A post that was written at some point in the past by the older brother of Girls’ Generation member Taeyeon has drawn attention. The post entitled “Taeyeon’s Older Brother’s Photo, Handsome Gentleman” was posted on an online community site’s message board along with photos.
In the photos, Taeyeon’s elder brother Kim Jiwoong, who is 25 years old, is shown to have very distinct facial features and shows a cuteness similar to his sister. A message was also left for Taeyeon.
He wrote a heartwarming message that read, “Ever since I got into middle school, you were already mature and, at least in thought, you were like the eldest sister of the house, determined and professional. Even when you were living far away on your own, you always had a stoic and level-headed mindset that always made me bow my head to you (editors note: in respect).”
He continued, “My confidence in you is at 200%. You are my little sister, so I believe that you will do well. Your family is always standing by your side. I love you.”
Netizens commented, “Taeyeon’s brother has a soft spot for his little sister. I am jealous of Taeyeon for having such a brother and of Jiwoong for having such a sister,” and “As expected, Taeyeon has always been a well-mannered girl from the start. I am very jealous of the siblings’ relationship.”
Source: billboard.co.kr
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Tiffany Completes Final ‘Fame’ Musical Performance
Last night, Tiffany completed her final performance for the musical “Fame”. In the musical, she portrayed the character Carmen Diaz, a performing arts student with dreams of becoming famous. Her first performance was a little over a month ago, and SONEs showed their support for Tiffany by sending a large amount of rice to celebrate her musical debut. For her final show last night, SONEs put together another special event to show their appreciation and love for Tiffany.
After the final curtain call, SONEs prepared a cake outside the venue where the musical was performed. The cake was surrounded by candles arranged in a heart shape. Once Tiffany emerged from the venue, SONEs cheered wildly and congratulated her for a successful stint as a musical actress. After blowing out a candle on the cake and drawing loud applause from the fans, Tiffany exclaimed, “Saranghaeyo!” to the fans and promised to continue working hard in the future.
The congratulatory fan event ended as Tiffany walked to her car on a red carpet that was lined on both sides by candles. The red carpet and candles had also been prepared by SONEs in attendance. Tiffany turned and waved to her fans several more times before finally getting in her car to return home.
The next foray for Girls’ Generation into the world of stage musicals begins on March 28th, as Sunny will assume the role of Brenda in the musical “Catch Me If You Can”.
Girls’ Generation’s ‘The Boys’ Enters the Billboard Charts
After Girls’ Generation released their physical album in the United States, it secured the second spot on the Billboard “World Albums” chart and it also placed in the 22nd spot for the Billboard “Heatseekers Albums” chart. This is very impressive and a great achievement for a Hallyu artist who recently debuted in the United States.
In addition to that, Girls’ Generation will be heading off to New York next week for their guest appearances on “Late Show with David Letterman” and “LIVE! with Kelly”. Make sure to catch these episodes if you are able to. Girls’ Generation will also be having a fan-signing event at Best Buy Union Square on February 2nd. You can find out more about these events here.
Girls’ Generation Wins ‘Best Album of Asia’ at the 26th Japan Gold Disc Awards
On January 27th, the Japan Gold Disc Award 2012 honored Girls’ Generation with the “Best Album of Asia” award for their first full Japanese album. Since its release in June of 2011, the album has sold over 780,000 copies and was even ranked by SPIN Magazine as one of the top pop albums of 2011. The album has also surpassed one million shipments and placed in the top ten of the Oricon charts for 17 weeks, a new record for any artists outside of Japan.
Debuting with “GENIE” in 2010, Girls’ Generation also received the “New Artist of the Year” award at last year’s Japan Gold Disc Award 2011. In only a year, they have since released a single, a full album, and held a successful concert tour.
Updated: Yuri Leaves a Goodbye Message on MBC’s ‘Show! Music Core’
Update:
During the last episode which aired on the 28th of January, fans trended “MC YulTi Forever” on Twitter, which made it to the 5th spot on the worldwide trending list. This shows how much fans loved MC YulTi on MBC’s “Show! Music Core”.
Also, Yuri left a short goodbye message at the end of the show for viewers. You can watch the video of her goodbye message here and watch the entire MC cut here.
Previous article from 12/1/28
On the 27th of January, a representative of Girls’ Generation left a message on the girls’ official website stating that Yuri will be resigning from being a MC on MBC’s “Show! Music Core”.
Yuri will be hosting her last show on the 28th of January alongside Tiffany, but while Yuri will be stepping down, fans will be glad to hear that Tiffany will continue hosting the show. The staff also left a short message saying that, “Although it is unfortunate, Yuri will be showing a better image to the fans through other activities. Therefore, please show your support towards MC Yuri who has been presenting a good image thus far.”
Tiffany and Yuri first started hosting MBC’s “Show! Music Core” on the 4th of April 2009 but resigned on the 31st of July 2010 due to their Japanese activities. However, fans were elated when it was revealed late last year that Tiffany and Yuri will be taking over their spots once again starting on October 15th.
Sunny to Make Musical Acting Debut in ‘Catch Me If You Can’
Girls’ Generation’s Sunny has been cast in the musical “Catch Me If You Can”, based on the hit Hollywood movie.
Sunny will be playing the role of Brenda, the main love interest of the protagonist of the story, Frank Abagnale Jr. The story revolves around Frank’s life as a con artist who forges checks to pay himself millions as he turns himself into a fake doctor, lawyer, and even an airline pilot, all while constantly staying one step ahead of the chase from FBI agent Carl Hanratty. He finds a young girl, Brenda, whom he falls in love with but is unable to tell the truth about who he really is.
“Catch Me If You Can” was turned into a successful Broadway musical and is now hitting the stage in Korea. Among the other actors that will be in the musical are CSJH The Grace’s Dana, who will share the role of Brenda with Sunny and Choi Woori, and SHINee’s Key and Super Junior’s Kyuhyun, who will play the role of Frank.
