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“You got me looking for attention,” NewJeans sings on its debut single, “Attention.” And since the track’s July 2022 release, the quintet — Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin and Hyein — has indeed dominated K-pop discourse. Its debut broke K-pop conventions: no teasers, no concept photos, no information revealed about the members’ identities. Three weeks after ADOR — the independent HYBE label founded by veteran creative director Min Hee Jin — shared that it would debut its first band, NewJeans arrived with “Attention.” Its debut EP, showcasing its fusion of retro, R&B and soft pop influences — laden with catchy choruses and soothing vocals — followed 10 days after. Less than a year later, the group has scored two Billboard Hot 100 entries with “Ditto” and “OMG” (which peaked at Nos. 82 and 74, respectively).

For nearly two decades, Min, ADOR’s executive producer/CEO and a former SM Entertainment executive, has delivered groundbreaking concepts for groups like Girls’ Generation, f(x), Red Velvet and EXO. NewJeans is no exception. “I simply play with people’s expectations,” Min says. “I imagine that I am the consumer and think about what would most surprise me.” Her groups’ concepts are informed by “industry and sociocultural trends,” with rollout strategies tailored to the members’ “individual personalities” and each group’s “musical characteristics.”

But breaking industry standards isn’t easy. “There are the so-called ‘standard business practices’ in the K-pop scene as well, things people like to stick to,” explains Min. “But what is standard practice nowadays would have been trying something new at first. Nothing is new forever. NewJeans’ promotions will keep evolving with time.”