Girl's Generation     소녀시대   sonyeosidae

2nd Generation July 6, 2007 October 9, 2017

Girls’ Generation (Hangeul: 소녀 시대; Hanja: 少女 rev; rev. Romanized: Sonyeo Sidae, also: So Nyuh Shi Dae, literally “girlhood”) is a South Korean girl group consisting of eight (see more info below) members, founded in 2007 by S.M. Entertainment. The group is often referred to as GG, SNSD or SoShi (소시), as an abbreviation for Sonyeo Sidae. In Japan, the group is called Shōjo Jidai (少女 時代). Even after 10 years in the Korean music business, they are still considered the Nation’s Girl Group and their success is described by many Koreans as unique. Therefore, many talent agencies try to orient their groups according to girls’ generation and take them as a prime example. Many member of the group have become successful solo artists by now.

Since 2012, there is the subgroup Girls’ Generation-TTS (TaeTiSeo), which is composed of Taeyeon, Tiffany and Seohyun. Her first single was Twinkle.

2014: Jessica Jung leaving
On September 30, 2014, SM Entertainment announced that Jessica was no longer part of the Girls’ Generation group. There were many rumours abut the reasons why Jessica left, some even claiming she was forced out of the band. It seems though, that Jessica wanted to follow her own career paths including starting her own fashion label (Eclare & Blanc) and was not happy being a part of the group anymore. This caused some disagreements among the members, which was also noticeable to the fans at performances. In the end, it seemed to be the best thing for everyone that Jessica left the group, and the management suggested she take that step. A real sacking did not happen, though. She succeeded after that, what many do not achieve after such an incident. Since her departure she has been very successful as a solo artist, successfully operates her fashion shops in China and is also in demand for movies and promotional shootings. However, since then, Jessica Jung, like almost all Idol stars who have overcome their management, is not invited to live performances by the dominant music broadcasters and TV shows in South Korea, with a few exceptions. This does not detract from her overwhelming success and she has many loyal and many new fans.

2017: The provisional end of the group
On October 9, 2017, two months after the tenth anniversary, it was announced that members Tiffany, Sooyoung and Seohyun will not renew their contracts with SM Entertainment. In response to the report on October 9, SM Entertainment stated, “Girls’ Generation is a very precious and meaningful group to both SM Entertainment and fans. The members are not thinking to disband. However, there are members whose contracts have come to an end. The direction of Girls’ Generation’s promotions will be carefully decided after discussion with the members.“

So far, it’s reported that Taeyeon, Yoona, Hyoyeon, Yuri, and Sunny have renewed their contracts with SM Entertainment.

2018: The future of the group

April 2018: Speaking to Paper magazine, the 28-year-old Hyoyeon said: “Girls’ Generation never disbanded, so we can always come back when the time is right.” She continued: “It could be an 11th anniversary, a 12th anniversary project… we’re currently focusing on our individual solo projects, but one day, sometime soon, we’ll definitely come back to our fans. Together.”

Girls’ Generation-Oh!GG (Hangul:소녀시대-Oh!GG) is the second sub-unit of South Korean girl group Girls’ Generation and was formed by SM Entertainment in 2018. The group is composed of five Girls’ Generation members who remained with the agency: Taeyeon, Sunny, Hyoyeon, Yuri, and Yoona. Oh!GG officially debuted on September 5, 2018, with the single “Lil’ Touch”.