Girls' Generation
Girls' Generation is a South Korean pop band that was formed in 2007. It has been Korea's top girl group since 2009, when they released their breakthrough hit "Gee."[1] It is the most popular girl group in Asia, and it consists of nine members.[2] The leader is Kim Tae-yeon. The band is known for coordinated, precision dancing. They sing primarily in Korean, although their songs generally include an English-language phrase or two. Besides Korea, they have topped the charts in Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, and Japan, the worldâs second largest music market.[2] An effort to enter the U.S. market in 2011 met with little response.[3]
| Girls' Generation | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Korean name | |||||||
| Hangul | ìë ìë | ||||||
| |||||||
The members received three years of training at an "idol school," paid for by SM Entertainment.[2] The management company then assembled successful students into a band. The group received the YouTube Music Video Award in November 2013.[4]
All of the members of the band are at least nominally Christian. Tae-yeon is Catholic and the others are Protestant.[5] Four of them, Choi Soo-young, Im Yoon-a, Kim Hyo-yeon, and Tiffany (Stephanie Hwang), participate in a fellowship group.[6] Soo-young and Tiffany have confessed their faith in numerous interviews. Tiffany is a Korean-American and was born in San Francisco.[7]
Discography
- Studio albums
- 2007: Girls' Generation
- 2010: Oh!
- 2011: The Boys
- 2013: I Got a Boy
References
- â SNSD/Girls Generation (ìë ìë) ~ Gee (baby baby)" (2009)
- â 2.0 2.1 2.2 Yang, Jeff, "Can Girlsâ Generation Break Through in America?," Wall Street Journal, Feb 6, 2012.
- â Kwaak, Jeyup S., "US? Meh, Girls Generation Still Big in Japan," Wall Street Journal, Dec. 18, 2013.
- â Why Girlsâ Generation and K-Pop Won Big at the YouTube Music Awards," Wall Street Journal, Nov 4, 2013.
- â South Korea's population is 18 percent Protestant and 11 percent Catholic.
- â "Korean Idol Christians Band Up!," Soshified, Jan. 8, 2010.
- â "âCalifornian Girlâ: Tiffany Featured in â1st Lookâ Magazine for a Photoshoot in Los Angeles," Soshified, May 16, 2013.
External links
- "SNSD/Girls' Generation - HaHaHa (ííí) (Airport Version) (English Sub)" (2009). The band is adored in Korea, as you can see from the response to this performance at Incheon International Airport.
- "Girls' Generation Oh! MV" (2010). This video has an American football theme.