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From stilettos to sneakers: SNSD adores new group image

By Julie Jackson

The K-pop girl group leaders of Girls’ Generation have made their long awaited comeback with the release of their fourth full album, “I Got a Boy.” The nine beauties have not only transformed the group’s image from cute and innocent to raw and edgy: they have a new sound to match.

“I personally think that Girls’ Generation’s strength, and from this album on, is versatility,” said Tiffany during an interview Monday. “Just by listening to the album itself you can get hip-hop to sweet songs, to tough and girlish. There’s a lot of versatility in the album ― from the wigs to the fashion, the sounds, the beats, the dance.”

“For our comeback, we really wanted to show our fans a new side of us,” said Seo Hyun. “This is the style of music that most of us enjoy listening to in our free time. It was so much fun for us to try something new.”

The album’s title track, “I Got a Boy,” has also gained attention internationally, receiving positive reviews from both Billboard and the LA Times, which referred to the song as a modern-day twist to the classic rock hit “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen.

The track has a hybrid sound that includes heavy electronic, rock and hip-hop beats which, when combined, is both cute and chaotic. The girls of SNSD even ventured into a new realm by adding rap to their arsenal.

“At first, I was not very confident about rapping,” Soo Young said. “I began practicing by rapping in English before I switched to Korean. Now, when I’m on the stage, I feel very confident.”

Prior to the new album’s release, SNSD was popularly known for its cute and bubbly image, thanks to the group’s breakout hit “Gee.” When the ladies’ latest album was first released, many fans commented on how the songs, with the drastic change in style, did not feel like SNSD.

“Maybe it’s because I’m a member, but I really don’t see why some people say the song does not feel like Girls’ Generation,” said YoonA. “We’ve made changes, but I think that the overall essence is still very much Girls’ Generation.”

“Even the lyrics to the songs are some of the typical conversations that we have with one another when we text or talk to each other,” she added.

The girls took to changing their music as a way to not only express themselves in a new light, but also as a way to show off a new fashion statement that is a complete turnaround from how the members were typecast in the past.

“Because we have so many members, it’s very difficult to capture all of our individuality and that can be frustrating sometimes,” said Tiffany.

“We are usually used to wearing tight and short outfits, but now we’ve come out in a more baggy style,” said Tae Yeon. “We focused on our outfits a lot, and even though we do have a different image now, I still feel like it’s our own image.”

“We’ve gotten older,” Jessica said, laughing. “That’s a big change as well.”

However, one of the biggest changes in terms of group’s image and stage presence is the active, hip-hop-inspired choreography which has the girls strutting energetically on the stage wearing sneakers as opposed to the high heels that most fans are accustomed to seeing them in.

“If we wore heels, we could not give this sort of stage performance,” said Jessica.

“It’s more outgoing and free now that we get to dance in sneakers,” said Tae Yeon. “Wearing heels while performing onstage is very difficult.”

“I was one of the members who was a bit reluctant about performing in sneakers,” Tiffany admitted. “But when I saw how much fun it was for all of us dancing around and performing, I felt very liberated and really started to enjoy myself.”

As of Tuesday afternoon, the music video music video to the “I Got a Boy” title track, which shows off the girls’ dynamic choreography, had been viewed more the 22 million times on YouTube in just six days.

“Even for us, the more we keep listening to the song, the more we like it,” said Seo Hyun. “We hope the fans feel the same way.” 

(juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)