NewJeans, new K-pop group, have YouTube, TikTok abuzz – here’s everything you need to know about them

K-pop girl group NewJeans dropped their debut single, Attention, on YouTube on July 22, and since then attention is what they’ve been getting from music fans
The brainchild of a K-pop titan associated with hits by the likes of Girls’ Generation, NewJeans will release their first mini-album on August 1

K-pop idols

Tamar Hermanin United States

Published: 12:45pm, 28 Jul 2022

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On July 22, a new K-pop girl group called NewJeans arrived on the scene. In a surprise debut, the five-member team dropped a music video for their song Attention, and attention was what they got.

Since then they’ve released a series of other promotional videos teasing upcoming songs and showing footage of the members ahead of their self-titled debut EP’s launch on August 1.

Having launched suddenly, and with little warning but a whole lot of content, NewJeans rapidly gained a lot of attention, even though their music isn’t currently available to listen to on music streaming platforms.

Here’s what you should know to begin delving into NewJeans.

NewJeans danced onto the scene with their debut music video, Attention, released on July 22. Photo: ADOR

The making of NewJeans

NewJeans is the brainchild of successful K-pop creative Min Hee-jin, who used to be in charge of the creative elements associated with many of the hits by SM Entertainment artists, including Girls’ Generation, Shinee, Red Velvet, Exo and most notably f(x), whose collaborations with Min garnered wide acclaim.

In 2019, Min joined Big Hit Entertainment, now called Hybe, and in late 2021, Hybe announced Min as the CEO of a new label, ADOR. An acronym for “All Doors One Room”, ADOR announced plans for the launch of a girl group featuring members scouted during auditions between 2019 and early 2022.

Although they have yet to share much information about their road to NewJeans, it is assumed the group’s members joined ADOR through those auditions.

The NewJeans members

NewJeans is a five-member group, featuring Hanni, Minji, Danielle, Haerin and Hyein, who are aged between 14 and 17.

Danielle and Hanni are Australian, with Hanni of Vietnamese descent, making her the first Vietnamese artist on Hybe’s roster. The other three members are presumed to be Korean.

Before their debut, Hanni – the group’s oldest member – and Minji appeared in the music video for BTS’ 2021 track Permission to Dance.

The group consists of five members: Hanni, Minji, Danielle, Haerin and Hyein. Photo: ADOR

Their debut

Ahead of the group’s launch, anticipation was already high about what Min would put together. She and ADOR announced on social media that they would reveal content about the new girl group on July 22.

Instead of releasing teaser content introducing the group ahead of their debut, that day saw the surprise launch of Attention and a content calendar for upcoming releases.

Since the launch of Attention, the group have released multiple music videos for another track, Hype Boy – each featuring different storylines focused on individual members of NewJeans – as well as a video for a further song, Hurt. Those three songs and another track, Cookie, will feature on the upcoming NewJeans mini-album.

The NewJeans concept

NewJeans’ music has a retro concept, inspired largely by the 2000s and, to a lesser degree, the late 1990s. They also have a tie-in interactive app called Phoning that is designed to be reminiscent of early internet apps and websites. Rabbit imagery has also rapidly become associated with NewJeans.

With nostalgic fashion and fonts plus a lot of throwback imagery from the earliest days of cellphones, NewJeans are bringing some newness to the K-pop gene pool by looking backwards.

As the blurb on one promotional image of the group declares: “Here comes NewJeans. We’re not blue like other jeans. Don’t be your typical pair. Don’t get all washed out. There’s tons of ways to make a difference, and wearing cool NewJeans is one of them. It’s time to break free from the blues. Wanna come along for a day in the life of NewJeans?”

The phrase “NewJeans, don’t be blue” has also appeared in their content.

The future

NewJeans’ launch has created a buzz among K-pop fans. For the moment we know that their debut album will be available on digital music platforms from August 1, and will launch with a music video for Cookie. We also know that physical copies of the EP will drop on August 8.

According to NewJeans’ website, the mini-album poses the question: “What direction should the group take to make good music?”

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