The childish group became a reality.
This is one party’s evaluation about SNSD’s Gee craze.
SNSD completed their mini-album activities at SBS Inkigayo on the 29th. The mini-album with the title track, Gee, was released in January and dominated the music industry.
Despite the music industry’s worst depression, the album sold 100k copies. The ‘Gee’ ring tones and caller rings have been downloaded 120k time and there are more than 35k Cyworld minihompys with it as the background music. The estimated profit exceeds 40 billion won.
The explosive popularity of Gee doesn’t end here. On KBS Music Bank, they’ve been 1st place for 9 consecutive weeks. In just a little over two months, they’ve dominated every music program there is. On radios, satellite-broadcasts, and cable-broadcasts, Gee has been played 1536 times. Singles are relatively short and the music industry’s myth that best-sellers are steady sellers is broken, which isn’t easy to convert, has been broken.
△ Goodbye Tell Me madness = Truthfully, SNSD had a successful debut and first album activities but was slightly shortcoming. This is because unlike Wonder Girls with Tell Me, which caused a syndrome throughout society, SNSD did not have an early hit single that shook the music industry.
But Gee has become a mega hit that took the madness out with one hit. The addictive hook and fast beat and the overall aspect of Gee has made the world ‘Into A New World’, gaining recognition from the military and the synergy effect of Gee has created the Gee syndrome. The song and lyrics portrays an image of a girl in love and has a graceful melody line and the different 9 members’ vocals were arranged appropriately.
One party involved in the music industry said, “To tell the truth, I didn’t like Gee at first.” and “Once SNSD came on stage, the song and dance combined to show SNSD’s energy. The song was good but the dance was superb and their singing abilities have improved.
Of course, Gee’s success is all thanks to SNSD’s huge fandom and their influence. But because of this, the Gee syndrome is also devaluated. The problem is the idol singers that have appeared in our nation’s music industry have all had experiences basking in their fandoms with similar conditions.
S.E.S. and Fin.K.L had a fan base with preposterous amounts of male fans that could easily overpower SNSD’s. But unlike ‘Tell Me’ or ‘Gee’, they couldn’t hit jackpots and become social phenomenons. For people in their teens, 20s, 30s, and middle-ages to recognize a group and their single’s popularity at the same time is extremely rare.
Either a group is remembered because the song is good enough, or the song gets stuck in peoples’ heads, showing how excellent the group’s talents are. SNSD’s Gee shows their potential and although they’re idols, it is evident through the quality of the album, that it has been taken into careful consideration and lots of care went into it. Mainstream music critics have evaluated more generously than expected.
△ SNSD’s recognition is preserved even when SNSD doesn’t appear. = Although SNSD’s official activities has ended, it seems SNSD’s recognition is strong, without any major hits. Taeyeon DJs on MBC Radio ‘Chinhan Chingoo’ (Close Friends), her OSTs seemed to yearn for spotlight and she has sung two digital singles of which have become hits.
Yoona will be coming in MBC’s Cinderella Man on TV. Before SNSD released Gee, Yoona appeared in KBS daily drama ‘You Are My Destiny’, becoming in charge of the group’s recognition. Once again, SNSD fans will be able to boost viewer ratings. The problem is whether or not and how much her acting skills will improve. When the growth curve is fast, a movie debut could come faster than expected.
Tiffany has already released a digital single. On the 26th, the digital single ‘By Myself’ was released and is an OST for SBS’s Jang Myung Go, and as soon as it was released, it became very popular. A charismatic, powerful voice that frequently sings pop and punky genres. Tiffany was only hidden by Taeyeon, and her vocals are pretty decent.
Jessica and Seohyun along with Tiffany have formed ‘Jetihyun’ to perform a single. It’s enough to think about making a similar project album. Sunny sang an OST for an OST and an animation, and has the potential for unique voice acting.
In the case of Sooyoung and Yuri, they appear in variety programs. Immediately, they snagged the MBC ‘Show Music Core’ MC’s positions and will be coming to viewers every week. In various variety programs, they’re active as guest MCs or invited guests due to their eloquence. In Sooyoung’s case, she can also take a U-turn towards acting. Hyoyeon possesses superior dance skills.
Although SNSD has officially stopped activities, there’s a high chance they’ll be coming to fans and viewers individually. Of course, there’s the problem that this won’t bring in profit as just an album in today’s music industry, but SNSD’s at their highest marketable peak.
In the end, although the scene of 9 ‘girls’ will disappear temporarily, there’s a high chance that the explosive popularity of ‘generation’ will continue.
△ The quicker the alternative is found, the better = SNSD showed us how popular Gee was. Now the focus is on how long things can last. When you consider the plentiful idol singers who disappeared without a sound, it’s better to find an alternative quickly.
In Thailand, SNSD’s recognition is beyond imagination.
Truthfully, in Japan, there’s countless groups with a concept similar to SNSD.
SNSD members must dream about their own alternatives. Focusing on satellite variety programs will wear one out, but to dilute the image of a singer, inevitably, requires excessive consumption. Some SNSD fans are able to meet them on TV often and despite positive aspects that are displayed, they worry.
First of all, if Taeyeon doesn’t have a dream to become an expert DJ, then she should focus on her vocals. In foreign instances, singers with singing abilities as foundation who don’t want to be temporary but long-term DJs, are rare phenomenons. They use their vocal chords everyday, and during live broadcasts, fatigue weighs on them.
When you compare the time of Taeyeon’s debut to the present, you can see that there’s been change in her vocals. The quality of her voice has deepened, but her voice volume and high pitch has become unstable, compared to when she debuted. Taeyeon has been called ‘the most perfect idol’ by fans and it’ll be good for them to give her advice and constructive criticism on her DJ’ing.
In Jessica, Seohyun, Tiffany, and Sunny’s case, they are recognized for their vocals once in a while but it’s not enough. Before releasing a digital single, where friendly competition could ensue, featuring in singers’ songs, or partaking in a lively OST, a singer must publicize their image. Sooyoung and Yuri should think of the successful variety MC Lee Hyori as their role models.
of course, SNSD’s dedicated fans may think it’s too early to be following my suggestions now. But the important thing is that SNSD’s fandom doesn’t want SNSD to disband. Although there’s a tendency to do solo activities without disbanding in today’s music industry, when SNSD members step out of their group role, they have the chance to have show their own personalities.
Credits to: Kuki News
Translated by: Hyunjin808@soshified.com/forums ; With assistance from mbear@soshified.com/forums
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