Zahra Ardiany
7 July 2000
A Simple Geek^^
Jakarta, Indonesia
Girls' Generation (Korean: 소녀시대, So Nyeo Shi Dae; Japanese: 少女時代, Shōjo Jidai) is a South Korean girl group formed by S.M. Entertainment in 2007. The nine member group consists of Taeyeon, Jessica, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona and Seohyun.
The group gained attention at the beginning of their career with songs such as "Into the New World" and "Kissing You" but it was not until 2009 when they gained significant popularity with their hit single "Gee", which was named as South Korea's "Song of the Decade". The group solidified their place in the Korean music industry with follow-up singles "Tell Me Your Wish", "Run Devil Run", and "Oh!" from late 2009 to early 2010. In 2011, after a series of activities in Japan, the group returned to the Korean music scene with "The Boys", which was released in three languages: Korean, Japanese, and for the first time, English. In 2010 alone, the group sold more than 11,730,000 digital albums and singles collectively. The group's immense popularity in their native South Korea has earned them titles "The Nation's Singers" and "The Nation's Girl Group". The Sisa Journal named the group as the most influential entertainers for the years 2011 and 2012, making them the first female idol group in history to make the list. They have also been listed as #1 on the Top Female Singer's list for four consecutive years on the Leespiar Popularity Survey in Korea. Asia Today placed the group at forty-four on the 50 Korean Power Leaders list in 2011. The group also topped Forbes's Korea Power Celebrity 40 list for the years of 2011 and 2012.
The group began a foray into the Japanese music scene in late 2010 under Nayutawave Records, with Japanese remakes of their 2009 Korean hits "Genie" and "Gee". The group's debut Japanese album, Girls' Generation, released in June 2011, is currently the highest selling album in Japan by a Korean group in Oricon history. It was certified "Million" by the Recording Industry Association of Japan, which made them the second Korean artist to earn such an achievement in Japan since label mate BoA's "Best of Soul" in 2005.
They have expanded their reach in the Korean industry through their first sub-unit, Girls' Generation-TTS, composed of members Taeyeon, Tiffany, and Seohyun.
History
Pre-debut
After the success of S.M. Entertainment's boy band, Super Junior, the company planned to debut a new girl group, which would ultimately turn into Girls' Generation, featuring a start-up roster of 11 members. For nearly two years, Korean websites speculated about which of the female SM Entertainment trainees would be placed into the group. The candidate members were professionally trained primarily in singing and dancing, while some were also selected to be trained in acting and modeling. Many of the candidate members had already made names for themselves in the Korean entertainment industry through their participation in magazine advertisements, television commercials, and small television drama or film appearances, and Sooyoung even debuted in the Japanese market in 2002 as part of the pop duo, Route θ, which soon disbanded in one year. The group witnessed several revisions, as members were either added or cut, until final line-up of the debuting nine was decided. Prior to their announcement, it was rumored that the group would be named "Super Girls" after their so-called male counterparts, Super Junior.
The first member of the group to join SM Entertainment's training system was Jessica in 2000, after she and her sister, Krystal Jung (now a member of the girl group f(x)), were scouted in a mall in Korea during a family vacation. Also in 2000, members Sooyoung and Hyoyeon were cast into SM's training system through the 2000 SM Open Audition, in which Hyoyeon danced for her audition. Yuri was the next Girls' Generation member to be accepted into SM's training system after finishing second in the 2001 SM Youth Best Dancer competition. Yoona was cast the following year after auditioning singing and dancing to her favorite singers, BoA and Britney Spears, in 2002 SM Saturday Open Casting Audition. Seohyun, the group's youngest member, was scouted in the subway by an SM scout, then auditioned in 2003, singing children's songs. The group's leader, Taeyeon, was cast in 2004 after being discovered at SM's 8th Annual Best Contest winning "Best Singer 1st Place & Grand Award". That same year, member Tiffany auditioned at SM's Starlight Casting System in Los Angeles, and joined the company in October 2004. The ninth and final member of the group to be added was Sunny, who entered the system in 1998, training for five years before transferring to another company, Starworld, where she trained to debut in the duo "Sugar", which ultimately never debuted. Then, under the recommendation of the singer Ayumi, she re-transferred back to SM Entertainment in 2007. Sunny is also the niece of S.M. Entertainment's founder, Lee Soo-man.
In Korea, the group is referred to as So Nyeo Shi Dae (Korean: 소녀시대). They are also referred to as SoShi (소시) or SNSD, both abbreviated forms of the group's Korean name. The name Girls' Generation means that "The generation of girls’ domination has come." The group is referred to as Shojo Jidai (Japanese; 少女時代) or SJJD in Japan.
2007–2008: Debut and Girls' Generation
In July 2007, Girls' Generation had their unofficial first stage performance on Mnet's School of Rock where the group performed their first single, "Into the New World" (다시 만난 세계). A documentary recording the story of the group's debut titled Girls' Generation Goes to School was filmed by Mnet during this time, revolving around their unofficial debut and first public performances through School of Rock.
The group's first single was physically released soon after, including an instrumental of the group's debut song and two other tracks: "Beginning" and "Perfect for You." The latter's Korean title is "Wish" (소원), which later became the name of Girls' Generation's official fan club, S♡NE. The group's debut officially began on August 5, 2007, first performing on SBS Inkigayo, later on MBC Show! Music Core and KBS Music Bank. "Into the New World" achieved No.1 spot on Mnet M! Countdown. The group released their first self-titled full album in late autumn of 2007 with the lead single "Girls' Generation" (소녀시대), a remake of Lee Seung-cheol's 1989 song. Promotion for the single started in early November. The album also included the group's first single "Into the New World", "Perfect For You" (re-titled "Honey"), and eight other tracks by the group. The group first album has sold more than 100,000 copies. The last pop-oriented girl group in Korea to accomplish this feat was S.E.S.
