On February 7, NewJeans officially rebranded into “NJZ”, as shown via their SNS updates and press release for music festival ComplexCon.
Meanwhile, after NewJeans announced the termination of their exclusive contracts with ADOR in November, citing unresolved issues and unmet demands as reasons for their departure, the group has continued their schedules but has notably avoided using the name “NewJeans” during recent activities. This subtle shift was evident during a performance in Japan, where the members creatively avoided displaying the original group name.
Fans and industry insiders have since been curious about how the group would move forward, particularly concerning their branding and identity.
On December 14, speculation gained traction when two directors associated with NewJeans tagged a mysterious Instagram account, @jeanzforfree, believed to belong to the group. The account features a profile picture showing the members’ backs, immediately drawing attention.
To confirm its authenticity, the members shared videos on the account’s Instagram Stories, announcing they would now use this platform. The username, @jeanzforfree, has led many fans to believe that “Jeanz” might be the group’s new name.
The revelation quickly spread across Korean community forums, where posts about the potential name change went viral. One popular post on Instiz highlighted how “Jeanz” could cleverly reference “Gen Z,” aligning with the group’s youthful and trendsetting image.
Below are some comments from netizens:
- I like this name, lol.
- But seriously, “Jeanz” is really good.
- What should we call them in Korean? Jinjoo? Jinji?
- Wow, I really like it, hahaha.
- Let’s use “Jinju” as a nickname. Our “Jinjus” are precious.
- Jinji… Truly a K-pop idol group from the land of rice!
- As soon as I saw it, I thought of Gen Z!
- Whatever it is, I love it. Just hurry and bring it on!!!
- Oh, hearing it this way makes it sound even better, lol.
- It’s sleek and pretty!
However, according to a patent information search service, as of December 16, there has been no confirmed trademark application for the name “NewJeanz” (or “Jeanz”).
This means that despite NewJeans’ active SNS updates under the new Instagram account, there has been no signal of them trying to officially begin activities by applying for a trademark.
On the other hand, the new Instagram account has drawn mixed reactions as members show support for Min Hee-jin and faced criticisms for “copying” Red Velvet with their old bio of 5 colored hearts.
At the same time, questions about if the new “official” name, “NJZ”, has been filed for trademark application yet, have been raised.
