Impact
Following their debut in 2007, Girls' Generation has become a prominent figure in both South Korean culture and music, with music critics noting the group as being a representative figure of South Korean culture. The group is credited as playing a major role in the Hallyu Movement, and have been compared to fellow K-Pop singer Seo Taiji due to their contributions to Korean culture. Their immense popularity has lead the group to earn the titles "The Nation's Singers" (Korean: 국민가수) and "The Nation's Girl Group" Following the disbandment of the original Korean idol girl groups S.E.S. and Fin.K.L in 2002, the Korean music industry experienced an influx of male idol groups such as TVXQ! and Super Junior, however upon the group's debut with songs such as "Into the New World" and "Kissing You", they were credited for shifting focus back to female groups. In 2011, the group was chosen by Tyler Brûlé as the seventh most recognizable Korean culture figure, being the only musical and non-object act to make the list. The group's fashion has been described as "chic" and "mature", becoming immensely popular among young women across Asia. With many dubbing the group as "fashion icons". In Japanese textbooks, the group serves as the main feature in the K-Pop section of the book.
The group gained significant popularity at the start of 2009 with the release of "Gee", the single was named 'Single of the Decade' and broke the record on KBS' Music Bank for the most consecutive wins in a row. The single is regarded as one of the first K-Pop songs to gain international attention, students at Harvard University in the United States highlighted the song as part of their study on Korean culture, with some performing the song's famous choreography. Their popularity has also translated into economic success. They are regarded as the most sought-out advertiser in South Korea. Marketers named the group as the model with the most influence over consumers, attributing the group's positive attention from the public to their vocals, looks, and fashion sense. In 2011 the group generated $57 million from Japanese releases. And a further USD$88.56 million in South Korea. In September 2010, Japanese business magazine Nikkei Business suggested the group's international expansion and success was the musical equivalent to Samsung.
Their popularity in their native Korea has led the group to be named among the most powerful and influential people in the country. The Sisa Journal named the group as the most influential entertainers for the years 2011 and 2012, making them the first female idol group in history to make the list. BBC's Asia Today placed the group at forty-four on the 50 Korean Power Leaders list in 2011, being the only idol group and entertainers on the list. Forbes also revealed the group were most powerful entertainers in South Korea for the year of 2011.
In five years the group has earned several major Korean music awards to their name, including five Daesang awards. They won the Disk Daesang for Oh! in 2010 at the Golden Disk Awards. They won the Digital Daesang in 2009 at the same show for "Gee". They won the latter award again in 2011 for "The Boys". They are among the best-selling artists in South Korea, with over 30 million digital singles and 4.4 million albums sold in less than five years of their debut. Their 2011 album, The Boys set a record as the best selling, non-repackaged album in the Gaon Chart's history. And they sold over 100,000 copies for each of their six Korean releases, making them the first female group in the South Korean music industry to do so in over six years (see Girls' Generation discography). The group's success is not limited to South Korea, their debut Japanese album Girls' Generation is certified 'Million' by the RIAJ, denoting a million copies sold, and is the highest selling album by a Korean group in Oricon history.
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