In early 2008, Girls' Generation began promoting their second single from the album, "Kissing You", which won the group their first K-chart win after achieving the number one position on the KBS Music Bank February chart.[21] This song achieved the #1 spot on three major TV music rankings—SBS Inkigayo, M.net M.Countdown! and Music Bank. In March 2008, the album was repackaged, re-released and re-titled Baby Baby. Girls' Generation released the teaser for their single "Baby Baby" on March 15, 2008. The single was released on digital music sites on March 17, 2008. The single, "Baby Baby", was released to promote the album. The group also performed "Baby Baby" on various music shows such as MBC Show! Music Core, SBS Inkigayo, and Mnet M! Countdown in March and April. The album promotions was concluded on April 13, 2008, on Inkigayo. During the group's promotions, members Jessica, Tiffany and Seohyun were featured on a mini-album released by Roommate, a one-man band from Purple Communication. The mini-album was titled Roommate: Emotional Band Aid, and was released on December 1, 2008. The song performed by the three girls, titled "Oppa Nappa" (오빠 나빠; literally, Bad Brother), was digitally released before the album in April 2008. The song was performed live on SBS Inkigayo, KBS Music Bank, and Mnet M! Countdown. Later in the year, the three members released "Mabinogi" (It's Fantastic!) together as the theme song for the Nexon game Mabinogi, with Tiffany participating in the music video. Mnet reality show Factory Girl chronicled the members working as interns at fashion magazine Elle Girl. The program began airing in early October. In late 2008, the group also participated in the SMTown Live '08 concert along with other SM Town artists.
2009: Gee, Genie, first Asian tour and rising popularity
A teaser video was released in January 2009 and the first single "Gee" released soon after. "Gee" topped Cyworld's hourly music chart on the release day. The song also went number one on all major digital music charts within two days. The group began its album promotion in January 2009 on MBC Show! Music Corewhere they sang their new lead single "Gee" and the track "Way to Go!", another song from their mini-album. A week after its release, "Gee" went #1 on KBS Music Bank. "Gee" also went to #1 on SBS Inkigayo a week after their return. "Gee" went on to become a phenomenal hit, breaking the record for consecutive number one wins on KBS Music Bank with nine consecutive wins, as well as receiving a triple crown on SBS Inkigayo. The song then broke the record by staying on top a seventh week, and remained in the position for an eighth week. It also tied then broke the record for longest-running #1 on Music Bank, beating the 7-week record previously set by Jewelry in 2008 with "One More Time". "Gee" achieved its ninth #1 on the show on March 13, 2009. S.M. Entertainment stated that over 100,000 copies of the mini-album were shipped to stores, while sales analyst company Hanteo reported sales in excess of 30,000 copies within the first 10 days of its release. The track also showed strength on other charts, topping the Mujikon, Melon and Mnet charts for eight consecutive weeks, the Dosirak chart for seven weeks, the Muse chart for six weeks, and the Baksu chart for four weeks.
After a short break, SM Entertainment announced that the group would be back with a new mini-album sporting a "Marine Girl" concept. The new single was to be titled "Tell Me Your Wish (Genie)", with the full mini-album being released digitally on June 22, 2009. The group started their promotional activities on June 26, 2009, appearing on KBS Music Bank. The performance was followed by follow-up comeback performances on MBC Show! Music Core and SBS Inkigayo on June 27 and 28, 2009. The physical release ofGenie was delayed by SM Entertainment in order to redo the album art, and was released four days later on June 29, 2009. Their first win for their single "Sowoneul Malhaebwa (Genie)" was obtained at the July 10, 2009 episode of KBS Music Bank. Their second award was claimed on the July 12, 2009 episode of SBS Inkigayo. Within a few days, the song topped on 10 different digital music charts. The track proved to be a success as it conquered various music sites, including Melon, Dosirak, Mnet, and Bugs, and it was number one on the weekly charts and the SKT ringtone weekly charts of the first week of July. The mini-album sold an estimated 50,000+ copies in its first week after released (almost double the numbers from the first-week sales of Gee), an unusual feat for any Korean girl group. The albums went to sell over 200,000 as of 2010.
On November 2009, S.M. Entertainment announced the group's Into The New World Tour. The tickets for the tour went on sale on November 19, and sold out in 3 minutes. The tour initially consisted of two Korean shows on December 19 and 20, 2009. The tour began at Seoul's Olympic Park Fencing Stadium on December 19 and 20 and continued onto other Asian cities including Shanghai.
2010: Oh! / Run Devil Run, Japanese debut and Hoot
Later in January, SM Entertainment confirmed the release of Oh!, the group's second full-length album, to be on January 28. The lead single "Oh!" was digitally released on January 25 with the music video being released two days later. On January 30, the group started promotions with the recording of MBC Show! Music Core. The broadcast of the performance experienced a blackout near the end, to which MBC made the whole performance available online in response.
With "Oh!", the group went on to win five consecutive K-charts on KBS Music Bank, as well as achieving a triple crown on SBS Inkigayo. "Oh!" also went on to win the Music Bank half-year K-chart, coming in at second on Hanteo's first half album sales chart, and also winning the end-of-year K-chart. The music video ranked as the number one most viewed YouTube video in Korea by the end of 2010. It was also number one in Hong Kong and made the top ten in both the Taiwan and Japan rankings.
