Copyright Billboard
After a Korean judge ruled this week against NewJeans‘ efforts to break free from their label ADOR following the firing of their mentor, Kesha is showing love to the embattled K-pop girl group. “My heart is with you NewJeans,” Kesha posted late Wednesday on X alongside a single red-heart emoji. While Kesha has no public connection to NewJeans, she’s no stranger to a high-profile legal battle that puts artistic freedom in limbo. For nearly a decade, the “TiK ToK” singer was embroiled in competing lawsuits with her longtime music producer Dr. Luke. It started in 2014 when Kesha sued Dr. Luke, accusing him of sexual assault and abuse starting when she was a teenager, followed by the producer countersuing Kesha for defamation. The pop star sought to be released from her Kemosabe Records contract, but a judge ruled that she was obligated to continue making music under the Sony Music label. Following a #FreeKesha social media movement that included vocal support from Kelly Clarkson (another frequent Dr. Luke collaborator) and Lady Gaga, Kesha and Luke came to a joint resolution in 2023 ahead of the defamation trial. It appears Kesha is paying it forward to the K-pop group, whose members include Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin and Hyein. As the CEO of ADOR, Min Hee-Jin introduced NewJeans as the label’s first girl group in July 2022, and the quintet soared to international success, landing five songs on the Billboard Hot 100 and accepting the group of the year award at Billboard Women in Music in March 2024. Just months later, in August 2024, Hee-Jin was dismissed as CEO and later exited ADOR altogether. NewJeans announced their intention in November of last year to terminate their contract with ADOR, which was followed by the label’s lawsuit. This week, a judge in Seoul ruled that Min’s firing as CEO was not sufficient grounds for NewJeans to void its seven-year exclusive contract with ADOR. In a statement through their lawyers, shared by the Korea Times, NewJeans had this to say about the new ruling: “NewJeans members respect the court’s judgment, but it is impossible to return to this company and continue normal entertainment activities in the current situation where the trust relationship with ADOR is completely shattered.” Earlier this year, NewJeans attempted to rebrand as NJZ, debuting the new song “Pit Stop” at ComplexCon Hong Kong in March and announcing a hiatus, before ADOR challenged their use of the new name while the legal battle moved forward. In a podcast interview with Monica Lewinsky in July, Kesha opened up about what it was like to have to continue working with someone with whom you’re also in a legal battle. “The recordings of my voice did not legally belong to me in the universe in perpetuity,” Kesha explained. “To then be delivering music to someone that you’re in litigation with … they’re in control of the promotion, of the budgets, all of it, the release, everything. For years. For 10 years. That was the only way I’d get out of the deal [with Kemosabe] was if I delivered the music. “In my mind, it just felt like the biggest head-f— of all time,” the musician continued. “It still perplexes me, because it kind of makes no sense how the legal system could just watch this be happening and be like, ‘Yeah, that’s fine.’ It felt inhumane.” Kesha made her independent debut over the summer with her latest album Period, which appropriately arrived on July 4, aka Independence Day.
