Girls' Generation (Hangul: 소녀시대; So Nyeo Si Dae), also known as SNSD, is a South Korean girl group formed by S.M. Entertainment. The group is composed of eight members: Taeyeon, Sunny,Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung,Yoona, and Seohyun. Girls' Generation officially debuted on August 5, 2007 with its debut single "Into the New World" and subsequently gained some attention with their self-titled debut album. However, it was not until 2009 that they rose to prominence with the single "Gee", which claimed the top spot on KBS's Music Bank for a record-breaking nine consecutive weeks and was named the most popular song of the 2000s decade by Melon.The group solidified their place in the South Korean music industry with follow-up singles "Tell Me Your Wish (Genie)", "Oh!", and "Run Devil Run" from late 2009 to early 2010.
In mid-2010, the group signed withNayutawave Records (present-day EMI Records Japan) to embark into the Japanese music scene. In April 2011, Girls' Generation's Japanese self-titled debut album was released, which peaked atop the Japanese OriconAlbums Chart and became the first album by a South Korean girl group to achieve a double Platinum certification by the RIAJ.[2] The group returned to the South Korean music scene in October 2011 with The Boys, which has sold over 457,000 copies in South Korea, becoming the best-selling album in theGaon chart history since its launch in 2010.[3] During this time, the group also expanded their endeavor to the United States by signing with Interscope Records. In 2013, Girls' Generation's fourth Korean studio album titled I Got a Boy was released. The title track was subjected to major attention from western media after it was awarded Video of the Year at the inauguralYouTube Music Awards.[4]
Girls' Generation has sold over 4.4 million albums and 30 million digital singles as of 2012.[5] The group's immense popularity in its native South Korea has earned them numerous accolades, notably titles such as "The Nation's Singers" and "The Nation's Girl Group".[6]
2000-08: 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.[13] Sooyoung was exposed to the Japanese music scene as a member of a pop duo named Route θ, which disbanded one year after its debut in 2002.
The first member of the group to joinS.M. 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.[16] 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.[17] 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 Tiffanyauditioned at S.M.'s Starlight Casting System in Los Angeles, and joined the company in October 2004.[21][22] 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 Japanese singerAyumi Hamasaki, Sunny moved back to S.M. Entertainment and became a member of Girls' Generation.[23]
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" (Korean: "다시 만난 세계").[24] On August 5, 2007, the group officially made their debut on SBS'sInkigayo, where they performed the same song.[25] Girls' Generation subsequently released their self-titled debut studio album in November 2007, which was preceded by the singles "Girls' Generation" (Korean: "소녀시대")-a remake of Lee Seung-cheol's 1989 song, and "Kissing You". Girls' Generation became the 12th best-selling album of 2007 in South Korea, selling 56,804 copies.[26] The album has sold over 120,000 copies in the country as of 2009.[27] In March 2008, the album was re-released under the title Baby Baby.[28] The album was preceded by a single with the same name, which was released on digital music sites on March 17, 2008.[29]