Starting on March 11, 2010, photos of the members were released online showcasing a dark concept, dubbed "Black SoShi". A teaser video was released on March 16, with the new single Run Devil Run being released as a digital single on March 17. Mid-June, it was announced that the group had signed contracts in May, and would begin working under Universal Music Japan's record label Nayutawave Records for their Japanese promotions, with their first Japanese single expected to be released in September 2010. Girls' Generation began promotion in Japan in August. "少女時代到来～初来日記念盤～" (Girls' Generation's Arrival ～ First Time in Japan Commemoration Disc ～), a DVD featuring seven of the group's music videos as well as special bonus footage, was released on August 11, with the special edition of the DVD containing a pink glowstick as well as a pass to the Girls' Generation debut at the Tokyo Ariake Colliseum on August 25.[57] In the first week after release, the DVD sold 23,000 copies, ranking fourth on the weekly DVD Oricon ranking and third on the weekly music DVD ranking, and made Girls' Generation the first female K-pop group to make the Oricon DVD Top-5 ranking. Amidst their Japanese activities, the group also participated in the SMTown Live '10 World Tour alongside their label-mates on August 21 at Seoul Jamsil Olympic Stadium. They participated in the subsequent Shanghai, Los Angeles, Paris and Tokyo stops as well.
On August 25, the group held their first showcase in Tokyo Ariake Colliseum. With an initial 10,000 fans invited, it was reported to be the most large-scale plan for a Korean artist debuting in Japan. However, due to high number of expected attendees, the group's management announced that the showcase would take place three times in the same day rather than once to accommodate the large amount of fans.The group sang five of their Korean tracks at each of the showcases, and the total number of attendees over all three shows were estimated to be at least 22,000. At this showcase, the "Genie" Japanese music video was also revealed publicly for the first time, with the teaser having been released a few days prior on August 20. Their Japanese debut single "Genie" debuted at the fifth spot on the same day of its release on the Daily Oricon Charts and later rose to the second position on the Daily Charts some time later, earning the group a fourth position on the Oricon weekly ranking. The group also hit the number one spots on Japan iTunes' music video chart and both the Rekochoku daily video clip chart and incoming movie daily ranking chart a day later. With pre-orders amounting to 80,000, the single sold an estimated 45,000 copies in the first week after release. On October 20, 2010, the group released their second Japanese single, "Gee". A week after the release of their Japanese single, the group released their third Korean mini-album, Hoot on October 27, 2010, consisting of five tracks. The video for lead single, "Hoot", a song originally written in English as "Bulletproof", was released on October 28. Girls' Generation commenced their promotional activities with a comeback stage on KBS Music Bank on October 29. "Hoot" quickly rose to the top of the charts and received the number one spot numerous times on music shows, proving to be another successful release for the group. The group simultaneously promoted "Hoot" and "Gee" in Korea and Japan respectively, and participated in Japanese music broadcasts such as the FNS Music Festival, where they performed their two Japanese singles, "Gee" and "Genie" on December 4. On December 22, 2010, "Hoot" was repackaged with additional tracks from previous albums and released in Japan. The release rose to the second position on the Oricon charts and sold 21,000 copies on the first day, faring surprisingly well considering that all the included tracks were entirely in Korean. On December 9, 2010, the group attended the Golden Disk Awards and was awarded three awards including the Disk Daesang (Album of the Year) for their 2nd album Oh!. The group also became the first girl group to have both a Disk Daesang (2010) and Digital Daesang (2009). On December 15, 2010, the group attended the MelOn Music Awards winning the Best Dressed Singer award and Hot Trend Song award for, "Hoot", as well as the Artist of the Year award. This would be the second consecutive 'Artist of the Year' award for the group. They topped the Hanteo annual Singer Award chart for 2010. The group was named on Asia Today's list of 50 Korean power leaders for 2011 at the number forty-fourth spot, being the only idol group from the list. Girls' Generation was designated "Artist of the Year" by Dosirak, Soribada, Korea Gallup, Hanteo and Sport Korea and also won Best Song of The Year with "Oh!" at Monkey 3.
2011: Girls' Generation, touring, international expansion and The Boys
In latter half of January, it was announced that the group would be returning to the Japanese market through the release of their Japanese version of "Run Devil Run" as a digital single, released on January 25, 2011. On January 20, 2011, at the 20th Seoul Music Awards, the group received "Artist of the Year", the "Bonsang" prize", a "Popularity" award, and a "Korean Wave award". In doing this, Girls' Generation became one of four artists in Korean music history (the others being Seo Taiji, Jo Sungmo and H.O.T.) to be named 'Artist of the Year' for two consecutive years. The group also became the only girl group in history to receive 'Artist of the Year' awards for the Seoul Music Awards, and MelOn Music Awards for two consecutive years. They also received two Daesang Awards at the Golden Disk Ceremony, one Digital Daesang (2009), and one Physical Album Sales Daesang (2010). On March 8, SM Japan updated their official website with information about the release of Girls' Generation third Japanese single and their first Japanese tour. It was stated that on April 27, Girls' Generation would be releasing their third Japanese single, "Mr. Taxi / Run Devil Run", which would include their first, original, Japanese song "Mr. Taxi". and the Japanese remake of their song "Run Devil Run". At the 2011 MTV Video Music Aid Japan (VMAJ), Girls' Generation was nominated for three awards under the "Best Group Video", "Best Video Of The Year", and "Best Karaokee! Song" categories. On July 2, it was announced that they had come out top in two out of the three nominated categories, winning "Best Group Video" and "Best Karaokee! Song" for the Japanese version of "Genie". On June 1, 2011, the group released its debut Japanese studio album, Girls' Generation. The album was promoted via the groups first Japan tour entitled, The 1st Japan Arena Tour, which started in Osaka on May 31, 2011. A total of fourteen concerts in six cities would be held over a period of a month and a half.