Sunny will soon join her fellow Girls’ Generation members Taeyeon, Jessica, and Tiffany as a musical actress. Upon hearing the news of Sunny’s casting, fans quickly voiced their excitement, trending “Catch Me If You Can” worldwide on Twitter.
“Catch Me If You Can” will run from March 28th through June 10th with performances on Tuesdays through Saturdays at 4pm and 8pm, and Sundays at 3pm and 7pm at Bluesquare Samsung Card Hall. The official website for the musical also released a short teaser, which you can view below. Congratulations to Sunny and good luck in “Catch Me If You Can”!
Taeyeon to Make a Cameo Appearance on ‘Salamander Guru and the Gang’
Girls’ Generation’s Taeyeon will make a cameo appearance on SBS’s new sitcom, “Salamander Guru and the Gang”.
On January 25, an SBS official expressed, “There will be cameo appearances on every episode of ‘Salamander Guru and the Gang’. Taeyeon has finished her recording for the sitcom yesterday, and will appear in 3-4 episodes instead of one.”
Taeyeon’s involvement in the drama adds on to Girls’ Generation’s acting plans in early 2012. Even though she will only appear briefly, fans are already having high expectations for her cameo in “Salamander Guru and the Gang”, having witnessed Taeyeon’s acting skills in the musical “Midnight Sun”.
“Salamander Guru and the Gang” has caused a stir amongst K-pop fans when labelmate SHINee’s Minho was announced to play the lead role. This drama will have a total of 10 episodes, and its first broadcast is scheduled to be on January 25 at 11:05 PM.
Popular Korean girl group Girls’ Generation appeared at Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Tokyo for the first ever collaborative fashion event between Korea and Japan, called “KISS (Korean International Style Show)” on January 25th.
Girls’ Generation received the biggest cheer at the event when they appeared on stage to perform five of their popular songs, including “The Boys”, “Genie”, and “MR.TAXI”. Sooyoung later greeted the crowd in fluent Japanese, saying, “Everyone from Tokyo, it’s been a while, how has everyone been? We’re really happy to appear alongside so many other artists today.”
The girls wore Houndstooth-checkered monotone suit pants with long black leggings, giving off a cool, coordinated feel. Tiffany explained, “The member’s of Girls’ Generation also have a lot of interest in fashion, and we worried about what we should wear. But in the end, we decided to wear suits because it gives off a cool feel.” Afterward, Tiffany called out to the crowd in a cute voice, “How is it, does it look good?~”
The “KISS” event goes from January 25th through the 27th, and the main theme is “Greatest collaboration between Korea and Japan. From Shibuya to Asia, then on to the world”. Around 11000 people attended the event that featured other Korean artists such as CNBLUE, SISTAR, and Beast, who were also working alongside top models from both Korea and Japan. Girls’ Generation’s Jessica was unable to attend the event because she was filming her drama “Wild Romance”.
Updated: Girls’ Generation to Visit New York for First Official U.S. Fansign Event and TV Appearances
Update:
All dates and time updated. Start planning those trips.
After performing at SMTown New York in late October, Girls’ Generation will be making a return trip to New York next week to promote their music and meet with fans. (Note: All times are EST.)
The following is the girls’ schedule in New York:
Monday, January 30th 10:00 AM Arrive at John F. Kennedy International Airport
Tuesday, January 31st: 1:00 PM Arrive at the Ed Sullivan Theater (219 West 53rd, New York, NY 10019) to tape “The Late Show with David Letterman” 5:15 PM Begin taping of “The Late Show with David Letterman”
Wednesday, February 1st: 7:45 AM Arrive at ABC Studios (7 Lincoln Square, New York, NY 10023) to tape “LIVE! with Kelly” 9:00 AM Begin taping of “LIVE! with Kelly”
Thursday, February 2nd: 7:00 PM Fan-signing at Best Buy Union Square (52 East 14th St., New York, NY 10003)
Soshified will be sponsoring a “Super Fan Contest” for all SONEs who come to New York to see Girls’ Generation. Fans that come to all four aforementioned events will have a chance to meet Girls’ Generation, take a group photo with them, and receive other Girls’ Generation merchandise. Flyers with contest rules and event and prize details will be distributed at each event, and every fan who attends each event at the designated time will receive a different-colored stamp at each event on one’s flyer.
Seven fans who attend all three events prior to the fan-signing and who come the Union Square Best Buy on February 2nd will be randomly selected by Girls’ Generation as winners of this contest.
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Yuri to Resign as MC from MBC’s ‘Show! Music Core’
On the 27th of January, a representative of Girls’ Generation left a message on the girls’ official website stating that Yuri will be resigning from being a MC on MBC’s “Show! Music Core”.
Yuri will be hosting her last show on the 28th of January alongside Tiffany, but while Yuri will be stepping down, fans will be glad to hear that Tiffany will continue hosting the show. The staff also left a short message saying that, “Although it is unfortunate, Yuri will be showing a better image to the fans through other activities. Therefore, please show your support towards MC Yuri who has been presenting a good image thus far.”
Tiffany and Yuri first started hosting MBC’s “Show! Music Core” on the 4th of April 2009 but resigned on the 31st of July 2010 due to their Japanese activities. However, fans were elated when it was revealed late last year that Tiffany and Yuri will be taking over their spots once again starting on October 15th. Although it is saddening to hear that Yuri has to leave her position, Soshified wishes her the best of luck in her other activities.
Music Producer Invites Girls’ Generation to Perform on ‘Late Show with David Letterman’
The music producer of CBS’s popular talk show, “Late Show with David Letterman”, spoke highly of Girls’ Generation.
