If you have been active on social media, then the one thing we are sure you must have observed is the rising love and appreciation people have for the K-pop industry. You might be either going with the trend, or you might be genuinely interested in the music, and there is no questioning that certain groups have practically led the industry to a global platform.
New fans of the music might not be well aware of one of the most iconic girl groups that were quite active during their time. We are talking about Girls’ Generation, a nine-member group that debuted in 2007 under one of the big three K-pop companies, SM Entertainment.
With the influence of the company and the talent and charms of the girls, the group rose to success not long after its debut. The original lineup of the group included Taeyeon, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona, Seohyun, and Jessica, all of whom have managed to make their mark in the industry.
The group, also lovingly called ‘The Nation’s Girl Group,’ released their debut album called Into the New World in 2007, but it was their single called ‘Gee’ that blew them off the charts and had everybody going crazy. Staying at number one for weeks on end, this song opened the door for their success and legacy.
What followed this were songs like Genie, Oh!, and Run Devil Run, all of which only further cemented their success. SNSD is the only Korean girl group to have ever bagged the Album of the Year Daesang award at the Golden Disc Awards.
The group has since ventured into the Japanese music market, solo music and acting careers, and owning their businesses. Whatever the girls have done over their careers has been legendary and iconic. The girls continue to share a great relationship, and after five years of not putting out a group album, the last one being Holiday Night, which came out in 2017, they decided to shock the industry completely once again.
To celebrate fifteen years since their debut, the girls put out their seventh studio album titled Forever 1, which was released in 2022. While fans rejoiced, some missed one of the band members who were not present with the group and had not been for very long.
Why did Jessica leave the group?
Korean-American singer-songwriter Jessica Jung was originally a part of SNSD but ended up leaving the group sometime in 2014. Even before the singer left the group, she had been active as a soloist, and fans could spot her in the Legally Blonde musical, the Korean Version, in the role of Elle Woods, and in Wild Romance, a Korean drama that came out in 2012.
While Jessica loved being a part of the group, she was also ambitious in her solo career, indulging in a bunch of activities without her members. It was in 2014 that the singer announced the launch of her brand Blanc & Eclare, and not long after this, the company SM Entertainment announced her departure from the group.
There was immense controversy around at the time SM announced her departure, but as the singer cleared later, she was ‘forced out of the group’ and was shocked to hear that she was no longer a part of the group. It had been announced that the group had re-signed their contract with the company, which was all the more reason why fans were left confused.
SM put forth the reason for being out of the group as her busy schedule that came with running her brand and how it continuously collided with the group’s schedule, not letting her focus on the group’s activities. And while this may be slightly true, Jessica revealed to fans that the group was her priority and that she should have been informed of the announcement.
In a letter addressed to her fans, Jessica mentioned that she had made things clear about Blanc and Eclare with her group members and the company. Not long after her company’s launch, SM called her in, giving her a choice between her company and the group.
By September 16th, 2014, Jessica revealed SM Entertainment was fine with her giving time to her business, but on September 29th, 2014, she was told that she had been thrown out of the group. It was not a good time for her, considering she had devoted almost fifteen years to the group, and she had watched it all crumble down.
Whether SM played dirty or not, or if it was Jessica’s fault, is still unclear. The singer and businesswoman has revealed multiple times how much she cherished working in the group and now continues to be active as a soloist, also taking up acting roles from time to time while growing her business even more.