Girls' Generation was certified Platinum (250,000) by Recording Industry Association of Japan on June 14, 2011, making it the fifth Korean artist's album to do so after S.E.S, BoA, TVXQ and KARA. Girls' Generation then was certified Double Platinum (500,000) on July 8, 2011, a first for any Korean girl group. The group also set a record for recording the highest sales of the FIRST album as a foreign artist in Japan. Girls' Generation is the fourth artist to obtained number one spot on weekly album chart after BoA, TVXQ, and Big Bang, and became the third Korean act to surpass the 500,000 mark after BoA and TVXQ. As a result of their rising popularity, Girls' Generation became the highest earning foreign artist in Japan for the first half of 2011. By the end of 2011, the album had sold over 728,000 copies. The album was re-packaged, as "The Boys" on December 28, 2011. Their most successful album to date, it was certified 'Million' by the RIAJ, and made the group the second Korean artist to earn this achievement in Japan since labelmate BoA's "Best of Soul" in 2005, as well as being the first female group to do so. The self-titled album was the fifth best selling album in Japan in 2011 and won Album of the Year at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards Japan. The lead single, "Mr. Taxi", sold over 100,000 copies in its first week, beating out its predecessors, "Gee" and "Genie". The single also managed to clinch the number 1 spot on Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart for two consecutive weeks and was nominated for Video of the Year at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards Japan.
Girls Generation 2nd Asian Tour was announced by S.M. Entertainment in June 2011. The tickets for the tour went on sale on June 7, 2011 on GMarket. On July 24, Girls' Generation was selected by SISA Press as "The Most Influential Entertainers in Korea" for the year 2011, after having placed sixth in 2010. Setting their sights on the international market, Girls' Generation signed a contract with Universal Music Group in 2011 to release United States material under Interscope Records. The Boys was originally scheduled to be released through iTunes and various music websites in Asia, including its native country, Korea on October 5, 2011. But on September 30, it was revealed that the album's release has been postponed so as to bring about a worldwide album release. On October 10, it was confirmed that the album will be released on October 19, 2011 and comeback on KBS Music Bank on October 21, 2011.
The title track, "The Boys", co-written by member Tiffany and produced by Teddy Riley, famous for his work with Michael Jackson, was released in both Korean and English, and eventually Japanese. Within minutes after the release of "The Boys", Girls' Generation achieved an "all-kill" status on all major on- and off-line music charts in Korea. Despite not charting on Billboard Hot 100, the song managed to peak inside the Top 30 on the iTunes chart in the United States, selling over 21,000 copies and becoming one of the best selling K-Pop songs, at that time, in the United States.[106] The same titled album sold 227,994 albums within twelve days in South Korea, becoming the best selling album in October and third best selling album in 2011. By the end of December, "The Boys" had sold a further 150,000 copies, bring its total to 385,348 copies, becoming the best selling album in South Korea in 2011. The group began promotions on KBS Music Bankwith "The Boys" and "Mr. Taxi". On October 23, 2011, it was confirmed by the members at the New York City date of SMTown World Tour II, that "The Boys" maxi-Single would be released internationally on November 19, 2011, although the date was later moved to December 8, 2011.
With only two months of sales, "The Boys" managed to become the 10th best selling digital track in its native country of 2011, having sold 3,032,658 copies since its October release. As of April 2012, the album had sold over 410,000 copies in South Korea, setting a Gaon Chart record for the best selling, non-repackaged album in the chart's history.
It was announced on November 11, 2011, that the group would be releasing their first official Japanese photobook titled "Holiday". "Holiday", reached the number one spot on the book sales ranking chart under the photograph collection category and sold 17,000 copies the first week after going on sale on November 30. It ranked eighteenth on the overall book sales ranks. "The 1st Japan Arena Tour" was also made available on Blu-ray and DVD on December 14, 2011.
On December 7, 2011, it was announced that Girls' Generation will be releasing a re-packaged version of their debut Japanese album "Girls' Generation", which included a Japanese version of the "The Boys", and remixed versions of "The Great Escape", "Bad Girl", and "Mr. Taxi". It also contained the new song, "Time Machine". The album was released on December 28, 2011, and, collectively with the initial album, "Girls' Generation" passed sales of over 800,000, with shipments of 1 million.
The album placed fifth on the Oricon Weekly CD Albums chart for the second week of January, 2012 (Jan 9 – 15) and Oricon announced that it was the first time in history that an album by a Korean artist has placed in the Top 10 for seventeen weeks. The previous record holder was the original soundtrack for the Korean drama “Winter Sonata”, which remained in the Top 10 for sixteen weeks. Due to their Japanese releases, the group ranked fifth among Japanese artists in terms of monetary profit, the group had generated over 4.5 billion Yen (US$57 million) for 2011.
2012: International promotions, TaeTiSeo and Girls & Peace
On January 12, 2012, the group attended the Golden Disk Awards, held in Osaka, bringing home two awards; the "Digital Bonsang" and the highly coveted "Digital Daesang". A week later, on January 19, 2012, they attended the Seoul Music Awards, and brought back two awards, the "Bonsang" and "Popularity" awards. The group also won two awards from the Gaon Chart K-Pop Awards, winning the Album Of The Year for the fourth Quarter and Oricon "Hallyu Singer" award.
Their appearances on the Late Show with David Letterman and Live! with Kelly on January 31, 2012, and February 1, 2012, where they performed remixes of the English version of "The Boys", marked the first time that a Korean musical act has performed on each of the shows.
