Girls' Generation
Girls' Generation, also known as SNSD, is a South Korean girl group formed by SM Entertainment. The group is composed of eight members: Taeyeon, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona, and Seohyun. Originally a nine-piece ensemble, member Jessica departed from the group in September 2014. Among the most influential girl groups in K-pop and a leading figure of the Korean Wave, Girls' Generation has earned numerous accolades and the honorific nickname "The Nation's Girl Group" in their home country.
Girls' Generation debuted on August 5, 2007, with the single "Into the New World" from their eponymous Korean album. The group rose to fame in 2009 with the single "Gee", which claimed the top spot on KBS's Music Bank for a record-breaking nine consecutive weeks and was Melon's most popular song of the 2000s decade. The group cemented their popularity in Asia with follow-up singles "Genie", "Oh!", and "Run Devil Run", which were released between mid-2009 and early 2010. Their second Korean studio album, Oh!, won the Golden Disc award for Album of the Year, making the group the first and only female act to win the Album Daesang.
Girls' Generation ventured into the Japanese music scene in 2011 with their eponymous Japanese album, which became the first album by a non-Japanese girl group to be certified million by the RIAJ. The group's third Korean studio album, The Boys, was the best-selling album of 2011 in South Korea. An English version of the title track was released in an attempt to expand the group's endeavor to the global music scene. The group's fourth Korean studio album, I Got a Boy, was supported by the title track, which won Video of the Year at the inaugural YouTube Music Awards. Girls' Generation continued to build upon their popularity with their fifth and sixth Korean studio albums, Lion Heart and Holiday Night. Following a five-year hiatus to focus on their individual careers, they returned with their seventh Korean studio album Forever 1.
The group's signature musical styles are characterized as electropop and bubblegum pop, though their sound has varied widely, incorporating various genres including hip hop, R&B, and EDM. In 2017, Billboard honoured Girls' Generation as the "Top K-pop Girl Group of the Past Decade". They are the first Asian girl group to achieve five music videos with over 100 million views on YouTube with "Gee", "I Got a Boy", "The Boys", "Mr. Taxi", and "Oh!". In Japan, they became the first non-Japanese girl group to have three number-one albums on the Oricon Albums Chart, and their three Japanese concert tours attracted a record-breaking 550,000 spectators.
Name
The group's Korean name is So-Nyeo Si-Dae, from the Sino-Korean root meaning "Generation of Girls"; they are also known as SoShi or SNSD, both of which are abbreviated forms of the group's Korean-language name. Because their name consists of Chinese roots, the group's name is similar in Chinese and Japanese: in Japan the group's name is pronounced as Shōjo Jidai, and in Mandarin Chinese as Shàonǚ Shídài.History
2000–2008: Formation and debut
Prior to the group's debut, some of the members were already involved in the entertainment industry. Yoona had gone through about 200 auditions for music videos, dramas, and movies before becoming a singer for Girls' Generation. Sooyoung was exposed to the Japanese music scene as a member of a pop duo named Route 0, which disbanded one year after its debut in 2002.The first member of the group to join SM Entertainment's training system was Jessica in 2000, after she and her sister, Krystal Jung, were scouted in a mall in South Korea during a family vacation. That same year, members Sooyoung and Hyoyeon were cast into S.M.'s training system through the 2000 S.M. Open Audition, in which Hyoyeon danced for her audition. Yuri was the next Girls' Generation member to become an S.M. trainee after coming second in the 2001 S.M. Youth Best Dancer competition. Yoona was cast the following year through the 2002 S.M. Saturday Open Casting Audition, where she sang and danced to her favorite singers, BoA and Britney Spears. Seohyun, the group's youngest member, was scouted in the subway by an S.M. scout; she then auditioned in 2003, singing children's songs.
The group's leader, Taeyeon, was cast in 2004 after winning first place in the S.M. Youth Singing Competition. That same year, member Tiffany auditioned at S.M.'s Starlight Casting System in Los Angeles, and joined the company in October 2004. The final member of the group to be added was Sunny, who had become an S.M. trainee in 1998 and trained for five years before moving to another company, Starworld. At Starworld, she trained to debut in a duo named Sugar, which never debuted. In 2007, on the recommendation of Korean-Japanese singer IconiQ, Sunny moved back to S.M. Entertainment and became a member of Girls' Generation.
In July 2007, Girls' Generation had their first stage performance on Mnet's School of Rock, where the group performed their first single, "Into the New World". On August 5, 2007, the group officially made their debut on SBS's Inkigayo, where they performed the same song. Girls' Generation subsequently released their self-titled debut studio album in November 2007, which was preceded by the singles "Girls' Generation" —a remake of Lee Seung-cheol's 1989 song, and "Kissing You". Girls' Generation became the twelfth best-selling album of 2007 in South Korea, selling 56,804 copies. The album has sold over 120,000 copies in the country as of 2009. In March 2008, the album was re-released under the title Baby Baby. The album was preceded by a single with the same name, which was released on digital music sites on March 17, 2008.
