15 years since their debut, Jessica and the rest of SNSD maybe leading completely different trajectories.
15 years ago, SNSD made their debut with a dream. At the time, Kpop fans get to witness 9 people standing side by side, winning numerous awards and coming in first on music charts, but now, things have changed. While all members of SNSD, former and ongoing, are undoubtedly wealthy, a Korean reporter claimed there’s a stark difference in class. Below is a summary of the reporter’s analysis of SNSD and Jessica’s careers.
For starters, SNSD, now consisting of Taeyeon, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona, and Seohyun, is celebrating their 15th year anniversary with their 7th full album, “Forever 1”. Even now, SNSD is considered a “legendary girl group”, and their fandom remains as strong as ever.
Meanwhile, things haven’t been too smooth-sailing for SNSD former member Jessica, who recently appeared in the Chinese audition show “Sisters Who Make Waves”, came in 2nd place, and will soon make her debut in a Chinese girl group. “Sisters Who Make Waves” is a program that gathers female entertainers over the age of 30, have them compete in various performances, before getting the highest-voted competitors to re-debut as a girl group. Alongside Jessica, her boyfriend’s ex Gillian Chung, will also reportedly join this finalist group.
While Jessica was one of the top participants, the reason she chose to appear on this Chinese program is suspected to be money. Netizens pointed out that last year, the fashion brand Jessica launched with her boyfriend Tyler Kwon, was sued for $8 billion in defaut. The lawsuit was ultimately dropped after a dramatic settlement, but through it, Jessica’s business is perceived as unstable. Therefore, it is said that her attention to China is “natural”, as she can earn a lot from this market.
Jessica debuted as a member of SNSD in 2007, before being “expelled” from the group in 2014
Jessica actually started doing business since 2013, after she started dating Tyler Kwon, and dreamt of becoming a successful entrepreneur while still in SNSD. At first, SM Entertainment and SNSD showed respect to Jessica’s move, but the female idol later posted a message that she was “notified to leave SM”. According to Jessica, she was abruptly informed that her team activities had been suspended for she was unable to maintain her role within SNSD with her new business focus.
However, since Jessica’s statement was laced with mentions of her brand and business stories, the idol’s sincerity was questioned, and fans opted to support the now 8-member lineup of SNSD instead. Jessica was then accused of “abandoning” her group and “using SNSD’s name to promote her business”, leading to the eventual decline of her brand, despite the initial support of foregin fans.
Meanwhile, SNSD has been on a winning streak ever since they reformed as an 8-member group, and retains their glow even after 2 generations of Kpop. The girl group still sweeps through digital music platforms, sells albums like hot cakes, and is continuously mentioned as the role models of 3rd and 4th generation Kpop artists. The solo career of each member, which spans from acting, variety, to DJ-ing, also recorded impressive achievements.
On the other hand, Jessica seems to have experienced a downward trend compared to her days as the “Ice Princess” of SNSD. Her visuals and talents are still remarkable as ever, but the same can’t be said for her popularity.
SNSD and Jessica have the same beginning, but lead different endings.