They also performed on the French show, Le Grand Journal, on February 9, 2012, after it was announced that they were to release "The Boys" on February 13, 2012, through Universal Music Group’s Polydor Records in France. In the same month, Girls' Generation again topped Forbes's Korea Power Celebrity 40 list. Figures for the groups total earnings for 2011 were released in March, 2012. The group placed first among their label, earning over 100 billion won, or, approximately, $88.56 million USD. Similarly, with their Japanese releases in 2012, the group ranked seventh among Japanese artists and as the top Korean artist in Japan in terms of monetary profit after generating over 4.3 billion Yen (US$51 million) in 2012.
April 2012 saw the formation of Girls' Generation-TTS, or simply "TaeTiSeo", a subunit composed of members Taeyeon, Tiffany, and Seohyun. The subgroup released their first mini-album, Twinkle, on May 2. "Twinkle" debuted at number 126 on the Billboard 200, selling over 3,000 copies and making it the highest charting K-Pop album on the chart thus far. On May 20, 2012, the group performed with their label-mates at the Honda Center in Anaheim, as part of the first date of SMTown Live World Tour III. The tour will continued to Tokyo, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia.
"Paparazzi" was released on June 27, 2012, serving as the lead single from their second Japanese-language album. "Paparazzi"'s release boosted the group's total single sales in the country to over 647,000, according to SoundScan Japan.That same month, the group won "Best Album of the Year" for their debut Japanese album at the 2012 VMAJs. It was announced on July 3, 2012, that the group was to release official stamps the following month, commemorating their 5th Anniversary. A total of 14 stamps were produced, which included autographed album covers. This marked the first time a celebrity had made a contract with Korea Post to produce stamps. Within an hour of the stamps' issuing, over half of the available stamp sheets had already sold out. On August 10, 2012, it was revealed that the group was to release a Blu-ray/DVD videography entitled "Girls' Generation Complete Video Collection".
"Oh! / All My Love Is For You", the group's second double A-side single was released on September 26, 2012. The release earned first place on Oricon’s Weekly Single chart, selling 66,000 copies in its first week. The group's second Japanese album, Girls' Generation II: Girls & Peace, was released on November 28, 2012. The album was preceded by the single "Flower Power", which was released on November 21, 2012. "Flower Power" sold 29,000 copies in its first week, peaking at number five on the Oricon Chart. "Girls' Generation II: Girls & Peace" sold 116,963 copies in its first week of release, ranking third on Oricon's Weekly Albums Chart. "Girls & Peace" has since been certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ). The group released the 2011 Girls' Generation Tour DVD on November 30, 2012, which featured footage from the 2011 concert tour of the same name.
The group released the track "Dancing Queen", a remake version of Duffy's Mercy, on December 21, 2012.
2013: I Got a Boy, touring and Love & Peace
On January 1, 2013, Girls' Generation released their fourth Korean-language album, I Got a Boy. The album sold over 265,000 copies in January, debuting atop the January Gaon Albums Chart. As well as charting on many of Billboard's album charts, including the number-one spot on the World Album chart. The group began promotional appearances on Mnet's M! Countdown and continued on into the start of February. The group also performed it on their MBC comeback special; Girls' Generation's Romantic Fantasy on January 1, 2013. The group also performed on KBS Hope Concert. Girls' Generation held an hour-long "Virtual Concert" broadcast live via Naver Music on January 5, 2013 where they perform "I Got a Boy", "Talk Talk" and "Dancing Queen".
Girls' Generation embarked on their Girls & Peace: 2nd Japan Tour in Kobe on February 9, 2013 and continued for a total of 20 shows across seven cities. The tour was attended by over 200,000 people. The group released their first Japanese remix entitled, Best Selection Non Stop Mix on March 20, 2013. The album ranked number 6 on Oricon’s weekly album chart.
On April 11, 2013, the group released their 2011 Girls' Generation Tour live album. The album features the July 23 and 24, 2011 Girls' Generation's concerts in Seoulat the Olympic Gymnastics Arena for their 2011 Girls' Generation Tour. On April 26, 2013, Girls' Generation announced their first world tour Girls' Generation World Tour Girls & Peace with the first dates in Seoul on June 8 and 9, 2013.
The group released their seventh Japanese single, "Love & Girls" on June 19, 2013. According to the Oricon Daily Chart, "Love & Girls" rose from rank number 6 to number 4 the day after it debuted on the chart. The single was able to sold 42,796 physical copies on its first week and took the no. 4 spot in Oricon Weekly Chart.
Girls' Generation released their eighth Japanese single, "Galaxy Supernova" on September 18, 2013 along with Girls' Generation -Girls & Peace- Japan 2nd Tour DVD and Blu-ray. According toOricon, the single achieved the number 1 spot on the day of release on Oricon Daily Single while Girls’ Generation’s Girls & Peace: 2nd Japan Tour took the no.1 spot on September 18’s Oricon Daily DVD Chart. After one week of release, Galaxy Supernova managed to sold 50,793 physical copies while the DVD and Blu-ray sold a total of 53,256 copies.
Girls Generation came up big at the inaugural YouTube Music Awards by snagging Best Music Video and beating popular acts such as Miley Cyrus, Psy, Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber. The group released their ninth Japanese single, "My Oh My" on November 5, 2013.
The group released their seventh studio album, "Love & Peace" on December 11, 2013 after the release of "Love & Girls", "Galaxy Supernova" and "My Oh My" in 2013. The album manage to debut at number one spot on Oricon's Daily album charts after selling more than 37,386 copies. After the first week, with sales amounting to about 129,000, it debuted on the weekly Oricon chart at number one. Girls’ Generation’s self-titled debut Japanese album, released in June 2011, also ranked first in the weekly album chart, making Girls’ Generation the first Korean girl group to have two albums place first on a weekly album ranking, surpassing Kara.
