SNSD's 1st Japan Arena Tour rakes in revenue of 20 billion Won

July 18th marks the final day of SNSD’s 1st Japan Arena Tour concert which will be held at Fukuoka Marine Messe. The series of 14 concerts in total kicked off in Osaka Jo Hall on May 31st and June 1st. After that, the girls traveled to the Saitama Super Arena on June 4th and 5th followed by 4 concerts at Tokyo National Yoyogi Stadium on June 17th, 18th, 28th and 29th. Next, the girls shook Hiroshima Green Arena on July 2nd and 3rd before paying their visit to Nagoya Kaishi Hall on July 6th and 7th. The last venue of the tour is the Fukuoka Marine Messe (July 17th and 18th).

On July 18th, SM Entertainment told Star News, “Up to this point, including today’s (July 18th) concert at Fukuoka Marine Messe, SNSD have met a total of more than 140,000 fans through the Arena Tour this time around. At the time when SNSD debuted in Japan, they have more female fans then. During this tour, a lot of male fans have joined the fandom as well”.

Overwhelming response can be observed from the ticket sales as well. The tour concert ticket cost 9300 Yen each (about 124,500 Won). So if the tickets were sold to a total audience of 140,000, the revenue from the ticket sales amounted to around 18.7 billion Won. Including concert goodies and souvenirs, the estimated revenue collected from the tour could reach 20 billion Won.

Besides the successful ticket and merchandise sales, the tour also has other significant meanings to the girls. In less than a year after their debut, SNSD, a foreign girl group, have their own arena tour concert and that in itself is an extraordinary achievement because only top class singers in Japan are given a privilege of such proportion. The fact that the girls had managed to attract more than 10,000 fans in each of the concerts just made their ‘resume’ even more impressive.

At the same time, SNSD’s 1st Japanese Album ‘Girls’ Generation’ which was released on June 1st also managed to raise the public’s interest towards the Arena Tour concerts. SNSD’s hardwork and ability were recognized once again through the series of concerts during this tour.

As the girls conclude their 1st Japan Arena Tour this evening (July 18th) in Fukuoka, there will be tears. As much as the sadness of farewell, SONEs should also shed tears of joy as the girls have taken themselves to another level, in terms of popularity, endurance and maturity through the hard times they experienced during the tour.

The 9 girls are indeed the best girl group in Asia simply because they are SNSD!

Mnet’s ‘BOOM the K-Pop’ documents SNSD’s popularity in Japan

From SNSD’s First Japanese Tour Concert at the Yoyogi Stadium to their popularity on the streets of Japan, Mnet captured SNSD’s Hallyu effect on Japan through their program, ‘BOOM the K-POP‘.

An Mnet production crew member revealed,

“We will be exhibiting SNSD’s charms – which have deeply affected the lifestyles of the youngsters in Japan – by meeting with Japanese people of all ages, both male and female, in Japanese cultural centers such as Shinjuku, Shibuya, Harajuku, and Shinokubu.“

This program will air in two segments. The first segment broadcasted on July 14th with the title, “Do you know SNSD?“. This episode focused on seeing how popular SNSD was in Japan and why the Japanese people have come to like SNSD.

The second segment, which will air on July 21st, will run under the title, “Right now is SNSD!“; it will focus on SNSD’s Japanese fan culture and SNSD’s power in changing the lifestyles of Japanese girls in their 20’s.

Check out the first segment below!

KBS brings in SNSD & f(x), explains that they were the original performers for ‘N7W’

Yesterday, we reported on speculations regarding possible “backdoor pressure” with regards to the sudden cancellation of JYJ’s KBS broadcast appearance.

On July 17th, a KBS Jeju representative revealed that JYJ’s appearance on their special program, “New Seven Wonders“, was cancelled because of SNSD and f(x), who were said to be the original guests for the show.

“Initially in the past, plans for SNSD and f(x)’s broadcast appearances were being pushed forward, but they fell through because of the groups’ schedules. However, in the final stages of our broadcast preparations, their appearance became possible… Considering our station’s cultural duty of introducing a variety of stars to local communities, we considered what would be effective… We expressed our great apologies to JYJ’s representatives.

Spring Summer Fall Winter will still be making an appearance as planned. However, other artists besides like SNSD, f(x), and a popera singer are also scheduled to appear as well.“

A representative of one of the hosts of the event, the local government of Jeju Island, revealed,

“We did not know of this. By what skill and authority could we cast a celebrity? This is something that has been hosted by KBS Jeju. Our local government message board has been flooded with comments regarding this event, however, this is not something that we have done.“

The local government also shared their concern with this issue’s possible negative impact on the votes for Jeju Island in the ‘New Seven Wonders’ selection process.

SNSD’s Taeyeon shares an adorable sel-ca set

On July 17th, SNSD’s Taeyeon shared an adorable photo set was shared an online community board!

Captioned “Taengoo’s new sel-ca”, the post became an instant hit with netizens thanks to Taeyeon’s series of playfual facial expressions. Looking sweet in one frame and bewildered in another, she captured the hearts of fans with a special sel-ca treat.

Netizens commented, “You’re adorable!”, “She matches light make-up like this”, and “What a cutie pie.”

SNSD is currently looking forward to their second Korean concert on July 23rd and 24th.

Girls' Generation's Popularity Continues in Japan

The popularity of South Korean girl group, Girls’ Generation continues to soar undauntedly in Japan.

According to a Japanese music site, CDV-NET, Girls’ Generation’s “MR.TAXI/Run Devil Run” single came in 7th on the weekly charts and was the only South Korean group which made the top 10. Ever since their label mate, TVXQ, made the entry into the top 10, there has not been any other South Korean artist on the list. The data was collected from the 4th of July to the 10th, and even though both singles were roughly released 3 months ago on the 27th of April, they remain just as popular as ever.

Girls’ Generation’s Japanese debut single, “Genie” is also still on the charts after a good 9 months, and is currently at the 35th position. Ever since the release of the single on 20th October 2010, “Gee” has remained on the top 100 weekly charts for 38 consecutive weeks, further proving their takeover in Japan. This week, the certified Gold single was placed 25th on the chart. As there are more than 3,500 artists on CDV-NET, the popularity of an artist can be easily judged based on the ranking of their albums and singles.

Ever since Girls’ Generation first announced their plans to break into the Japanese music industry back in September, their album sales have increased in folds. Their debut single, “Genie”, was awarded the Gold certificate for selling more than 100,000 copies. Less than a year later, Girls’ Generation’s self-titled first Japanese album sold more than 100,000 copies in less than 2 days, and has since been certified as Double-Platinum for selling more than 500,000 albums.

Meanwhile, Girls’ Generation will be starting off their 2nd Asia Tour on the 23rd of July at the Seoul Olympic Park Stadium, 5 days after wrapping up their Japan Arena Tour. Following that, they will also be making an appearance as the first South Korean female artist to attend Japan’s “Summer Sonic 2011” on the 14th of August.

TaeYeon wows fans with new selca

SNSD's Tae Yeon shared new selcas on the internet!

Fans left some positive comments after seeing the photos.Fans praised her milky skin and flawless complexion.

She looks cute and pretty at the same time with bangs.

Hope that she will share more selcas from time to time!

SNSD and f(x) will perform instead of JYJ at KBS Jeju event

I guess many of you have already known that KBS cancelled JYY's appearance on KBS Jeju Event.

An advertisement aired in Korean TV a while ago and it has been confirmed that f(x) and SNSD will perform for the event instead.