Second Report on NewJeans’ Non-Participation in GRAMMY Museum ‘HYBE Artists’ Exhibition
Once again, only NewJeans was left out. It appears that the war of nerves between the two sides continues amid HYBE’s alleged neglect and Min Hee-jin’s alleged non-cooperation.
NewJeans, under ADOR—a HYBE subsidiary label embroiled in internal conflict over CEO management rights—cannot be found on the exhibition promotional materials. There are voices of disappointment that NewJeans, considered the flagship girl group and core of HYBE Labels, is not participating.
The war of nerves between the two sides continued over the reason for NewJeans’ absence from the exhibition. HYBE stated regarding this matter that “participation in the exhibition was determined according to each label’s choice.” ADOR, NewJeans’ agency, explained the reason for non-participation was that “sufficient space to showcase NewJeans could not be secured.”
ADOR conveyed through some media outlets that they “were offered a poor location in the corner of the exhibition hall.” This led to the resurgence of the “NewJeans neglect theory” that CEO Min Hee-jin has consistently argued.
On the other hand, claims emerged that ADOR rejected a prime spot in the exhibition hall that the GRAMMYs had promised, raising suspicions that ADOR may have taken an uncooperative stance.
However, “NewJeans’ absence” drew more attention than HYBE’s musical achievements. When news of the GRAMMY Museum exhibition broke and the list of participating artists showed that only NewJeans was missing, speculation arose that the conflict between HYBE and CEO Min may have had an influence.
HYBE and ADOR also clashed over the reason for NewJeans’ absence from the exhibition. HYBE officially stated that participation in the exhibition was determined according to each label’s choice, while ADOR explained that the reason for non-participation was that NewJeans was offered the worst location in the exhibition hall and could not secure adequate space for presentation.
Claims then followed that the host, the GRAMMYs, had offered NewJeans the best spot in the exhibition hall but ADOR declined. HYBE’s argument centers on ADOR’s non-cooperation, while ADOR’s argument centers on HYBE’s neglect of NewJeans.
Amid the swirling speculation, the “HYBE: We Believe In Music” exhibition proceeds as scheduled without NewJeans. It is expected to be an opportunity to reaffirm what position and influence the achievements of HYBE Labels artists hold in the global music industry. However, rather than HYBE’s unprecedented footprint, the occasion has also served to reconfirm the unnarrowed gap between HYBE and ADOR through NewJeans’ absence.