S.M. Entertainment announced that Girls Generation will perform for the first ever "SM Town Week" on December 22, 2013. Girls’ Generation’s December 22 solo concert will be called, “SMTOWN WEEK GIRLS’ GENERATION – Marchen Fantasy”. The concert will have a fairytale-like visual theme, with lots of different stages and showy video effects.
Members
| Stage name | Full name | Date of birth | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Romanized | Hangul | Romanized | Hangul | |
| Taeyeon | 태연 | Kim Tae-yeon | 김태연 | March 9, 1989 |
| Jessica | 제시카 | Jessica Jung, Jung Soo-yeon | 제시카 정, 정수연 | April 18, 1989 |
| Sunny | 써니 | Lee Soon-kyu | 이순규 | May 15, 1989 |
| Tiffany | 티파니 | Stephanie Hwang, Hwang Mi-young | 스테파니 황, 황미영 | August 1, 1989 |
| Hyoyeon | 효연 | Kim Hyo-yeon | 김효연 | September 22, 1989 |
| Yuri | 유리 | Kwon Yu-ri | 권유리 | December 5, 1989 |
| Sooyoung | 수영 | Choi Soo-young | 최수영 | February 10, 1990 |
| Yoona | 윤아 | Im Yoon-ah | 임윤아 | May 30, 1990 |
| Seohyun | 서현 | Seo Joo-hyun | 서주현 | June 28, 1991 |
Subgroups
On April 19, 2012, SM Entertainment officially announced the creation of the Girls’ Generation subunit, Girls’ Generation–TaeTiSeo, composed of Taeyeon, Tiffany, and Seohyun. The subunit's first mini-album Twinkle was released on April 29, 2012. According to a statement made by SM Entertainment, "This subunit will aim to grab the attention of fans with all aspects of music, performance, and fashion styles."
Artistry
Musical style
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"Gee"
2009's Gee, a predominately teen pop song with influences of dance pop which incorporates the use of a memorable hook.[159]
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During the beginning of their career, the group's music was predominantly bubblegum pop and teen pop. Singles such as "Gee" and "Oh!" utilize the teen pop and bubblegum pop genres while incorporating dance pop In 2009 the group transitioned to electropop sound with the release of "Tell me Your Wish (Genie)". The group continued this sound when debuting in Japan with Girls' Generation, using a more electropop influenced sound. They would carry this sound onto their second Japanese album with songs like "Paparazzi" and "Flower Power", the latter was noted for its use of a flowing base and prominent synths. The group works extensively on Korean releases with producers Yoo Young-jin and Kenzie. Lyrically, the group explores female empowerment, evident in songs like "Hoot" and "The Boys."The first member to participate in the creation of the group's work was Yuri, who co-wrote the R&B-inspired song "Mistake" (내 잘못이죠) from the group's third EP Hoot.[167] The group extended more control with Tiffany and Sooyoung co-writing "The Boys," and "How Great Is Your Love" on the group's third Korean album, The Boys, respectively. The group's fourth album, I Got a Boy, combines many different musical elements such as 80s new wave, electronic dance music, and modern R&B.[169] While their single "I Got a Boy" is an example of electronic dance song that mixes pop, retro, and urban genres. "Romantic St.", a track in their fourth studio album I Got a Boy, was describe by Naver Music to be belonging from the jazz and swing music genres. Billboard described Flower Power as harmony-heavy, robo-pop jam while "I Got a Boy" as a grab-bag of genres jumping from drum 'n' bass to clunky electro-pop. Galaxy Supernova was a backed by pulsing synth while the b-side "Do the Catwalk," super-catchy, whistle hook. Girls' Generation Japanese single, Love & Girls was noted to have a peppy piece of electro-pop with referee whistles acting as the hook.
Imagery
The group's image has been a major role in their rise in popularity. In the early years of their career, the group wore relatively no makeup and dressed more conservatively. The song "Kissing You" had the girls use lollipops as a prop during performances. During promotions for their 2009 single "Gee", the group dressed in jeans and plain-white shirts, highlighting the "purity" of the group and the song. When promoting the "Oh!" single in January 2010, the group used a cheerleader concept. Despite this, member Hyoyeon admitted in November 2011 that she felt nervous when she had to act "cute and pretty." She stated that, "it’s very hard to act. I squirm when I act cute and pretty. I tried gritting my teeth and doing it but I couldn’t." In June 2009, the group left behind their 'pure' image, opting for a more mature image during the promotions for "Tell Me Your Wish (Genie)". The concept was based off marines, with members dressing in short-shorts highlighting their legs. The choreography was designed around their legs and became popular in Korea "Jegi-kicking dance" (제기차기 춤) and the "Leg-beauty dance" (각선미 춤). For 2010's "Hoot", the group's image was based on Bond Girls. Earlier that year, whilst gearing up for promotion for "Run Devil Run", the group was noted for using a much darker, sexy image, nicknamed "Black SoShi" by their fans. In 2011, the group returned to Korea with "The Boys", which used a "heroine" image, with members choosing their own outfits, emphasizing each of the members' own tastes. When creating choreography, the group works with Rino Nakasone Razalan. The group's choreography focuses on "seductive imagery" as well as synchronization, for which the group is famed for.Their choreography usually centers around member Hyoyeon, who is famous for her abilities as a dancer, specializing in Hip-Hop. In 2012, the group used retro-inspired flight attendants as concept for Girls & Peace. During the promotions of I Got a Boy, the group opted to the use of flat shoes instead of their trademark heels in order to perform the choreography correctly.