SM Entertainment revealed part of the e-mail received from the music producer of “Late Show with David Letterman”, Sheryl Zelikson, confirming Girls’ Generation’s appearance on the show. According to the e-mail, Sheryl Zelikson said, “We think Girls’ Generation is a very exciting and distinctive group therefore we decided to invite them to the show. We’re really happy that they have agreed to appear on our show.”
Girls’ Generation is scheduled to appear on the “Late Show with David Letterman” on the 31st of January, and they will be performing the title track of their US maxi single, “The Boys”. The English and Korean versions of the song were released worldwide in October last year, while the US maxi single was released digitally in December and physically this month.
Besides attending the “Late Show with David Letterman”, Girls’ Generation will also be making an appearance on ABC’s morning talk show, “LIVE! with Kelly” on the 1st of February together with famous popstar, Jennifer Lopez. Also, as Jessica and Tiffany are fluent English speakers, the girls will not be having any translators on the show with them.
Girls’ Generation to Release Repackaged Japanese Album in Korea
Just moments ago, it was announced that Girls’ Generation will be releasing their repackaged, first Japanese album in Korea. The album, titled “Re:Package Album: Girls’ Generation ~The Boys~” will be out in Korea on the 9th of February.
There will be two different versions of the album. The regular edition will only come with a CD, while the first press edition will come with a CD and a DVD. Below is the track list of the album.
[CD]
1. The Boys (JAPANESE ver.)
2. THE GREAT ESCAPE (Brian Lee remix)
3. BAD GIRL feat. DEV (The Cataracs remix)
4. Time Machine
5. MR.TAXI
6. GENIE
7. Gee
8. I’m In Love With The HERO
9. 훗 (HOOT)
10. Let It Rain
11. Beautiful Stranger
12. you-aholic
13. Run Devil Run
14. BORN TO BE A LADY
15. [Bonus track] MR.TAXI (Steve Aoki remix)
[DVD]
-Music Clip-
1. The Boys (English ver.)
2. BAD GIRL
You can show your support for Girls’ Generation by purchasing your copy of this album via Leesmusic. The regular edition can be purchased here while the first press edition can be bought here .
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Sunny Bridges the Generational Gap on ‘Invincible Youth 2′
Girls’ Generation’s Sunny has taken the title of a character who can find common ground with the 70s and 80s generations.
In celebration of the lunar new year, “Invincible Youth 2″ invited the father of comedy, Lim Haryong, to teach G8 about traditional foods and games. Lim Haryong, who met G8 for the first time, started the filming by calling each one of the members by their name and creating a peaceful and happy atmosphere. While explaining about the new year traditions, he asked questions relating to the foods that Koreans eat during lunar new year. However, G8, which consists of members in their late teens and early twenties who lived in the city for a long time, seemed to be taken aback because they did not have any special memories or have any knowledge of the new year traditions.
Girls’ Generation’s Sunny proved to be far ahead of the rest of the G8 members by knowing the answers to many questions that the others did not know. Lim Haryong was so surprised at Sunny that he asked, “How old are you really?” Hyoyeon added to this by saying, “In truth, Sunny’s nickname is ’60Sunny’. She was born in ’89 but she acts like someone from the 60s, so Girls’ Generation members named her that way.” At this, Lee Soogeun, who saw that Sunny had dyed her hair blonde said, “There’s a rumor that Sunny’s hair is not dyed blonde, but it’s her hair turning white”, causing everyone to burst out laughing.
Sunny’s rediscovery as “60Sunny” acted as the bridge between generations by explaining the old comedy of Lim Haryong to other G8 members who are not familiar with humor such as “Should I do that at my age”, “If only I were a week younger”, and acting out little vignettes such as “Humor House No.1″. This episode of “Invincible Youth 2″ with the meeting of different generations will air on January 28th at 11:05pm KST.
Sunny Featured in Brown Eyed Girls’ Miryo’s First Solo Teaser
Sunny has made a surprise appearance in Brown Eyed Girls’ member Miryo’s first solo teaser.
The teaser was just released, and to everyone’s astonishment, Miryo was not the main actor. Sunny’s unmistakable short blonde hair was the first clue shown until she turned around to reveal a chic look with sunglasses.
Sunny formed a close relationship with another Brown Eyed Girls member, Narsha, during their filming of “Invincible Youth”, and their friendship has lasted, with the two snapping a selca together recently. It looks like Sunny has become close with the other members of Brown Eyed Girls as well.
Check out Sunny’s surprise cameo in Miryo’s teaser below.
On January 19th, the OST for “Wild Romance”, titled “Maybe”, was released. Jessica and rapper, Kim Jinpyo, sang this song together and it has an upbeat rhythm that makes you want to sing and dance along to it. The song can be bought here and it comes together with an instrumental version.
Kim Gunwoo wrote and composed the song, “Maybe”, and he has also written songs for artists like MC Mong, Maybee, Supreme Team, A-Pink, Jewelry and more. Kim Jinpyo also personally assisted in penning the lyrics to the song.
IT Maeil Interviews Girls’ Generation About ‘Freestyle Sports’
JCE’s most famous sports games, “Freestyle”, “Freestyle Football”, and “Freestyle 2″, were all brought together for the “Freestyle Sports” brand. After choosing Korea’s greatest girl group Girls’ Generation as their main model for the brand, they have quickly gained attention.
“Freestyle Sports” updated the games with Girls’ Generation characters – “Freestyle” with Tiffany, Yuri, and Sooyoung, “Freestyle Football” with Sunny, Yoona, and Seohyun, and “Freestyle 2″ with Taeyeon, Jessica, and Hyoyeon characters.
They held an event for all three games simultaneously, distributing one free Girls’ Generation character to users. At another event, limited posters and Girls’ Generation packages were given away on a first-come-first-serve basis.
So how do the main models, Girls’ Generation, feel about the sports game? In this interview, we listened to their feelings, future plans, and resolutions.
-How do you feel about becoming the main models for “Freestyle Sports”?
