Youngest NewJeans member Hyein is back in the spotlight as October comeback rumours grow

Dubai: Hyein is 19 now, on the cover of Harper's Bazaar Korea's September issue, and talking about dad jokes.

NewJeans has spent the last two years in courtrooms rather than recording studios, and whose return is now the most anticipated K-pop comeback.

The youngest member of the group sat for a pictorial and interview with the magazine in collaboration with Bottega Veneta. Titled In Between, the shoot captures her at the threshold between girlhood and womanhood, stripped of heavy styling, the intention being to let a more mature and considered version of herself come through. It is her first individual feature since ADOR's return to activity, and by all accounts the on-set reaction was one of quiet astonishment.

"It's been a really long time since I've done a pictorial," she said, "so I was both excited and nervous to show a more grown-up and different side of myself. I think I tried styling that I had never attempted before, and it was so fascinating and fun."

NewJeans marked their fourth anniversary on 22 July 2026, and Bazaar used the occasion to ask Hyein what had changed between the 15-year-old who debuted and the 19-year-old in front of the camera now.

"A lot has changed, including my personality, habits, the things I like, and my priorities in life. Sometimes I feel like everything about me has changed."

The one constant she named was her sense of humour. "My sense of humor when it comes to reacting to dad jokes is still exactly the same."

To fans who have spent two years wondering how she and the other members were doing, she offered something gentler than an update. "I want to ask how your day was. I hope you find your own little moments of happiness in your everyday life and spend each day filled with that kind of happiness."

The group, now a four-member act following the departure of Danielle, kicked off anniversary activity with a campaign titled 2026 Summer of NewJeans featuring Minji, Hanni, Haerin and Hyein. ADOR confirmed the members had travelled to Copenhagen in April 2026 to begin developing the group's next musical era.

The videos posted on 21 July, 2026, marked the group's first coordinated appearance since the end of a long contract dispute with HYBE, which Korean courts resolved in the label's favour. Their last release was the June 2024 EP Supernatural.

ADOR clarified that the anniversary videos were commemorative content rather than a comeback announcement, and that NewJeans' future activities would only be confirmed after discussions with the members were fully finalised. Industry analysts have pointed to a possible October 2026 comeback, though nothing has been officially confirmed.

After the five members attempted to rebrand as NJZ and pursue independent projects, the Seoul High Court upheld an injunction barring them from those ventures while under contract to ADOR. Haerin, Hyein, Hanni and Minji returned to ADOR last year, while the label terminated Danielle's contract.

Danielle's exit followed months of escalating tension surrounding the group's relationship with the agency, which first became public toward the end of 2024 when the members held an emergency press conference announcing their intention to leave ADOR.

Fans believe that the group by all outward signals, is ready to make music again. Hyein on the cover of Harper's Bazaar is part of that signal. So is Copenhagen in April. But we will have to wait and see where the road leads to for the girls.