August 5, 2016 marked the ninth year that Korean pop superstar girl group, Girls' Generation, has been in the entertainment industry. The group is made of members Taeyeon, Sooyoung, Tiffany, Yoona, Yuri, Sunny, Seohyun, Hyoyeon and they always greets their fans with "Right Now, It's Girls' Generation." The greeting is fitting considering that, currently, the girl group sits at the top as the #1 girl group in South Korea. One could even argue that the girls are one of the biggest girl groups in the world. Through their years of hard work, the group has made big achievements.
Let's take a walk down memory lane as we commemorate why Girls' Generation has reason to celebrate hitting nine years in the entertainment industry.
Girls' Generation released their first single, Into the New World, in August 2007. They followed with singles Girls' Generation,Kissing You, and Baby Baby. At the time, the group matched against the other big girl group of their era, the Wonder Girls, for the title of top girl group.
Through this debut song, we entered "Into the New World" of Girls' Generation!
After taking around a year or so break from promoting, the girls released the single that changed the group's status from talented group to anticipate to the music phenomenon they are today. In January 2009, Girls' Generation released Gee. The single proved to be a breakout success in South Korea, as the single stayed number one in the Korean music charts for 8 weeks straight on portal Mnet, breaking the previous record set by the Wonder Girls' Nobody. Just as Nobody brought the Wonder Girls to international fame, so did Gee for Girls' Generation. With the help of then rising internet platform, Youtube, videos were released from around the world of fans doing dance covers of the iconic dance routine of Gee.
The super popular song that propelled the group to international social media fame in 2009-2011, and is the group's iconic song till this day. This is the group's first music video to hit past 150 million views.
The dance of the song became so popular that the internet was bombarded with hundreds of dance cover videos. Watch this Japanese comedy group parody the dance.
Girls' Generation further proved that they were more than just a one hit wonder with the following release of they're next iconic single, Tell Me Your Wish (Genie), in June 2009. The girls followed with the release of successful full album Oh! and repackaged album Run Devil Run in 2010.
Riding with international fame the girls first gained from their breakout singles Gee and Tell Me Your Wish (Genie), Girls' Generation started their music promotions in Japan, one of the most valued music industries in the world due to how large it is. They released the Japanese version of Genie in August 2010 and followed up with the Japanese version of Gee later in October. Genie peaked at #4 on the Japanese Oricon Weekly Charts and Gee peaked at #1 on the Japanese Oricon Daily Chart, making them the first non-Japanese Asian group to do so.
The success of their initial Japanese singles, Gee and Genie, it led the group to other promotions such as promoting the launch of Samantha Thavasa Jeans.
Since the group's pivotal years of 2009 and 2010, Girls' Generation has risen to the top tier of the Asian music industry. Due to their invincibility, the term "because they're Girls' Generation" has emerged. When the group first debuted in the U.S. with the English version of the synonymous single off their 3rd Korean studio album, The Boys, and performed on Late Show with David Letterman and Live! with Kelly, they could do it http://www.allkpop.com/article/2013/01/cnblue-share-their-thoughts-on-girls-generations-i-got-a-boy"because they're Girls' Generation." (The Boys is currently considered the best selling album by a girl group in South Korea.) When the girls released the unique I Got a Boy, which changes tempo several times throughout the song like a "modern-day Bohemian Rhapsody", and won the Video of the Year at the Youtube Music Awards in 2013, they could do it "because they're Girls' Generation." When the group was able to the let their first album, Lion Heart, after the unexpected departure of original member and former lead vocalist, Jessica, hit number 1 on the Billboard's World Album Chart in 2015, they could do it "because they're Girls' Generation."
Don't believe me? Check out the craziness that is actually pretty addicting below! (The music video for the single is the second for Girls' Generation to hit past 150 million views)
Lion Heart is the group's most recent album release and the album is the first since the departure of original member, Jessica. The group first started with 9 members, before continuing group promotions as 8 member when Jessica left in 2014.
The power of the group is allowed the members to do individual and unit activities. The group's subunit, Girls' Generation-TaeTiSeo, hit number one in the Billboard World Album chart as well. Two of it's members, Taeyeon and Tiffany, have debuted solo: Taeyeon with chart topping albums and Tiffany to rave reviews from the likes of Billboard and Fuse. Yoona, Sooyoung, and Yuri have been active in popular Korean dramas. Hyoyeon and Sunny have been active in variety T.V. and Seohyun active in musical theater.
On August 4, 2016, Girls' Generation released a single to commemorate their 9 year anniversary. Titled That Summer (0805) in Korean to refer to their debut date and Sailing in English, in reference to the "pink ocean" seen at their concerts, the lyrics were written by member Sooyoung and follow the journey the girls have gone through over the years.
The pink ocean seen at Girls' Generation concerts created by fans and their nightsticks.
The single was released to commemorate the group's 9 year anniversary and their first release in 2016 together. Watch the music video to follow through the group's iconic eras.
When original member, Jessica, departed the group in 2014, there was much speculation on whether the group could continue their popularity without one of their official lead singers and one of the formerly most popular members of the group. The group proved in 2015 that they were still on top. The group has taken over all aspects of the entertainment industry, and proven that despite being an "old" group, that they are still amazing and still improving. Right now, its their time. Right now, it's Girls' Generation.
Cheers to 9 years and more to come, Girls' Generation!
SoNyuhShiDae News (The Power of 9), Billboard, Wikipedia, Allkpop, Los Angeles Times.
