Girls Generation (Hangul: 소녀 시대; Japanese: 少女時代, also known as SNSD or So Nyeo Shi Dae) is a South Korean girl group formed by S.M. Entertainment in 2007.[1] 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 classified by the online music store MelOn as the most popular song of the decade in South Korea (ranking based on chart performance).[2] 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.[3] The groups immense popularity in their native South Korea has earned them titles The Nations Singers and The Nations Girl Group.[4] 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.[5] They have also been listed as #1 on the Top Female Singers list for four consecutive years on the Leespiar Popularity Survey in Korea.[6][7] Asia Today placed the group at forty-four on the 50 Korean Power Leaders list in 2011.[8] The group also topped Forbess Korea Power Celebrity 40 list for the years of 2010, 2011 and 2013.[3] 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 groups 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 BoAs Best of Soul in 2005.[9] Girls’ Generation is also the first Korean girl group to have two albums place first on a weekly album ranking, surpassing Kara.[10] They have expanded their reach in the Korean industry through their first sub-unit, Girls Generation-TTS, composed of members Taeyeon, Tiffany, and Seohyun. The sub-unit debuted on 2012 with their mini album Twinkle which became the highest charting K-Pop act on the Billboard 200—at No. 126 on Billboard 200.[11] Contents 1 Name 2 History 2.1 Pre-debut 2.2 2007–2008: Debut and Girls Generation 2.3 2009: Gee, Genie, first Asian tour and rising popularity 2.4 2010: Oh! / Run Devil Run, Japanese debut and Hoot 2.5 2011: Girls Generation, touring, international expansion and The Boys 2.6 2012: International promotions, TTS and Girls & Peace 2.7 2013: I Got a Boy, touring and Love & Peace 2.8 2014: Mr.Mr., The Best and Japans 3rd Tour 3 Members 4 Subgroups 4.1 TTS 5 Artistry 5.1 Musical style 5.2 Public Image 6 Impact and legacy 7 Endorsements 8 Philanthropy 9 Discography 9.1 Korean discography 9.2 Japanese discography 10 Tours 10.1 Headlining 10.1.1 Main Tours 10.1.2 Japan Tours 10.2 Concert participation 11 Filmography 12 See also 13 References 14 External links Name The name of the group is derived from Lee Seung-Chuls 1989 song Girls Generation. 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 groups Korean name. The name Girls Generation means that The generation of girls’ domination has come.[12] The group is referred to as Shojo Jidai (Japanese; 少女時代) or SJJD in Japan.[13] History Pre-debut After the success of S.M. Entertainments 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.[14] 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 participated in the Korean entertainment industry through their participation in magazine advertisements, television commercials, and small television drama or film appearances,[citation needed] and Sooyoung even debuted in the Japanese market in 2002 as part of the pop duo, Route θ, which soon disbanded in one year.[15][16] 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.[14] The first member of the group to join SM Entertainments 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.[17] Also in 2000, members Sooyoung and Hyoyeon were cast into SMs training system through the 2000 SM Open Audition, in which Hyoyeon danced for her audition.[18] Yuri was the next Girls Generation member to be accepted into SMs 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.[18] Seohyun, the groups youngest member, was scouted in the subway by an SM scout, then auditioned in 2003, singing childrens songs.[19] The groups leader, Taeyeon, was cast in 2004 after being discovered at SMs 8th Annual Best Contest winning Best Singer 1st Place & Grand Award.[20] That same year, member Tiffany auditioned at SMs Starlight Casting System in Los Angeles, and joined the company in October 2004.[21][22] 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.[23] Sunny is also the niece of S.M. Entertainments founder, Lee Soo-man.[24] 2007–2008: Debut and Girls Generation In July 2007, Girls Generation had their unofficial first stage performance on Mnets School of Rock where the group performed their first single, Into the New World (다시 만난 세계). A documentary recording the story of the groups 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. Girls Generation in February 2008 performing at Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand The groups first single was physically released soon after, including an instrumental of the groups debut song and two other tracks: Beginning and Perfect for You. The latters Korean title is Wish (소원), which later became the name of Girls Generations official fan club, S♡NE. The groups 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-cheols 1989 song. Promotion for the single started in early November. The album also included the groups 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.[25] 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.[26] 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.[27] During the groups 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.[28][29] Later in the year, the three members released Mabinogi (Its Fantastic!) together as the theme song for the Nexon game Mabinogi, with Tiffany participating in the music video.[30] Mnet reality show Factory Girl chronicled the members working as interns at fashion magazine Elle Girl.[31] The program began airing in early October.[32] 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 Girls Generation performing Genie at the LG Mobile Worldcup in 2009. A teaser video was released in January 2009 and the first single Gee released soon after. Gee topped Cyworlds hourly music chart on the release day.[33] The song also went number one on all major digital music charts within two days.[34] The group began its album promotion in January 2009 on MBC Show! Music Core where 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.[35] 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,[36] and remained in the position for an eighth week. It also tied[37] 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.