Girls’ Generation, also known as SNSD (Sonyeo Sidae – literally Generation of Girls ) , are a South Korean group formed by SM Entertainment. The group is composed of eight members: Taeyeon, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona and Seohyun. Originally a nine-piece group, Jessica departed from the group in September 2014. One of the prominent figures of the Korean Wave, the group has earned numerous accolades and the honorific nickname “The Nation’s Girl Group” in their home country.
Girls’ Generation debuted in 2007 with the single “Into the New World” and an album which was later re-released as Baby Baby in 2008. In 2009, Girls’ Generation released two EPs: Gee and Tell Me Your Wish. The single “Gee” was the best-selling single of 2009 in South Korea.
In 2010, the group released their second studio album Oh!, its reissue Run Devil Run, and their third EP, Hoot. All three records reached number one in South Korea and were among the highest-selling albums of the year. The singles “Oh!, Run Devil Run, and “Hoot”” all peaked atop South Korea’s singles chart.
Girls’ Generation’s music is predominantly bubblegum and electropop. The group’s early singles such as “Gee”, “Tell Me Your Wish (Genie)” (2009), and “Oh!” (2010) are described as “cutesy” bubblegum pop. Nevertheless, the group’s musical styles have varied widely ever since; Anzhe Zhang wrote that despite the fact that Girls’ Generation’s styles are deemed “mainstream” in South Korea, the group “has grown sonically more experimental.” Their 2011 single “The Boys” departs for a more “mature” style from the group’s previous emphasis on “cutesy” themes; it incorporates elements from hip hop, a genre into which Girls’ Generation had never ventured.
Girls’ Generation’s 2014 EP, Mr.Mr., features “exciting” R&B sounds with “cool, simple” melodies. AllMusic’s Heather Phares also noted inspirations of EDM, hip hop, traditional K-pop sound, and late-1980s europop on the EP, which she labelled “a set of songs that offers something for every kind of Girls’ Generation and expands their musical reach.”
In October 2017, SM Entertainment announced that members Tiffany, Sooyoung and Seohyun decided not to renew their contracts with the company to focus on their acting or solo music careers. With the change of music labels, the group was said to not be disbanded and future activities of the eight-member group remains to be discussed. The group is currently on indefinite hiatus to focus on solo activities. Billboard ranked Girls’ Generation at number one on their “Top 10 K-pop Girl Groups of the Past Decade” list, published in 2019.
