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Credits : naver ll Tetsuya@SONEms.net
Today August 5th, may be any typical day to most of the world’s six billion-strong population. However, to a group of nine girls and their countless fans, SONEs, worldwide, today is a day worthy of celebrations.
On August 5th exactly four years ago, a group of nine teenage girls; Kim Taeyeon, Jessica Jung, Sunny Lee, Tiffany Hwang, Kim Hyoyeon, Kwon Yuri, Choi Sooyoung, Im YoonA and Seo Juhyun, made their debut in the Kpop industry with an almost cringe-worthy name, 소녀시대, Girls’ Generation or simply abbreviated as SNSD.
Over a time span of four years and through tears and joy, the girls have proven skeptics wrong as they were initially labelled “merely” as the female version of their sunbaes Super Junior.
Their debut song ‘Into the New World’, perhaps one of the most memorable song to the girls and fans alike, was performed for the first time on August 5th, 2007, and till this day, this date carries a special meaning as the debut of Asia’s most popular girl group today.
Throughout the years, the girls have remained strong and supported each other through every ups and downs. As a result, their hardwork and determination paid off and they have since won numerous music chart wins with most (if not all) of their title songs; from ‘Into the New World’, ‘Kissing You’, ‘Gee’, ‘Oh!’, ‘Run Devil Run’, ‘Hoot’ just to name a few. Of course, one of the most memorable winning streak would be ‘Gee’ with 9 consecutive wins on KBS Music Bank’s K-Chart.
The girls have also went on to receive some of the most prestigious music awards in the country such as Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Female Group, Bonsangs, Daesangs, Digital Music Awards, Popularity Award, Hallyu Special Award and many, many more from the likes of Melon Music Awards, KBS Music Bank K-Chart, Seoul Music Awards, GaOn Chart Awards, Korean Music Awards, Hanteo, as well as awards from online music providers such as Bugs, Dosirak and Soribada.
And that is not even including the record breaking sales in Japan and the sell-out Arena Tour just one year about their debut in a foreign country.
But all these glamorous achievements aside, what makes these nine girls so much more successful from their peers?
Talk to any SONE and they are mostly likely to tell you about the strong, family-like Soshibond. The nine girls perspired and work together as one to achieve their dreams and none of this would be possible if their relationships and bonds were not strong. They cry and laugh together, they supported each other through everything they do and have to go through.
Other than their strong bond, these girls remain humble even with their title as Asia’s most popular girl group and with numerous hits under their name. How often do we see successful stars give ninety-degree bows to staff working with them or to their seniors without putting up the air of a superstar? Bowing is not just an act, it is an attitude, one that the girls have kept up well even after four years.
Personally, I did not get to know about Kpop until about a little more than two years back when I heard ‘Gee’ and other songs in variety shows. I was intrigued and looked up these songs and I got to know about Kpop generally but somehow SNSD managed to leave a deep impression among other Kpop groups of the time and one thing led to another before I became a self-claimed dedicated SONE and the rest is history.
In the beginning, I thought to myself, I will NEVER be able to tell these nine dorky girls apart but hey, little did I know, I am writing about them and their fourth anniversary today.
SNSD has changed the lives of SONEs in so many ways that it is almost impossible to elaborate. Through them, SONEs are united across the globe and we make friends regardless of borders through the internet communities and through means such as Twitter.
SNSD are so deeply embedded in our lives that we are extra-sensitive when we come across anything (words, phrases, names, etc) related to them and our typing fingers auto-complete words linked to them instinctively, like how I will always complete “girls” with “generation” or like how the alphabets “SNSD” comes so naturally together.
On a lighter note, check out the descriptions of the nine unique girls by taeroro85@twitter.com.
Kim Taeyeon, the “Appa” of Girls’ Generation. Forever the best leader in the whole universe. Protector of Tiffany Hwang.
Jessica Jung, the decider for every Girls’ Generation debates, most fashionable airport member.
Sunny Lee, the caretaker and protector for Girls’ Generation. Aegyo’s still bearable for me.
Tiffany Hwang, the “Umma” of Girls’ Generation. The perfect angel that walks among us on Earth.
Kim Hyoyeon, the mood maker of Girls’ Generation. Even the ice princess is taken by her humor and carefree image.
Kwon Yuri, the eldest “son” and prankster of Girls’ Generation. Sexy but extremely dorky, in a very very good way.
Choi Sooyoung, the official spokesperson of Girls’ Generation. Her angel heart is as big as her appetite for food. Shikshin!
