Entertainment
K-pop band NewJeans leaves label over mistreatment
Chart-topping K-pop group NewJeans announced Thursday their decision to leave their label ADOR, accusing the company of “mistreatment”.
The news comes two weeks after the girl group sent an ultimatum to ADOR parent company HYBE — behind K-pop sensation BTS — telling the firm they would terminate their contract unless a set of demands was met.
“From midnight today, our contract will be terminated with ADOR,” member Minji said at a press conference.
NewJeans made their debut in 2022 and the K-pop phenomenon is among HYBE’s most successful groups.
Band member Hanni said Thursday the group has “faced mistreatment, not just towards us but also including our staff”, without elaborating.
NewJeans experienced “deliberate miscommunications and manipulation regarding multiple areas”, she said.
“This is not the type of work ethic we respect and not one we want to be a part of, and to continue working under a company with no intention of protecting NewJeans would only do us harm,” said Hanni.
ADOR did not immediately respond to AFP requests to comment on the announcement.
The band members said they would continue with their contractual obligations, but acknowledged they may no longer be able to use the name NewJeans.
“However, that doesn’t mean that we are giving up on the name at all,” said Danielle.
“We will continue to fight for NewJeans. NewJeans never die.”
The group’s demands addressed to HYBE included an apology for a comment by one of the company’s managers, who is accused by NewJeans of bullying, and the immediate reinstatement of their producer Min Hee-jin.
Min resigned last week from ADOR’s board of directors after HYBE accused her of breach of trust, which sparked a sprawling legal and PR battle.
– ‘Predetermined outcome’ –
Industry experts said the decision by NewJeans was expected.
“The contract termination lawsuit itself has been widely anticipated in the market, so today’s press conference, in a way, seems to have a predetermined outcome,” said Lim Soo-jin, an analyst at Daishin Securities.
“Entertainment analysts have generally excluded NewJeans-related projections from next year’s estimates, so the overall impact is not expected to be substantial,” he told AFP.
The hefty fee which NewJeans may have to pay will compensate for “financial loss” at the label, he added.
The K-pop group may have to face a contractual penalty of up to 620 billion won ($440 million) according to legal experts.
The band members, however, disagree.
“We have not breached the exclusive contract and have done our best in our activities so far, so we believe there is no reason for us to pay any penalty,” said band member Haerin.
“On the contrary, it is ADOR and HYBE that violated the contract, leading to this situation, and the responsibility clearly lies with them.”
Entertainment
I was pregnant with twins last year but had a miscarriage, says Annie Idibia
Annie Idibia, the wife of Nigerian singer 2Baba, has revealed that she recently suffered a miscarriage.
In a recent episode of the reality TV series ‘Young, Famous and African,’ Annie disclosed she had the miscarriage while pregnant with twins last year.
The 40-year-old said despite already having two children, losing the pregnancy was “hard” on her.
Annie also said she struggled to open up about her loss to people because she was not comfortable. She added that only her husband and mother were aware of the miscarriage.
“The whole of last year, even in the group, I was not coming out enough. I was pregnant with twins but I had a miscarriage,” she said.
“I wish I had someone in this group to tell me I’m pregnant. I would be having a baby, and then we lost that. It was hard.
“I was not even sure if I could even share this with any of my friends. It is only Innocent and my mom that knew about it.”
Entertainment
Bayo Akinfemi narrates how he struggled to make it in Hollywood
Bayo Akinfemi, the Nigerian-born Hollywood star known for his role in the American television sitcom ‘Bob Hearts Abishola’, has recalled his journey to fame.
In a recent interview with Teju Babyface on YouTube, Akinfemi, 55, detailed the struggles that shaped his acting career.
The actor said he relocated to Canada to pursue his passion by enrolling in film school while juggling multiple jobs to make ends meet.
Akinfemi, who played ‘Goodwin Olayiwola’ in the five-season sitcom, revealed that he returned to school in his 40s and had classmates the same age as his children.
