Dumped Australian K-pop performer sued for millions by record label
The turmoil between NewJeans, one of the world’s most influential K-pop groups, and its record label Ador has deepened even further this week.
In a deepening of the bitter feud between K-pop record label Ador and its chart-topping girl group NewJeans, the label has announced it is suing a former member of the band for about $44.8 million in damages a day after removing her from the group.
On Monday, Ador revealed it had terminated the contract of Danielle Marsh, an Australian-Korean member of the five-girl group. The decision followed a tumultuous year-long legal battle between the label and NewJeans in which the group attempted to break their contract, claiming workplace hostility and creative sabotage. However, the contract was declared valid by a South Korean court in October, with the band’s contract running until 2029.
The turmoil between NewJeans and its record label has deepened, with former member Danielle Marsh (second from left) sued by the agency.Credit: AP
The label is also suing a member of Marsh’s family, though they remain unnamed, as well as NewJeans’ former producer Min Hee-jin for damages and as part of a contract break penalty. According to Ador, both “bear significant responsibility” for the fallout between the label and the K-pop group, per the BBC.
The label did not share a reason for removing Danielle, a 20-year-old performer born in Newcastle, NSW, though it claimed NewJeans’ members had been “exposed to persistently distorted and biased information”, which led to “significant misunderstandings” about the label, according to the BBC.
NewJeans has become one of the most influential K-pop groups in the world since debuting in 2022. Credit: Getty Images
Three of the group’s members – Haerin, Hyein and Hanni – will remain in NewJeans, the label said, as “discussions” with the fourth member Minji reportedly continue.