Im Yoona, the 2nd son of Girls Generation. Flawless on the inside and outside. Heart as big as her alligator mouth.
Seo Juhyun, the maknae and fave child of Girls’ Generation. There’s nothing she can’t do. Determination is her motto.
In conjunction with the 4th anniversary, a project titled ‘Virtual Museum of Girls’ Generation’ was set up onhttp://intothenewworld.net, which was inspired by Sooyoung’s words on their official website which goes like this, “I hope that modern history textbook is changed to the history of SNSD.”
The multi-lingua Virtual Museum, which will open today, will contain the history of the girls, as well as the activity of SONEs. Be sure to check it out later today!
Also in celebration of the 4th anniversary, SONEs worldwide started to tweet their best wishes hours prior to midnight and the phrases ‘Girls’ Generation’, ‘#SNSD4thAnni’ and ‘SNSD4thAnni’ trended on the worldwide trending list in Twitter! At the time of writing, ‘Girls’ Generation’ and ‘SNSD4thAnni’ are still trending strongly on the worldwide trending list as well as the trending lists for many countries.
As we come to the end of this article, all of us from the Fanwonder.com family would like to send our heartiest congratulations to the girls of SNSD for their 4th anniversary as well as to the SONEs worldwide, who are celebrating the joyous occasion today!
지금은 소녀시대! 앞으로도 소녀시대! 영원히 소녀시대!
Right now, it’s Girls’ Generation! From now on, it’s Girls’ Generation! Forever, Girls’ Generation!
Image credit: Thsutleo, Woorissica, SuperSHINeeSNSD@Twitter, Untagged photos credit to their respective owners.
Credit: SONEternity, taeroro85@twitter.com, yenSBSi3@youtube.com, whxzc@youtube.com, SoshiBond009@youtube.com
Source: fanwonder.com
Girls' Generation at their best: performing for adoring fans.
At first glance, you would wonder why this group of girls has such a rabid following. The boy band/girl group phase had passed long ago, since ‘N Sync and Spice Girls went their separate ways. These girls speak and sing in a language that is more or less confined to a small peninsula in Asia. They hail from a country that is mainly known for being the home of many giant technology, electronics, and car companies as well as its long war with its northern counterpart gripped by dictatorship.
Yet, these girls have gained some of the most loyal fans around, as evidenced by the almost 186,000 fans here on Soshified alone, much more other fansites around the world and fans who have not affiliated themselves with any community. The girls may have appealed to some fans’ tastes right from the start. But for many of us who do not usually like girl groups, pop music in general, Korean pop music in particular, or anything related, why have we come to love these girls so much?
If you knew about SM Entertainment starting Girls’ Generation in the beginning, you would think they were crazy or doing everything wrong. As said before, the boy band/girl group fad had passed long ago. And even if one could still make good money from pop vocal groups, who in their right mind would include nine people, when the standard is four to five? Furthermore, choosing nine girls with different personalities, characteristics, habits, talents, and backgrounds looked like a huge catfight waiting to happen.
Vastly different personalities that come together very well.
And yet, that is the charm that has attracted us SONEs to Girls’ Generation. These nine girls, who are nine completely different and independent people, have come together to form a group that is stronger than even its already sturdy parts. As we have seen, these girls can be successful on their own through their many talents, whether it is hosting television or radio shows, DJing, acting in movies, dramas, or musicals, participating in reality shows, producing singles or duets on her own, dancing, modeling, endorsing products, playing instruments, speaking different languages, or going to school. Individually, they are all successful stars who are capable of blazing their own paths.
But what happens when you put Kim Taeyeon, Jessica Jung, Sunny Lee Soonkyu, Stephanie “Tiffany” Hwang, Kim Hyoyeon, Kwon Yuri, Choi Sooyoung, Im Yoona, and Seo Juhyun “Seohyun” together? You get a highly unstoppable force bent on world domination (in a good way). When all of the girls’ individual talents come together, something magical happens, and what results is a product and an experience that is hard to turn away from. Rather than subtract from each other, the differences these girls bring to the table only contribute to a greater good, especially the singing and dancing talents in performances or the camaraderie and dorkiness offstage. Can you imagine the group without Taeyeon’s powerful vocals or Hyoyeon’s strong dancing, or Yoona’s childishness versus Seohyun’s worldliness? I can’t.