We were able to meet with everyone through “Freestyle Sports” this winter. Basketball and soccer are all sports that are popular in Korea. We are well aware of other girl groups participating in “Freestyle” and “Freestyle Football”. We have also heard that we are the first girl group to work with the newly released “Freestyle 2″. We’re happy about the meaningful opportunity to become the first girl group to have characters for “Freestyle 2″. Our hearts flutter just imagining that Girls’ Generation will be shown doing difficult dunks, making three-pointers, and making volley shots.
-Three members were divided as models for each game. Was there a certain criteria?
While working with “Freestyle Sports”, we each had one keyword that we had to express. Yoona’s was “challenge”, Sooyoung’s was “delight”, Yuri’s was “competition”, Hyoyeon and Jessica had “match/showdown”, Taeyeon and Sunny’s was “passion”, and Tiffany and Seohyun’s was “victory”. We first divided the members by the keywords that would match well with each other. Three member characters have been divided for each game right now, but users should be able to see all nine members for each game soon.
-Was there anything interesting that happened during the Freestyle Sports CF shoot?
Ah! There was a member who found an unexpected talent while filming! There were a lot of scenes where members had to throw basketballs and kick soccer balls during the “Freestyle Sports” shoot. Of them, the member who left an impression was Jessica. It was a scene where Jessica had to shoot a three-pointer past Hyoyeon’s defense. At first, the way she was holding the ball was awkward. However, after shooting a few times, she was surprisingly really good. It was to the point where we were saying we found Jessica’s unexpected, hidden basketball skills through this CF filming. The atmosphere was great, with the staff members cheering every time she made a shot.
-Have you played the game?
We don’t have a lot of time to spend alone when preparing for promotions or an album. It’s difficult finding time for a hobby other than dancing or vocal practice. There are members who played games in the past, so we do have a bit of interest in them. We like casual games in particular. ”Freestyle”, “Freestyle Football”, “Freestyle 2″ are games that we have heard a lot about, but haven’t been able to play ourselves. We did see staff playing during the CF shoot, and it looked really fun. Since it is a sports game where you have to split into teams, it would be really fun for our competitive members.
-Any promotional plans as models for Freestyle Sports?
Because we are models for “Freestyle Sports”, gamers will be able to see us in the “Freestyle” series every day. We will also meet users through television ads and through online and offline contests. Please give Girls’ Generation characters in the “Freestyle” series lots and lots of love!
-Any future Girls’ Generation’s activities or plans?
We had a happy ending to the year with all the love shown for our third album, “The Boys”, in and outside of Korea. We will be juggling concerts overseas as well as members’ individual activities with music, dramas, musicals and variety shows. Fans will be able to see a dynamic Girls’ Generation.
-Lastly, a word as Freestyle’s models.
(Yuri) ”Hello, this is Girls’ Generation’s Yuri. Look at me flying around the basketball court in ‘Freestyle’!”
(Sooyoung) ”Hello, this is Girls’ Generation’s Sooyoung. Pick my Sooyoung character a lot!”
(Tiffany) ”Hello, this is Tiffany. Did you hear that us nine members of Girls’ Generation have fallen deeply for basketball and soccer this winter? Give ‘Freestyle Sports’, where our characters will appear, lots of love. And please give my Tiffany character lots of love!”
(Sunny) ”Hello, this is Sunny! A cute Sunny character appears in ‘Freestyle Sports’! Are you ready to be surprised? Look forward to the bouncy play of Sunny that you can’t see on stage!”
(Seohyun) ”Hello, this is Girls’ Generation’s maknae, Seohyun. Have you seen the Seohyun character that’s like myself – enjoying challenges? Spend a happy winter with ‘Freestyle Sports’ and Girls’ Generation!”
(Yoona) ”Hello, this is Girls’ Generation’s Yoona. I am planning on showing a fast, quick and hidden new charm through ‘Freestyle Sports’! Look forward to it!”
(Taeyeon) ”Hello, this is Girls’ Generation’s Taeyeon. I hope you choose the Taeyeon character a lot and have fun playing. Even though it’s a small, petite character, it’s still a skilled character! Give it lots of love.”
(Hyoyeon) ”Love the ‘Freestyle’ series a lot, which is fun even just watching. Give the Hyoyeon character lots of love, too!”
(Jessica) ”What do you think about meeting me everyday this winter through ‘Freestyle Sports’? I will be showing my haughty plays through ‘Freestyle 2′. Look forward to it.”
On the 19th of January, Girls’ Generation attended the 21st High1 Seoul Music Awards.
The girls appeared on the red carpet prior to the award ceremony, and they were dressed in matching tones of black and white. Members Taeyeon and Tiffany wore mini dresses, while Sooyoung and Yoona were dressed very smartly in blazers and long pants. Sunny’s hair in particular caught the attention of many. Her new hair style gave her a very a edgy look and it matched her outfit very well.
Girls’ Generation has been nominated tonight in various categories such as the Daesang and the Bonsang. You can watch the award ceremony live here, or stay tuned to Soshified for further updates.
Girls’ Generation Wins Two Awards at Seoul Music Awards
During the 21st High1 Seoul Music Awards, Girls’ Generation did SONEs proud once again by nabbing two awards. The first award that they took home was the Bonsang. The Bonsang is presented to the top ten (it was twelve this year instead) artists of the year by calculating album and digital sales. Online voting, together with a final judging by the judges, help to determine the artists who receive the Bonsang.
Apart from Girls’ Generation, the other eleven artists who won the Bonsang are Secret, Sistar, 4 Minute, FT Island, BEAST, IU, Lee Seunggi, Super Junior, Miss A, T-ara and KARA.
Girls’ Generation accepting their Bonsang
In their acceptance speech, the members thanked people like their parents, SM, their managers and SONEs, and they also said that they were extremely grateful to be invited to the SMA.
