GIRLS' GENERATION

Girls' Generation debuted in 2007 under SM Entertainment as one of the most iconic and successful second-generation girl groups in K-pop.

Having debuted with an energetic and loveable concept with "Into the New World," the girl group pursued its bright and bubbly concept for a couple of years with "Girls' Generation" (2007), "Kissing You" (2007) and "Gee" (2009) until it saw a turn-around with "Run Devil Run" (2010) and "Hoot" (2010) when it started a charismatic girl-power concept that has defined the group ever since.

Girls' Generation initially debuted with nine members — Taeyeon, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona, Seohyun and Jessica — but became an eight-member group in 2014 when Jessica left the band due to "personal reasons," according to the agency.

The band got back together in August 2022 for the first time in five years to celebrate the band's 15th anniversary with the full-length album "Forever 1.”

The title track topped major music charts in Korea, including Bugs and Genie Music, as well as charts abroad, including the Billboard Hot Trending Song chart.

While Girls' Generation remains a landmark name in the K-pop scene, individual members have also been successful in their own endeavors.

What made them successful?

Girls' Generation went for a vibrant teenage concept that differentiated itself from its then-rival Wonder Girls. Early in their career, the members were donned in athletic-looking costumes with tennis skirts and suit-track-like shorts that made them look younger, energetic and innocent.

The backing of the then-largest K-pop company also gave a massive push for the group. SM Entertainment was one of the only two companies listed on the Korea Exchange when the group debuted and could afford the huge marketing expenses needed to cover Korea and other Asian markets, especially Japan.

The members were known as the "country's little sisters," meaning they were considered cute and innocent young girls loved throughout the country as people would love their little sisters. Fifteen years into their career, the group is known to be one of the most respected and veteran groups in K-pop. Many overseas K-pop fans cite the group as one of the first performers they were attracted to, with their top-notch choreography and matching vocals. (2023.03.15)

Why are they called SNSD?

SNSD is an abbreviation of the band's Korean name Sonyeosidae, which literally means Girl's Generation. The name is said to have been made by Lee Soo-man, the chief producer of SM Entertainment. In Korea, they're called "Sosi" — taking the two syllables of the Korean name. (2022.09.19)

What are the members doing now?

Members Taeyeon, Hyoyeon and Tiffany are active as solo musicians, while the others have tilted toward acting or the entertainer's side of television.

Taeyeon has been considered one of the best vocalists for a K-pop girl group and was proven as a top-notch solo singer with chart-storming R&Bs, including "I" (2015), "Rain" (2016), "11:11" (2016) and "Spark" (2019).

Hyoyeon let out her free soul with her DJ persona HYO, releasing electronic dance music she self-produced, including "Mystery" (2016), "Wannabe" (2017) and "Dessert" (2020).

Tiffany has been active under the name Tiffany Young in both Korea and the United States, where she released her own music and took part in acting and musicals.

Yoona has been gaining recognition as an actor on both television and theater. Her appearances in the "Confidential Assignment" series and the 2019 comedy action "Exit" were widely applauded for escaping the idol image.

Seohyun has also taken acting jobs in dramas and films, including the KBS romance drama series "Jinxed at First" (2022) and the upcoming Netflix original "Song of the Bandits" (2023).

Members Yuri, Sooyoung and Sunny have also been pursuing careers on television.

What happened with Jessica?

Jessica left the group in 2014 due to "differences in opinions" in one of the messiest cases in K-pop.

In September 2014, Jessica wrote on the Chinese website Weibo that she was given "an ultimatum from the agency" that she was no longer a member of Girls' Generation, whereas the other eight members had all renewed their contracts with SM Entertainment for another three years. Later that day, SM Entertainment stated that it was Jessica who told the agency that she wanted to leave the group due to "personal reasons" without detailing the reason.

It was reported later on that Jessica had started her own fashion brand Blanc in August of that year.