happen if it was Heeseung's wishes to leave the group? Will you stop supporting Enhypen just because he wanted a career change? Would you stop supporting him just because he wants to go a different route? We need to remember that even though we are so caught up in celebrities and idols, they are also human and are allowed to date, to live their life without public scruitiny, and at the end of the day, being an idol is a job, which I agree comes with a lot of responsibilities, but is also something that should not chain them or define them. Anyway, that's the end of my rant. Please be respectful, I could be 100% wrong and I just don't know, but the thing is we don't know, which is why we should at least respect what is official and believe in Heeseung and his word.