Girls’ Generation accepting their Popularity Award
The next award which was presented to Girls’ Generation was the Popularity Award. Girls’ Generation won this award together with Lee Seunggi, and they were ecstatic as they made their way up to collect their award. Tiffany and Sooyoung in particular thanked SONEs for their support and Tiffany even said, “I can’t do anything but thank the fans for this award. I’m tearing up!”
After accepting their second award of the night, the girls took the stage and performed their hit song “The Boys”. The crowd erupted in cheers, and the loyal SONEs who were in attendance created a mini pink ocean and held up paper signs that read “This year is also Girls’ Generation” in Korean. Congratulations Girls’ Generation on all your accomplishments this past year!
Girls’ Generation’s Hyoyeon recently predicted what she would be doing ten years from now.
On the upcoming episode of jTBC “Girls’ Generation and Dangerous Boys”, the girls participated in an activity where they took the time to draw and write out what they would be doing ten years from now.
On this day, Hyoyeon wrote, “I can feel my contractions. I think the fourth and fifth children are on their way,” hinting at her desire of wanting many childen. She also wrote, “The job that I’ve wanted and dreamed of for so long”, indicating achieving her dream of being a fashion designer, after ten years.
She continued on by writing, “I’m proud of myself for waiting and coming this far without giving up”, making everyone present anticipate Hyoyeon’s future appearance as a fashion designer. The episode will also reveal the boys’ future diary entries, with entries varying from seeing themselves performing on stage to them reflecting on their pasts.
This episode of future diaries will air on January 22nd at 7:30pm KST.
Sunny Crowned ‘Best Mentor’ On ‘Girls’ Generation and Dangerous Boys’
Girls’ Generation’s Sunny was named the best mentor on “Girls Generation and Dangerous Boys”.
In an upcoming episode of “Girls’ Generation and Dangerous Boys”, Girls’ Generation had a quiz battle. The quiz looked to see which member of Girls’ Generation, after having served as a mentor for nine weeks, knew the boy she was mentoring best. The members participated enthusiastically, with their pride on the line as mentors.
Sunny, surprisingly, got the most questions right in the intense, close match, winning the title as “best mentor”.
Yoona and Seohyun Appear in SM Fashionistas’ Photoshoot
On January 21st, the official YouTube pages for SM Entertainment and W Korea uploaded videos of Girls’ Generation’s Yoona and Seohyun attending the SM Fashionistas’ photoshoot.
As reported earlier, Yoona, Seohyun, SHINee’s Jonghyun and Taemin, f(x)’s Krystal and Sulli, and EXO’s Kai, Lu Han and Se Hun participated in a photoshoot with the fashion magazine “W” for the French fashion brand “CARVEN”. The members of SHINee and f(x) took part in the photoshoot on January 19th, while Yoona and Seohyun were featured on January 21st. The members of EXO attended both days of the photoshoot.
Footage from the photoshoot was uploaded live to the SMTOWN and W Korea YouTube channels, allowing fans to watch the event as it happened. The official Twitter account for W Korea also released the above photo of Yoona and Seohyun from the shoot. Twitter users showed their excitement as the videos from the second day of the photoshoot were uploaded, and “W Live 2 S” quickly trended worldwide.
Check out all the videos of Yoona and Seohyun at the SM Fashionistas’ photoshoot below.
Girls’ Generation will add LG Cinema 3D TV to their list of endorsements.
On January 16th, LG Electronics stated that they chose Girls’ Generation as their new model for their Cinema 3D TV product line. Girls’ Generation is gathering popularity globally, and LG Electronics plans to connect the group to 3D TV in order to increase the popularity of 3D TV’s worldwide and secure the image of “3D = LG”.
Director Han Woonghyun, who is in charge of brand communication, said, “With Girls’ Generation’s image as the leading group of Hallyu, we will solidify a newly upgraded LG Cinema 3D TV image.” LG Electronics will launch various marketing activities with the already established model, actor Won Bin, and Girls’ Generation as their top two spokespeople.
Last year, Girls’ Generation endorsed Intel’s core family of processors with the “Visual Dreams” campaign, which was a huge hit. Already with this year just starting, Girls’ Generation looks to continue the trend of being the top model for the biggest tech companies in Korea.
Girls’ Generation Completes First Concert in Hong Kong
On January 15th, girl group Girls’ Generation successfully finished their first concert in Hong Kong. Girls’ Generation captivated fans during the “2012 Girls’ Generation Tour in Hong Kong” held in the Hong Kong AsiaWorld-Arena with various performances and stage displays.
According to SM Entertainment, hundreds of fans waited at the Hong Kong International Airport on January 14th for the arrival of Girls’ Generation at the late hour of 11:30PM. Various media and news agencies also competed for coverage of the event.
Girls’ Generation opened the concert with “Tell Me Your Wish” and continued with hit songs such as “MR. TAXI”, “Oh!”, “Gee”, and “The Boys”. They also put on solo stages where fans could experience the individual personalities of all nine members. 32 stages were performed in total.
Fans in Hong Kong also prepared a surprise event for Girls’ Generation. During “Complete”, they moved the girls’ hearts by holding up papers that read “You + Me = Complete”. After the last song “Fantastic”, fans also threw symbolic pink balloons up into the air and flooded the arena with pink.
Girls’ Generation’s next concert tour stop will be in Thailand in February.
Girls’ Generation’s First Japanese Album Breaks Record
Girls’ Generation’s first Japanese album “Girls Generation”, released on June 6th of last year, sold 16,000 copies this past week, giving them fifth place on Oricon’s weekly album sales chart. This is the first time in history that an album by a Korean artist has placed in the Top 10 for seventeen weeks. The previous record holder was the original soundtrack for the Korean drama “Winter Sonata”, which remained in the Top 10 for sixteen weeks. ”Winter Sonata” was released in September of 2003.