There are many topics in Soshified that touch upon what fans would do if even one girl left Girls’ Generation. Most people say they would support the girls’ decisions and continue supporting them, though nothing would be the same. Maybe it’s because we are so used to this group of girls as they are. It’s interesting to think about what would happen if this group had been composed differently, whether adding or subtracting a member or having a different combination of members. Regardless, the dynamic of this group somehow makes everything perfect as is.
If you look up the definition of "perfection" in the dictionary, you'll find this picture.
We can go on and on talking about many different aspects of Girls’ Generation. But they are first and foremost entertainers, specializing in singing and dancing in live performances. Some may have had natural talent; others may have had to train harder than their peers to attain the level they are at. But one of the main reasons we are so attracted to these girls is because of their abilities in singing and dancing. These girls are able to pull off just about any genre or concept they take on, whether it’s an inspirational piece like “Into the New World”, a cute girly song like “Kissing You”, a slow and emotional ballad like “Dear Mom”, a rock theme like “Himnae”, a fun piece in “My Child”, something dark like “Run Devil Run”, something commercial and/or electronic such as “Visual Dreams”, or something in a completely different language like “MR. TAXI”. How they can learn and remember so many lyrics and so much choreography is only a testament to their talent and hard work day in and day out.
The girls may be able to be stars just through their musical performances. But they are endearing and viewed as normal people like you and me because they act like normal people off the stage, perhaps even crazier (again, in a good way). Jessica’s patented iciness and dolphin screams, Sunny’s bravery, Tiffany’s eye smile and fear of bugs, Yuri’s playfulness, and Sooyoung’s temper and hunger only scratch the surface of how many layers they have, not just individually, but as a group as well. Normally, you only see huge stars showing off a projected image in public, and sometimes you see them have massive meltdowns in private, though these make the public eye anyway. The girls are adept at having this “idol-aura” about them during official appearances, but out of the professional spotlight the girls are comfortable being themselves and know how to have fun without going overboard. The girls’ professional talent makes us respect them, but the girls’ personalities make us love them.
This is why after four years, Girls’ Generation is still going strong. Their talents are never-ending, and their personalities fit together perfectly like a puzzle. Because of this, their love for each other is so strong that they consider each other sisters; after all, they have grown up together and spent every waking moment with each other for years. Their love for their craft and other members only makes fans love them even more. Since that first performance on “Inkigayo” on August 5th, 2007, the girls have definitely come a long way, becoming stars in South Korea and noticed around the globe. As Girls’ Generation expands beyond South Korea and into Asia and the rest of the world, more and more fans are starting to take notice, making this a Global Generation. Girls’ Generation should be commended for a strong and great four years together, and we look forward to much more of the same for years to come.
The girls are happy they made it this far too.
Sources: Newsen, SM Entertainment, Sports Seoul, Domino's Pizza
Written by: residentbenchwarmer@soshified.com
According to Japanese media, Nikkan Sports on August 4th, Yuri, Tiffany and Sooyoung will be the MCs for ‘Kpop All Star Live in Niigata’, the largest Kpop festival in Japan which will be taking place on August 20th.
Organized by MBC in support of the reconstruction efforts in Japan after the catastrophic earthquake back in March this year, the charity concert will be graced by popular Kpop stars such as SNSD, Kara, 2pm, 2am, CN Blue, Beast, 4minute, Infinite, Teen Top, Sistar, Secret, Norazo, etc.
Being the largest Kpop event ever in Japan’s history, ‘Kpop All Star Live in Niigata’ is expected to attract a huge audience of 46,000.
Credit: tvdaily.co.kr
Source: fanwonder.com
On tvN's recent ENews program, professional stylists ranked a list of 40 different idols.
The idol that took the lead in best plainclothes fashion with 35% of votes was Girls' Generation's Jessica. Along with her recent beautiful transformation, her fashion sense has helped her become known as the top fashionable idol.
Jessica's fashion, that is both girly and chic, was chosen as the number one style that women want to imitate. Her airport fashion in particular gained attention for being both comfortable and stylish.
Stylist Lee Hyunbum complimented, "Jessica dresses really well, and has a good understanding of that certain style. I think she is the best within Girls' Generation."
Rounding out the top five, Davichi's Kang Minkyung was rated second, B2ST's Junhyung was third, T-ara's Hyomin ranked fourth, and miss A's Suzy placed fifth.
Source: Newsen (via Daum)
Image Source: Soshified Photos Section
Translated by: ch0sshi@soshified.com
Written by: BigSunnyOnes@soshified.com