[37] 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.[38][39] 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.[40][41] The group started their promotional activities on June 26, 2009, appearing on KBS Music Bank.[42] 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 of Genie was delayed by SM Entertainment in order to redo the album art, and was released four days later on June 29, 2009.[40] 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.[43] 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.[44] 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.[45] The albums went to sell over 200,000 as of 2010.[46] On November 2009, S.M. Entertainment announced the groups Into The New World Tour. The tickets for the tour went on sale on November 19,[47] and sold out in 3 minutes.[48] The tour initially consisted of two Korean shows on December 19 and 20, 2009.[49] The tour began at Seouls Olympic Park Fencing Stadium on December 19 and 20 and continued onto other Asian cities including Shanghai.[50] 2010: Oh! / Run Devil Run, Japanese debut and Hoot Later in January, SM Entertainment confirmed the release of Oh!, the groups second full-length album, to be on January 28.[51] The lead single Oh! was digitally released on January 25 with the music video being released two days later.[52] On January 30, the group started promotions with the recording of MBC Show! Music Core.[53] The broadcast of the performance experienced a blackout near the end, to which MBC made the whole performance available online in response.[54] 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.[55] Oh! also went on to win the Music Bank half-year K-chart, coming in at second on Hanteos first half album sales chart,[56] and also winning the end-of-year K-chart.[citation needed] 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.[57] Girls Generation at an LG event in 2010. Starting on March 11, 2010, photos of the members were released online showcasing a dark concept, dubbed Black SoShi.[58] 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 Japans record label Nayutawave Records for their Japanese promotions, with their first Japanese single expected to be released in September 2010.[59][60][61] Girls Generation began promotion in Japan in August. 少女時代到来～初来日記念盤～ (Girls Generations Arrival ～ First Time in Japan Commemoration Disc ～), a DVD featuring seven of the groups 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.[62] 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,[63] and made Girls Generation the first female K-pop group to make the Oricon DVD Top-5 ranking.[64] 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.[65] They participated in the subsequent Shanghai, Los Angeles, Paris and Tokyo stops as well.[66] On August 25, the group held their first showcase in Tokyo Ariake Colliseum.[67] With an initial 10,000 fans invited, it was reported to be the most large-scale plan for a Korean artist debuting in Japan.[62] However, due to high number of expected attendees, the groups management announced that the showcase would take place three times in the same day rather than once to accommodate the large amount of fans.[68] 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.[69] 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.[70] 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.[71][72][73] 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.[74] With pre-orders amounting to 80,000, the single sold an estimated 45,000 copies in the first week after release.[75][76] On October 20, 2010, the group released their second Japanese single, Gee.[77][78] 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.[79] The video for lead single, Hoot, a song originally written in English as Bulletproof, was released on October 28.[80][81] Girls Generation commenced their promotional activities with a comeback stage on KBS Music Bank on October 29.[82] 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.[83][84][85][86] 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.[87] 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.[88] The group was named on Asia Todays list of 50 Korean power leaders for 2011 at the number forty-fourth spot, being the only idol group from the list.[8] 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.[89][90] 2011: Girls Generation, touring, international expansion and The Boys Girls Generation at Visual Dream World Premiere Showcase. 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.[91] 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).[92] 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.[93] 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.[94] 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.[95] On June 1, 2011, the group released its debut Japanese studio album, Girls Generation.[96] 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 artists 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.[97][98] 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,[99] 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.[100] By the end of 2011, the album had sold over 728,000 copies.[101][102] 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 BoAs Best of Soul in 2005, as well as being the first female group to do so.[9] The self-titled album was the fifth best selling album in Japan in 2011 [103] 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.[104] 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.[105][106] 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,[107] Girls Generation was selected by SISA Press as The Most Influential Entertainers in Korea for the year 2011, after having placed sixth in 2010.[citation needed] 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.[108] 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 albums release has been postponed so as to bring about a worldwide album release.[109] 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. Girls Generation performing The Boys at Madison Square Garden, in October 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.[110] 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.[111] 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.
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