Alternate title: The Evolution of the White Rabbit – A Gush Post (if this post reads as excessively gushy and sappy it's because it is cos I'm massively in my feels rn thx.)
Text translation of 1st pic:
"A new photoshoot featuring a white rabbit
A white rabbit = white fur + red eyes
It symbolizes luck, transformation, growth, and rebirth.
This signifies NJZ's new journey."
– translation credit: eden_i_m
I've seen a lot of people question why NJZ announced a concept change for their upcoming song. People saying it's a shame they're 'changing' the concept from the sound/formula they're (very) successful with, the vibe they're known for. But as someone who has only become more of a Bunny since this ex-label dispute started, their choice to re-debut with a song with "bolder and sharper concepts" seemed like the most natural choice and I'm sure many of us called it.
Actually, most of us called it.
What I mean is, before this announcement Bunnies had already said that whenever NJZ come back, we'll be getting a diss track, or a hard song, or *something* very different from their usual chill gen-z-cutesy-but-classy/liminal vibes that's typical of them. We already knew that rather than continue where they left off (as some people expected them to), rather than continue to put out girl-next-door easy tracks, there was no way the girls would pretend the last 11 months didn't happen, and there's no way they wouldn't make music to reflect their mood after what they've gone through.
Because if there's one thing Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin and Hyein have been consistent since the beginning, it's that they want to make music that they feel is true to them. Four out of five members have writing credits since debut on nearly all their songs, especially the hits. The members have repeatedly said their songs are about things that they relate to or are about topics that touch on where they are in their journey as idols. In fact, one of the reasons for why they insist on working with Min Heejin, is because they've said she appears to center their views in their concepts and group identity, and pushes for their involvement in everything from song writing to making choreography since debut.
After a period of trauma, it's natural and healthy to process that period in the art you make. Sometimes, that means putting out 'darker' or 'sharper' music concepts and the artist that comes to mind right now is Rihanna's concept change from 'A Girl Like Me' to 'Good Girl Gone Bad', after she overcame some ordeals and she's never gone back. Like Rihanna, this is a pivotal point in their evolution as a group but it doesn't mean it's a permanent change either.
After all is said and done, all this hullabaloo is still about just one song and one concept. It's possible NJZ goes back to their original concept or changes to something else altogether, perhaps with each new era/album, concepts that are neither 'hard' nor 'soft'.
Overall, there are three things that could be influencing their concept for their re-debut stage:
- See above.
- ComplexCon's theme. Daniel Arsham is the global artistic director of the event, which he is modeling after his signature "future relic" concept, according to the Magazine. Here is a portfolio of his work and NJZ's concept photoshoot seems to be right in-line with the vibe he usually creates.
- Aside from all this, there's the fact that k-pop appears to be a bit saturated with NJZ's cute-gen-z concept atm. And if one major point of contention in the ex-label dispute was applying that concept to other groups, then it could be interesting for NJZ to show themselves doing something else. If for no other reason than that it gives the girls and Bunnies a new expression of the group's core identity. Some people might like it and some people might hate it, but it will get people talking.
In conclusion, I think this concept change is (1) natural, healthy and possibly cathartic for NJZ, (2) possibly created to be in-line with Daniel Arsham's theme, and (3) from a simply tactical perspective, it's a smart way to keep people focused on their music and concept during a honestly rough time for the girls. What do you think?
by Prestigious-Sea710