Biography
Fresh off the success of the boy band, Super Junior, SM Entertainment began preparations to repeat the same success with a girl group. After a couple of years of planning, the company decided to have the group consist of nine members. Jessica Jung , Lee Soon-kyu aka Sunny , Tiffany Hwang, Hyoyeon, Kwon Yuri, Choi Soo-young, Im Yoon-ah, and Seohyun, with Kim Tae-yeon assigned as the group leader. The name, Girls' Generation, was deprived from a 1989 song of the same title by Lee Seung-chul. Though the group did perform on stage and came out with their first single, "Into the New World" in July, their official debut wasn't until August 5th, 2007. Their first album, self-titled "Girls' Generation", was released November 1st and became a smash hit with singles like "Girls' Generation", "Kissing You", and "Baby Baby". In 2009, the group released a mini album "Gee". Their first single off of the album, "Gee", was released the same day and became an instant hit. The single reached #1 and broke records all over Korea. That same year, the group planned their first official Asian Tour. Tickets went on sale November 19th and sold out in three minutes. In January 2010, the group released their second full length album, "Oh!". The album became the second highest selling album of the year, behind Super Junior's "Bonamana", and even made the Top 10 in both Taiwan and Japan. In May 2010, Girls' Generation signed on with the Japanese record company, Nayutawave Records, for their Japanese promotions. A Japanese version of one of their old Korean singles, "Tell Me Your Wish (Genie)", was released in August. With success in both Korea and Japan, the girls set their sights on the international market. They signed on with the Universal Music Group, in the United States, in 2011. Their first English single, "The Boys", was released through Interscope Records. The single was co-written by band member, Tiffany, and was produced by Teddy Riley. The girls became the musical guests of TV talk shows like "David Letterman" and "Live With Kelly and Michael". They even performed at Madison Square Garden. The group's success has continued to rise. Performing in Korea, Japan, and many other countries. In 2013, their single, "I Got a Boy", won best music video of the year at the very first YouTube Music Awards, beating famous singers like Miley Cyrus, Psy, and Justin Bieber; and was ranked #5 in TIME Magazine's Top 10 Songs of 2013. In September 2014, the girls became the first K-pop group ever to have three Youtube videos with 100 million or higher views: "Gee", "I Got a Boy", and "The Boys". "I Got a Boy" also set the record for the shortest amount of time that it took to reach 100 million views for K-pop. Though the girls still make music, they've starred in many reality shows and documentaries, they've acted in TV shows and movies, and have been hosts on both TV and radio. On September 29th, 2014, it was announced that Jessica had been removed from the group due to lack of commitment with group activities.
