NewJeans‘ Hanni has been selected to testify in a workplace harassment inquiry of the K-pop industry by South Korea’s National Assembly.
According to a new report by The Korea Times, NewJeans singer Hanni has been selected by the Environment and Labor Committee as a reference witness for an upcoming national audit that will address workplace harassment issues in the entertainment industry.
The K-pop star is one of 35 witnesses and reference witnesses who have been chosen for the upcoming audit. Another notable name among the pool of witnesses is Kim Joo-young, the new CEO of K-pop agency ADOR, which is home to NewJeans.
According to The Korea Times, Hanni’s is “not obligated” to testify at the upcoming audit. “Unlike official witnesses, who may face penalties or orders to appear if their absence is deemed unjustified, reference witnesses face no such consequences,” the publication states.
The Korea Times also reports that, following the allegations levied by NewJeans’ Hanni, fans of the girl group had lodged complaints with the Ministry of Employment and Labor as well as a civil rights organisation.
In other related news, ADOR recently rejected a request by NewJeans to reappoint Min Hee-jin as the CEO of the K-pop agency. At the same time, it also announced plans to retain the music executive as a board member.
Meanwhile, Min has claimed that she may have to sell her home in order to cover about KRW15billion (about US$1.7million) in expenses in her legal dispute with HYBE, saying that she is ” not as rich as you think”.
NEWS
Lorde returned to Governor’s Ball for the first time in nine years and gave fans a unique take on her collaboration with Charli XCX, ‘Girl, So Confusing’.
The New Zealand singer made her long awaited comeback to the New York festival on Friday (June 5), where she headlined the opening night.
Speaking to the crowd about stepping back onto the Governor’s Ball stage after almost a decade away, Lorde admitted it was “the most nervous I’ve been for a show in a while”. She then treated fans to a string of beloved tracks including ‘Royals’, ‘What Was That’, and ‘Hammer’.
One of the standout highlights of the evening arrived near the end of her 21 song performance when she performed ‘Girl, So Confusing’, the track she later reworked alongside Charli XCX.
The song first appeared on Charli XCX’s hugely successful 2024 album ‘Brat’ without Lorde’s involvement, though it was inspired by her. In the lyrics, Charli reflected on the complicated feelings between the two artists and revealed she had once felt “super jealous” of the New Zealander’s achievements during her early career.
The pair later teamed up for a remix after Charli shared the song’s meaning with Lorde ahead of the release of ‘Brat’. Following that conversation, Lorde proposed creating a collaborative version together.
At Governor’s Ball, Lorde performed the remix adaptation during the closing section of her set and added her own personal touch to the track.
Charli was not present for the performance, leaving Lorde to deliver the song on her own. The moment stood out even more because the track had only appeared sparingly throughout Lorde’s recent ‘Ultrasound’ tour. More footage from the show can be seen below.
In addition to revisiting fan favourites and reimagining ‘Girl, So Confusing’, Lorde also surprised the audience with a preview of brand new material.
Early in the set, she introduced a portion of an unreleased song from the side of the stage. Standing behind a synthesizer setup, she sang: “Don’t look for me now that I’m gone/ Don’t look for me, I’m gone.”
Lorde’s festival appearances this summer follow her recent ‘Ultrasound’ tour, which was launched in support of her newest album, ‘Virgin’.
Released last June, the record earned a four star review from NME, which stated: “‘Virgin’ is a vibrant combination of Lorde’s best qualities, and then some.”
“With her newfound candour, the record combines the emotional whirlwind of ‘Melodrama’, the chilling minimalism of ‘Pure Heroine’ and the breezy freedom of ‘Solar Power’,” it added. “This might be called ‘Virgin’, but Lorde proves she’s not afraid to strip herself bare.”
While ‘Girl, So Confusing’ was not a regular feature during the ‘Ultrasound’ tour, Lorde did perform it at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles last October, where she surprised fans by bringing Charli XCX on stage.
Since releasing ‘Virgin’ and launching the accompanying tour, Lorde has contributed more than $200,000 from merchandise sales to Minnesota immigrant funds. She has also been announced as a headliner for All Points East 2026 in London, where PinkPantheress, Zara Larsson and additional artists are also set to appear.