In addition, Girls’ Generation holds the record among foreign artists for the most album sales in a week for a debut album with 232,000 copies sold. Currently, 780,000 copies of “Girls’ Generation” have been sold, which includes their repackaged album. “The Boys” also made impressive headway. It was the best selling Korean album of 2011 with 385,348 copies sold.
Girls’ Generation Sings Karaoke on ‘Girls’ Generation and Dangerous Boys’
On the January 15th episode of jTBC’s “Girls’ Generation and Dangerous Boys”, Girls’ Generation will be singing Wonder Girls’ “Be My Baby”.
In the episode, Girls’ Generation takes the “Dangerous Boys” on a special trip outside to karaoke as a reward for their good behavior. Along with “Be my Baby”, they will sing other girl groups’ songs as well as their own song, “The Boys”. The episode will show them having fun as they dance and sing. In addition to the fun karaoke, the same episode will also show members of Girls’ Generation giving thoughtful and heartfelt New Years’ gifts to their mentees.
On the episode of “Invincible Youth 2″ on January 14th, Girls’ Generation’s Sunny shed tears while thinking about her parents. The mothers of the G8 members paid a surprise visit to Daebudo dorms. The G8 members had spent the day making animal sheds and cleaning cow fecal matter. The members who currently live in dorms, with the exception of Kang Jiyoung, showed longing for their parents.
Sunny revealed through tears, “My mom comes to see me often, but my dad is actually overseas. We can’t see each other very much, because we are so busy. I really miss him.” Sunny wiped her tears saying, “I’m such a fool”, and the atmosphere got serious when Bora also started tearing.
Girls’ Generation Breaks Record for Concert Ticket Sales in Thailand
On January 14th, Girls’ Generation broke the record for the fastest concert to sell out in Thailand.
Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand will be hosting the Fanta Playtime Presents Girls’ Generation Tour on February 12, 2012. The highest priced tickets, which were 4500 baht and 5000 baht each, sold out in ten minutes. Other unconfirmed sources suggest that it was even less. (Editor’s note: Baht is currency in Thailand. One U.S. dollar equals thirty baht.) All 11,000 concert tickets were sold in twenty minutes, setting the record for the concert to be sold out the fastest in Thailand.
Girls’ Generation recently won the Digital Daesang at the 26th Golden Disk Award on January 12th, making them the only artist to have received three Daesang awards. Their most recent album, “The Boys”, was also the best selling album of 2011.
The girls will also be in Hong Kong on January 15th for their next stop on their “Second Asia Concert Tour”. After performing in Singapore on December 9th and 10th of last year, Girls’ Generation is looking to continue their concert success in Hong Kong and Bangkok.
Girls’ Generation Wins Digital Daesang at the 26th Golden Disk Awards
Girls’ Generation Wins the Digital Daesang award for the 26th Golden Disk Awards.
The 26th Golden Disk Awards in Osaka was held in the Kyocera Dome, Osaka, Japan on January 11-12 as a two-day award event. Girls’ Generation came on the second day, wearing dark-toned dresses as they graced the red carpet.
At around 8:40 p.m., the nine girls received a Digital Bonsang award for their 2011 Korean single, “The Boys”. They expressed their thoughts after winning by saying, “Thank you to the fans who love not only one track ‘The Boys’, but the 3rd album as a whole. In the future, we will be a more hardworking Girls’ Generation.”
Fans were delighted when they received the news, and “Congrats SNSD” soon appeared on the worldwide trending topics list on Twitter. The two words managed to reached the third rank on the list in a short span of time.
Around 90 minutes after receiving their Digital Bonsang award, Girls’ Generation was called onto the stage once again to receive their Digital Daesang award. Girls’ Generation has received three Daesang awards in a row starting in 2009 with their first Digital Daesang. More were added to their ongoing list as they earn their first Disk Daesang award in 2010 and this year’s Digital Daesang award. Girls’ Generation is now officially the first girl group that has received three Daesang awards, the highest number of Daesang awards any group or artist has ever received.
On a side note, Tiffany was absent from the 25th Golden Disk Awards last year due to an injury, so the girls were thrilled to have her on stage and to be able to stand as nine while they received the most prestigious award of the night.
“Congrats SNSD” and “Digital Daesang” quickly made their ways up the worldwide Twitter trending topics list, expressing the instant excitement fans felt. Pictures from the red carpet and the event can be found in Soshified’s photo section here and here respectively.
Interview with Girls’ Generation After Winning Their Third Golden Disk Daesang
Girls’ Generation, who has been active in Asia and all around the world, held the digital Golden Disk daesang and shed hot tears. Girls’ Generation made their first steps on the Golden Disk Award stage in 2007, receiving the rookie award with “Into the New World”. In 2009, they received the digital Golden Disk daesang with “Tell Me Your Wish”, and also received the daesang the following year with “Hoot”. They were able to receive the digital daesang for “The Boys” once again this year. After the award ceremony ended, we met with the members, who were hugging one another, enjoying their happiness backstage.
-What were your thoughts when you were called for the daesang?
(Taeyeon) ”I’m really thankful. Because they called us in Japanese, I didn’t hear it well at first and was taken aback. It turned out they had called Girls’ Generation. (laughs) I can’t stop smiling even now. I’m reminded of last year. We shed tears of joy last year, too. I’m happy they gave it to us again this year.”
-Did you predict your win?
(Tiffany) ”I wanted to receive it. (laughs) But I was nervous because there were other talented and great singers. I told myself I’d be satisfied even without an award because we worked hard last year. But I’m thankful we were given the award.”
-Is there anyone you’re thinking of right now?
(Sooyoung) ”I would have to say our fans are the first to come to mind. We were able to receive this award thanks to our fans. I’m thankful.”
-The members were all sad when receiving the daesang last year because Tiffany wasn’t present due to an injured leg. This year must have been more special because you received it all together.