2009–2010: Breakthrough and Japanese debut
Though Girls' Generation had gained some attention with their 2007 debut album, it was not until 2009 that the group rose to stardom. On January 7, the group released their debut extended play Gee, which has sold over 100,000 copies in South Korea. Its title track claimed the number-one position on KBS's Music Bank for a record-breaking nine consecutive weeks, becoming the longest-running number-one song on Music Bank until 2012, when Psy's "Gangnam Style" claimed the top spot for ten consecutive weeks. It was the best-selling single of 2009 in South Korea. The group's second EP, Tell Me Your Wish and its titular lead single were released in June 2009. The EP sold 50,000 copies within its first week in South Korea, and charted at number eight on the Taiwanese G-Music chart. In November 2009, S.M. Entertainment announced the group's first concert tour, Into The New World, whose tickets for the South Korean shows were sold out in three minutes. The tour visited Seoul in December 2009, Shanghai in April 2010, and Taipei in October 2010.Girls' Generation's second studio album, Oh!, was released in January 2010. The album peaked atop South Korea's Gaon Album Chart and has sold over 240,000 copies in South Korea. The album's title track peaked atop South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart and was the second best-selling digital single of 2010 in the country, selling over 3.3 million copies. Oh! was re-released under the title Run Devil Run in March 2010, which also reached number one on the Gaon Album Chart. Its titular single reached the top spot on the Gaon Digital Chart. Oh! and Run Devil Run were the second and fourth best-selling albums of 2010, respectively.
In mid-2010, Girls' Generation signed with Nayutawave Records, a division of Universal Music Japan, to venture out to the Japanese music scene. Their debut release was a DVD titled New Beginning of Girls' Generation, released in August 2011, which features seven of the group's music videos and a special bonus footage. The DVD debuted at number four on the Japanese Oricon DVD Chart on August 23, 2010, making Girls' Generation the first Korean girl group to earn a top-five DVD on the Oricon chart. It was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan. On August 25, 2010, the group performed to 22,000 fans at their first showcase in the country. In September 2010, Girls' Generation released the Japanese version of "Genie" as their debut single in Japan. It peaked at number four on the Japanese Oricon Singles Chart and was certified platinum by the RIAJ. The following month, the group released their second Japanese single, "Gee", which reached number two on the Oricon Singles Chart. "Gee" became the first single by a non-Japanese girl group to enter the top three of the Oricon chart since 1980. It sold 207,000 copies and achieved a million certification for sales of one million units by the RIAJ. Amidst their Japanese activities, they also participated in the SMTown Live '10 World Tour alongside their labelmates, which started on August 21 at Seoul Jamsil Olympic Stadium.
Girls' Generation's third Korean EP Hoot was released in October 2010. It charted atop the Gaon Album Chart and at number two on the Oricon Album Chart, and became the third best-selling album of 2010 in South Korea. The title track debuted atop the Gaon Digital Chart. At the 2010 and 2011 Seoul Music Awards, the group won two consecutive Artist of the Year awards, becoming the fourth South Korean act and the first girl group to do so.
2011–2012: Japanese success, ''The Boys'', and international expansion
Girls' Generation continued their success in Japan with the single "Mr. Taxi", released in April 2011. The single peaked at number two on the Oricon Singles Chart and as of April 2017, was certified Million by the RIAJ. After releasing three singles in Japan, their debut eponymous Japanese studio album was released in June 2011. To promote the album, Girls' Generation embarked on The 1st Japan Arena Tour starting in Osaka on May 31, 2011; the tour attracted 140,000 people in total and generated an estimated ₩20 billion in sales. The album was met with tremendous success in Japan, peaking atop the Japanese Oricon Albums Chart and becoming the first album by a foreign girl group to top the Oricon chart. Within its first month of release, Girls' Generation sold 500,000 copies and earned a double platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of Japan. The album became the fifth and fifteenth best-selling album in Japan in 2011 in 2012 respectively, with total sales figures of 871,097 copies. A repackaged version titled The Boys was released in December 2011 and peaked at number five on the Oricon Albums Chart. In May 2012, Girls' Generation was certified million by the RIAJ, denoting shipments of one million copies in the country—it became the first album by a South Korean girl group and the second by a South Korean act to earn such achievement. The album won the award for Album of the Year at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards Japan. Following their successful Japanese debut, the group was regarded as the most popular K-pop girl group in Japan alongside Kara and both became the first Korean girl groups to appear at Kōhaku Uta Gassen.Girls' Generation's third Korean studio album, The Boys, was released in October 2011. The album was released in the United States by Interscope Records, marking Girls' Generation's debut album in the country. To help The Boys connect with audiences worldwide, the group made their debut on US television upon performing on Late Show with David Letterman on January 31 and Live! with Kelly on February 1. They also performed on French television show Le Grand Journal on February 9. The Boys was commercially successful in the group's home country, having sold over 460,000 copies and becoming the highest-selling album of 2011. The lead single, "The Boys", peaked atop the Gaon Digital Chart and sold over 3.03 million copies in 2011. The group's endeavor to the United States, meanwhile, was met with limited success; The Boys entered the Billboard Top Heatseekers at number 17 and sold 21,000 copies.
In June 2012, Girls' Generation released their fourth Japanese single, "Paparazzi", which reached number two on the Japanese Oricon Singles Chart and was certified Gold by the RIAJ. According to SoundScan Japan, the single sold 103,000 copies within its first month of release. Three months later, the group released their fifth Japanese single "Oh!", which was their first number-one single on the Oricon Singles Chart, and achieved a gold certification by the RIAJ. Girls' Generation released their second Japanese album, Girls & Peace, in November, which sold 116,963 copies within its first week of release and peaked at number two on the Oricon Albums Chart. It was subsequently certified platinum by the RIAJ and became the forty-first best-selling album of 2012 in Japan with 141,259 copies sold. The album was further preceded by a single titled "Flower Power".