John Seabrook from The New Yorker described Girls' Generation as "a group of preppy-looking young women in skinny trousers. When they wear hot pants, it’s to display the gams, not the glutes." New York Magazine stated that the music itself is not the decisive factor in the popularity of K-pop as a whole, and Girls' Generation in particular. But rather the that the public likes the groups based on its members' looks and their personality, radiating a "humility" and friendliness to each and one of the fans.[ Kevin Perry from the British music publication NME wrote: "Girls’ Generation also have a massive nine members, which is indicative of the way the efficient K-pop machine can favour choreographed style over individual personalities." Mio Scobie, of Us Weekly stated that the group's music has contributed to their international success, with "feel-good beats, and instantly memorable choruses."
Impact and legacy
Following their debut in 2007, Girls' Generation has become a prominent figure in both South Korean culture and music, with music critics noting the group as being a representative figure of South Korean culture. The group is credited as playing a major role in the Hallyu Movement, and have been compared to fellow K-Pop singer Seo Taiji due to their contributions to Korean culture. Their immense popularity has led the group to earn the titles "The Nation's Singers" (Korean: 국민가수) and "The Nation's Girl Group" Following the disbandment of the original Korean idol girl groups S.E.S. and Fin.K.L in 2002, the Korean music industry experienced an influx of male idol groups such as TVXQ! and Super Junior, however upon the group's debut with songs such as "Into the New World" and "Kissing You", they were credited for shifting focus back to female groups. In 2011, the group was chosen by Tyler Brûlé as the seventh most recognizable Korean culture figure, being the only musical and non-object act to make the list. The group's fashion has been described as "chic" and "mature", becoming immensely popular among young women across Asia.With many dubbing the group as "fashion icons". In Japanese textbooks, the group serves as the main feature in the K-Pop section of the book.
The group gained significant popularity at the start of 2009 with the release of "Gee", the single was named 'Single of the Decade' and broke the record on KBS'Music Bank for the most consecutive wins in a row. The single is regarded as one of the first K-Pop songs to gain international attention, students at Harvard University in the United States highlighted the song as part of their study on Korean culture, with some performing the song's famous choreography. Their popularity has also translated into economic success. They are regarded as the most sought-out advertiser in South Korea. Marketers named the group as the model with the most influence over consumers, attributing the group's positive attention from the public to their vocals, looks, and fashion sense.[198] In 2011 the group generated $57 million from Japanese releases. And a further USD$88.56 million in South Korea.[114] In September 2010, Japanese business magazineNikkei Business suggested the group's international expansion and success was the musical equivalent to Samsung.The Institute for Industrial Policy Studies also named the group as one of South Korea's super brands.
Their popularity in their native Korea has led the group to be named among the most powerful and influential people in the country. The Sisa Journal named the group as the most influential entertainers for the years 2011 and 2012, making them the first female idol group in history to make the list. BBC's Asia Todayplaced the group at forty-four on the 50 Korean Power Leaders list in 2011, being the only idol group and entertainers on the list. Forbes also revealed the group were most powerful entertainers in South Korea for the year of 2011.
In five years the group has earned several major Korean music awards to their name, including five Daesang awards. They won the Disk Daesang for Oh! in 2010 at the Golden Disk Awards. They won the Digital Daesang in 2009 at the same show for "Gee". They won the latter award again in 2011 for "The Boys". They are among the best-selling artists in South Korea, with over 30 million digital singles and 4.4 million albums sold in less than five years of their debut.Their 2011 album, The Boys set a record as the best selling, non-repackaged album in the Gaon Chart's history. And they sold over 100,000 copies for each of their six Korean releases, making them the first female group in the South Korean music industry to do so in over six years. The group's success is not limited to South Korea, their debut Japanese album Girls' Generation is certified 'Million' by the RIAJ, denoting a million copies sold, and is the highest selling album by a Korean group in Oricon history.
Endorsements
During their early career, Girls' Generation were endorsers for several brands such as Elite Uniform, Nexon Bubble Fighter, Samsung and LG. The group became the model of an Italian sports brand, Ellesse.
Since 2008 they have been exclusive models for the Goobne Chicken and have filmed several commercials for the brand, recorded jingles for advertising purposes, and modeled for promotional Goobne calendars. Goobne Chicken has since become a strong contender in the chicken industry and attribute their success to the group.
Several members are solo advertising models such as Seohyun, who models for Clean and Clear and The Face Shop, Taeyeon who models for A-Solution, a cosmetics brand, Yuri who models for Mamonde, Yoona who models for S-Oil, EIDER, FreshLook Illuminate,Innisfree and Clean and Clear, Jessica for Hyundai & Banila Co and Sooyoung for Llang. Alongside Super Junior, they are also exclusive models to the partly SM Entertainment-owned retail brand SPAO. Yuri, Sooyoung and Tiffany models for Biotherm.They endorsed clothing brands, online games, food industries, events, electronics, cosmetics, and even products reserved for the top celebrities to endorse such as petroleum and credit cards. The group was one of the most sought-out endorsers in 2009 and by mid-2009 the group members were models for over 10 brands and were chosen as one of South Korea's most sought after advertisers in a survey conducted by Brand Consulting Research Institute.[197]
The group continued to be active in advertising in 2010, endorsing brands and products including the Nintendo DSi[220] and Domino's Pizza.[221] Also, a Caribbean Bay commercial featured Yuri, Yoona and Seohyun along with 2PM members Nichkhun, Taecyeon and Chansung. In late 2010, a gift certificate company began releasing gift certificates each worth 10,000 won which featured Girls' Generation images on the cards, making them the first celebrities to be featured as such.The Korean web portal Daum also began using the group as models while remodeling certain services and search engines in early October 2010, and released Girls' Generation desktop wallpapers and screensavers for promotion. A survey conducted in December 2010 saw 409 out of 741 marketing employees choosing Girls' Generation as the model with the most influence over consumers.