(Tiffany) ”It felt really good. I think I was the happiest and most excited. I’m happy being with my members and can only think of working harder.”
-What kind of year was 2011 like for Girls’ Generation?
(Jessica) ”It was a very busy year. It was a year where we could meet many fans overseas. If they wait a little, we will go to meet them again.”
-You received the rookie award in 2007, digital daesang in 2009, and Golden Disk daesang in 2010. You recieved the daesang again this year, as well as a bonsang. You have a deep connection with Golden.
(Yuri) ”It’s a real honor. There were many good things after receiving the awards. I think this year will be another happy year.”
-During the past 3 years, you didn’t miss a single daesang, getting the digital daesang one year, the Golden Disk daesang the next, and the digital daesang again this year. Girls’ Generation is the second singer to receive the daesang for three consecutive years following Kim Gunmo.
(Yoona) ”I got goosebumps after hearing that just now. Ah, it feels electrifying hearing ‘three consecutive years’ that I’m getting goosebumps. Thank you, and we will work hard to show good results next year with great performances.”
-You’ve been continuing to rise after your debut. But I think there would have been times where you were tired as an individual. When was that?
(Tiffany) ”There were always hard times, but I was able to overcome those hard times because of my members. I’m thankful to my members.”
-Plans for 2012?
(Seohyun) ”We’ve been having a Japan arena tour since last year. We are planning on continuing our concerts this year. While going around our arena tour, I’ve gained a dream to have a world tour. I want to meet with fans often.”
-A word to fans all over the world.
“Thank you for giving us such a big award. 2012 is also Girls’ Generation!”
Yoona and Seohyun to Appear in SM Fashionistas’ Photoshoot
Yoona and Seohyun, along with SHINee’s Jonghyun and Taemin, f(x)’s Krystal and Sulli, and EXO, will be participating in the SM Fashionistas’ photoshoot with fashion magazine “W” for the French fashion brand “CARVEN”. They will be attempting an open studio shoot where it will be filmed and broadcasted live on January 19th and 21st, and will be aired through SMTown and W Korea’s Youtube channels. “CARVEN” will be launched in February in Korea, and the photoshoot pictures will be released through Facebook.
With brands such as J.ESTINA, Vita500, and SPAO, Girls’ Generation is no stranger to endorsements. Seohyun’s ad for The Face Shop had also appeared in November. Yoona, who is currently filming for her role in “Love Rain”, had endorsed for Innisfree and Eider, which she is currently modeling with actor Lee Minho.
Be sure to watch to watch the live photoshoot for “W” magazine on Youtube.
It has been mentioned that Jessica was added to KBS2′s drama “Wild Romance” as a secret weapon. Since the drama seems to have quite an unpredictable storyline in the eyes of drama fanatics, it will be hard to determine how good the viewer ratings will be. However, many are speculating that Girls’ Generation’s Jessica being a cast member will help boost the ratings. Because of recent overseas schedules, Jessica was only able to film her parts starting early next week. As Jessica slowly garners the interest of many people with her drama debut, her character will be making her first appearance in “Wild Romance”‘s sixth episode.
A staff member of the drama stated, “We haven’t been able to film yet due to her overseas schedules. We will begin filming early next week, and she will be joining with a major role.” In addition to acting, Jessica will also be singing the OST for “Wild Romance” alongside Kim Jinpyo. The song is set to be digitally released on January 19th and can be found here. “Wild Romance” will be broadcasted Wednesday and Thursday every week at 9:55PM KST.
Sunny Receives Praise for Her Hard Work in ‘Koala Kid’
The large amount of effort that Sunny put into voice acting for “Koala Kid: Birth of a Great Hero” is drawing praise from the director of the movie. The movie’s director, Lee KyungHo, said he has “fallen for Sunny” after seeing how hard she works. “We had to record at the end of the year, but because Girls’ Generation had so many schedules, we had to record at dawn. In Sunny’s case, she could look at the script (while recording), but she came with the entire thing memorized. She even matched her voice with how the mouth looks in the animation.”
Not only did she come to the recording fully prepared, but she also made sure her best work was shown. Lee KyungHo continued, “We recorded for two days, and we finished accordingly on the second day. I told Sunny, ‘I really like it, but if you think anything is weird, we can go through it again.’ Sunny said she wanted to record it again from the start, and some parts came out better [than the first time].”
Last week, Sunny attended a press conference for the film where she thanked her fellow members Taeyeon and Seohyun for their advice on dubbing for an animated movie. “Koala Kid: Birth of a Great Hero” will be released on January 12th.
Girls’ Generation’s Japanese Album Surpasses One Million Shipments Mark
Girls’ Generation’s first Japanese album “Girls’ Generation”, which was released last year on June 1st, surpassed the one million copy shipments mark on January 11th, half a year later. The only other albums to pass this mark were BoA’s “Listen to My Heart” in 2002 with 1.29 million copies, “Valenti” with 1.4 million copies in 2003, and “Best of Soul” with 1.2 million copies in 2005. Being a Korean girl group, surpassing the one million copy shipments mark for the first time is an amazing accomplishment for Girls’ Generation.
Girls’ Generation took the top spot on the Oricon chart in their first appearance, and stayed in the top ten for thirteen weeks, a record for a “long-seller” (artists usually stay in the top ten on the Oricon chart for an average of one to two months, so thirteen weeks is especially long for a foreign artist). With the repackaged version of the girls’ first Japanese album being released on December 28th, the album came back onto Oricon’s weekly chart at number two, and with this passed the one million shipments mark.
In response to this, the members of Girls’ Generation said, “The feeling hasn’t hit us yet, but we are really happy that a lot of people listen to our music. We want to continue to do our best in order to provide amazing songs for our fans who have supported us and not disappoint fans’ expectations.”