“I went to Canada in 1998, my wife was there. We were classmates at the University of Ilorin and we had been dating since then,” he said.
“I joined her in Canada and the first thing I did was to go to film school. I had the opportunity to really pursue my dream. After film school, I started working as a production assistant.
“There was nothing I didn’t do while I was in film school while trying to survive. I drove a taxi at night and worked in construction. I go to school in the morning, drive taxi in the evening, on weekends to work in construction, work in painting— I did all of that.
“There were times when I wanted to go back home. There were frustrating moments where I asked myself if this was a mistake, moments of doubt and regret. I was also getting pressured back home because Nollywood was beginning to develop and a lot of my friends were doing well.
“I was getting calls to come back home but I said no I’m not coming back. I stayed because I began to feel closer to Hollywood and to see that my dream was actually achievable.
“After film school, I was working on movie sets with Jackie Chan, Johnny Q when Denzel shot it in Toronto. Just being exposed to all of that made me feel like I was getting closer to this Hollywood thing.
“Directing is what I wanted to really do, I didn’t want to be an actor anymore. I started making short films and working on all these movie sets. I eventually got an agent who tried to get me into acting and the acting thing just took off.
“When I got to Canada in 1998, I was 29 years old. When I went to film school, I was in school with 19-year-old kids while I was in my early thirties but that was in Toronto.
“When I moved to Los Angeles I went back to school at USC, I was in my 40s in school with kids the same age as my kids. At that point, there was no turning back.”
Akinfemi was born in Ilesa, Osun state. He is an assistant professor of theatre practice at the USC School of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles.
The actor is currently a regular on the series ‘Bob Hearts Abishola’, a CBS/Warner Bros sitcom in its fifth season.
Entertainment
How God used me to reunite my dad, sister after 47 years – Tonto Dikeh
Tonto Dikeh, the Nollywood actress, has revealed “how God used” her to reunite her father with her long-lost sister Chinyere after 47 years.
The actress-turned-politician shared her testimony at a recent service at the Streams of Joy International.
Dikeh revealed that the reunion occurred nearly three years ago after she attended a service, where she prayed for her father’s “peace of mind”.
The 39-year-old said two days later, she received a private message on Instagram from a woman claiming to be her sister.
The movie star said after verifying the woman’s identity, she confirmed that she was indeed her sister, whom her father had abandoned 47 years ago.
Dikeh said her father had been carrying the guilt of abandoning his child for decades.
“My testimony is one of love, togetherness, peace, healing of broken hearts. It is a joy, my family,” she said.
“At about 130 weeks ago, I was on New Season Prophetic Prayers and Declarations (NSPPD) in the morning. Papa was praying and declaring and prophesying into people’s lives. I picked up something he said that lost people will be found. I did not lose anybody, but I answered amen.
“And around that same time, I have this amazing man in my life, he is my father. My father is a sweet man. He has lost so much in his life. He has lost his first wife, second wife, lost his brother, father, and mother. He was a broken man.
“I did not know how God was going to use Streams of Joy to bless my father. To give him the peace that he needed in the remaining years of his life.
“Two days after Papa made the declaration, I went into my DM and miraculously saw the email. It says, ‘I think I am your sister.’ I just went back to when I was a child. My father told me a very beautiful and sad story about how he left. I asked her what her name was, and she told me. I asked if her name was Chinyere, and she said yes.
“47 years before my father came back to Nigeria, he had a daughter. He left that lady when she was five to seven months old, and he never went back.
“She never knew who her father was. He never knew what her daughter looked like but had knowledge he had a daughter. God brought both of them together. And I introduced them together and they have been speaking since then.
“My testimony happened 133 weeks ago. I waited so much for this miracle to be perfect. I wanted God to heal his broken heart. I also wanted God to heal my sister because she thought she had a father who hated her.”
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