In 2011, Intel Asia announced that the group would become official advertising models for the company. In March 2011, the group started endorsing the Vita500 brand of energy drinks as part of Vita500's 10th anniversary and exclusive Vita500 posters of Tiffany, Yuri and Yoona were released. Members Yuri, Sunny, Jessica, Tiffany, Sooyoung, and Hyoyeon were models for Christian Dior. Yoona, Seohyun, and Taeyeon were not models, due to other cosmetic contracts. Woongjin Coway selected the group as their exclusive models to endorse their water purifiers. Their contract began on March 1, 2011, and lasted throughout the year, with TV advertisements beginning in mid-March.
In Japan, the group endorsed the throat lozenge brand E-ma Nodoame. They endorsed Lipton tea with their songs "Let It Rain" and "Mr. Taxi" used as background music. In July 2011, along with labelmate TVXQ, they started endorsing 7-Eleven Japan products featuring the Japanese version of the song "Hoot" in commercials. The group were appointed models for J.ESTINA in October, 2011. Seohyun was appointed as UNICEF envoy during the same month. This is a notable feat, as only those who have a respectable reputation are appointed as Goodwill representatives. Two months later, on December 15, JCE chose Girls’ Generation as the models for their representative bundled game brand, “Freestyle Sports”, for that winter.
The group were selected as honorary ambassadors for Korea's "Visit Korea 2010 – 2012" campaign, headed by South Korea's First Lady, Kim Yoon-ok. The campaign was an effort by the Korean government to attract at least 10 million foreign visitors to the country by the end of 2012, with the group spearheading the initiative due to their emerging worldwide popularity at the time. LG Electronics Korea announced on January 16, 2012, that Girls' Generation were chosen to be the new models for their Cinema 3D TV brand.
On March 5, representatives of Gangnam-gu in Seoul released a statement stating that the Girls' Generation would be the honorary ambassadors for the city of starting on March 7, 2012. In the same month, Lotte announced that the group was chosen to be the new models for Lotte Department Store. They were also chosen to be models for ACE Bed. On April 14, Girls’ Generation were appointed as new ambassadors for the association Korea’s Retinitis Pigmentosa Society, a society dedicated to help find a for cure blindness. They had also been chosen as the newest endorsers for Korea Yakult. In May 2012, Tiffany and Jessica were chosen as model for Chanel cosmetics pop-up store.
In September 2012, Tiffany started endorsing the fashion brand Bean Pole. Girls Generation became the endorser of GiRL de Provence perfume from10 Corso Como. Electronics brand, Casio, appointed the group as the endorsers for the company's watch brand, Baby-G. The contract is scheduled to last over a year, and Casio hopes to have a fifty percent increase in sales for 2013, compared to that of 2011. G-Star Raw Japan has chosen Girls' Generation, as the muse for their 2013 Spring/Summer season. In January 2013, Jessica, along with her sister Krystal, became the new faces of jewelry brand, Stonehenge.
In 2012 list of stars with the most CFs Girls’ Generation as an entire group are in 1st place, combined, the girls are models to a total of 21 different brands including chicken, perfume, jewelry, handbags, TVs, beds, and department stores while Jessica & Yoona were tied for 2nd place for Individually CFs by participating in 13 different CFs, Tiffany was in the 3rd place with 12 CFs and Seohyun, Sooyoung and Yuri in 4th place with 11 CFs.
Girls' Generation pair up with 'Hair Couture' for hair fashion. Hair Couture produces and distributes fashion wigs to countries all over the world, including the United States. They will start distributing these products in Korea in June, and they will also be released in China, Taiwan, and Thailand.
Philanthropy
Girls' Generation held a donation campaign on February 4, 2010 with music site Lunchbox for the "Music Dream" campaign. Three percent of the purchase price was donated to the Korean Make-A-Wish Foundation. A portion of the revenue from their Japanese single "Mr. Taxi / Run Devil Run", released April 27, 2011, was donated to Japan's Red Cross in order to provide assistance for the victims of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. The group also donated signed handbags that were auctioned off.
On August 9, 2011, they, and their label mates f(x) and SHINee, took part in an effort to help African children. The groups were joined by the United Nation's Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, in the "Help African Children" project co-organized by the Korean Red Cross Society and the Korean UNICEF committee.
The group, along with Super Junior, appeared on a special episode of KBS's Love Request broadcast on September 17, 2011, where they invited an 11-year-old Cambodian girl with a heart problem and a blind boy to fly to Korea to receive treatment, as well as a young girl from Korea who had lived in a hotel with her widowed mother her entire life. The two groups also participated in a blood drive at the KBS Hall. During the 85 minute broadcast, over 32 million won (US$29,000) was raised. In the same month, Woongjin Coway held a “Beautiful Auction” event at Times Square in Yeongdeungpo with Girls' Generation on September 27, 2011 to help women who are neglected.
In April 2012, the Korean Association Against Blindness announced that the group would be the official face of their movement. On August 17, 2012, it was revealed that Girls’ Generation's outfits are sent to philanthropic organizations and are put up for auction. The money is then donated to a good cause. That same week, the Korean Post announced that profits of the group's official stamps would be donated to Merry Year, a charity.[124] Girls’ Generation donated eight tons of rice to help those who are in need. It was revealed that the rice donations made by the group on December 5, 2012, was able to help 66,400 people in need. On December 17, 2012, Tiffany was appointed as the honorary ambassador for Global Hope, which is listed as a non-profit corporation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and aims to build a hopeful community by digging up talents and encouraging leadership across six countries.
Girls' Generation donated group merchandise and several personal items to the 'Star Donation Event', where their items were auctioned off for charity. Over three million South Korean Won (over $3,000 USD) was raised and donated to the Holt Children's Center.
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