The Limited First Press and the Normal editions of Girls’ Generation’s repackaged Japanese album, “The Boys”, may be purchased by clicking on the links.
Cine21 Interviews Sunny About ‘Koala Kid: Birth of a Great Hero’
Cine21, a Korean website that delivers news on movies, recently interviewed Sunny and SHINee’s Taemin on their new movie “Koala Kid: Birth of a Great Hero”. Sunny and Taemin voice the main characters in this animated film, and talked about their thoughts on dubbing the movie and the movie itself.
(Editor’s Note: Only questions with Sunny’s answers were included in this translation. Non-Sunny parts were omitted.)
-I think Sunny would have been told that she looks like a koala.
While dubbing, I was told many times that I looked like a koala, but after hearing what Taemin said, I think our habits are more similar. I also sleep a lot and eat a lot. (Laughs) (TL note: In the previous question that was omitted, Taemin was asked if he liked koalas. He stated how koalas sleep twenty hours a day and eat or relax for the other four hours.)
-How did you feel when you were cast for a voice appearance?
Honestly, at first, I thought of it as something easy. I think it’s because I enjoyed watching Disney animations when I was little, so I only thought of it as something good. But after watching the video the staff gave me and reading the script, I couldn’t do it. I was surprised. I wondered and worried about how I would do this, but when I went to record, the staff was really nice. Normally, I’m reserved, so it was a relief that they were kind and were patient with my voice acting.
-That’s surprising, because you don’t seem shy at all on variety shows like “Invincible Youth”.
Sunny: I have a bit of a switch for (TV) shows.
Taemin: As expected, a true celebrity!
-Other Girls’ Generation members, Taeyeon and Seohyun, did voice acting for “Super Bad”. Did they give you any help?
They recorded for four days. I really didn’t have enough time so I had to complete everything (Sunny’s recording) in two days. When I told them that (I only had two days), they told me to practice a lot, and that overreacting will be more natural for animated films and more fun for viewers.
-Johnny (Taemin’s character) has a bit of a shy and hesitant personality, whereas Miranda is assertive. Were there any special requests made by the director for your voices to fit the different characteristics?
Miranda is charismatic and a bit of a strong character. It was really difficult expressing that with just my voice. It’d be a different story if I was showing the actions. When I first listened to it, it sounded stiff and awkward. But the director and staff explained the situation to me well, asking what I thought about certain scenes, so I was able to grasp the character.
-Johnny and Miranda constantly bicker and end up falling in love. I heard you recorded this separately. I think your fingers would curl a bit at that scene.
Sunny: I heard what Taemin recorded first. I recorded over that, but I laughed a lot when I first heard Taemin’s voice. The director asked me why I was laughing, so I said, “Nothing. But how did Taemin record this? It’s so embarrassing.”
Taemin: I recorded embarrassingly. [Laughs] After Sunny Noona’s recording, I re-recorded for edits. The first recording was a lot worse than what will be shown on screen.
-I heard the toughest thing when dubbing for the first time are the exclamations. How was it?
There’s a scene in which Johnny and Miranda fall riding a lizard, as if they’re bobsledding. Taemin recorded a three-stage “Eu-ah~ Eu-ah~ Eu-ah~” stiffly. I laughed a lot when I heard it. After hearing my recording of it, the director said, “Sunny, you’re not one to be laughing at someone else.” (Laughs)
-Is there a memorable scene from “Koala Kid”?
Taemin: Hm. The ending was most memorable. There’s a kissing scene between Miranda and Johnny. It came out really beautifully.
Sunny: The first time I watched it, I got kind of angry when I saw that during the last scene. How could a koala have a kiss scene… I’ve never even had one… (Laughs) I went to watch the scene again when I went to record, and thought, “Ah~ That scene was beautiful.”
-Do you have any desire to actually act, not just dub?
Girls’ Generation members will be acting in many dramas and such early this year. I want satisfaction from watching that. I actually don’t have any thoughts on traditional dramas, but I have received similar questions. If I say, “I wouldn’t dare try out serious acting”, I don’t know if it’s a good comparison, but it’s like saying, “I don’t want to marry (South Korean actor) Won Bin.” (Laughs) It’s like I’m taking the cake before it’s been offered, so I’m careful when speaking about it. I want to try acting when I get a little more confidence. I couldn’t receive as many acting lessons as compared to other members. I think it’s only right to do so after learning the basics.
Girls’ Generation Wins ‘Best Jewellery Dresser’ Award
Girls’ Generation was presented with a special award for the “Best Jewellery Dresser” at the International Jewels and Accessories Show in Odaiba, Japan. Hiroshi Mizohata, the Japan Tourism Agency Commissioner, presented the award to Girls’ Generation.
Seohyun represented the group by accepting the award and used a reference that is sure to be recognized by SONEs as she said, “We will continue singing songs that are as bright as the jewels”.
The girls are well-known for wearing fashionable clothing and accessories whether they are at red carpet events or at the airport. If you want more information about the various clothing items, accessories, and makeup that Girls’ Generation uses, you can check out the Soshified’s SoShi Styling page.
There were many photos of Girls’ Generation taken at this event, and they can be found in this thread.
Girls’ Generation’s ‘The Boys’ Best Selling Album of 2011
According to Gaon charts, Girls’ Generation’s “The Boys” album is the best selling single album of 2011 with 385,348 sold. Fellow label-mates Super Junior with “Mr. Simple” and TVXQ with “Keep Your Head Down” joined Girls’ Generation at the top of the chart in second and third place with 343,348 and 266,727 sales respectively, showing how popular SM artists are.
Solidifying their comeback with this success, despite a late comeback in October of last year, Girls' Generation continues to prove their dominance in the K-Pop community. Their popularity has undoubtedly grown in 2011 with “The Boys” album selling more than their previous albums “Oh” and “Hoot” combined, which came in second and third in total sales in 2010.
