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S.E.S. (group)

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This article is about the Korean pop group. For the rock band, see Smile Empty Soul. For the satellite operator, see SES (company).

S.E.S.
S.E.S. for Marie Claire Korea in 2017
S.E.S. for Marie Claire Korea in 2017
Background information
OriginSeoul, South Korea
Genres
Years active
  • 1997–2002
  • 2016–2017
Labels
Formerly ofSM Town
Members
Websiteses.smtown.com

S.E.S. (Korean: 에스이에스; acronym for Sea, Eugene, Shoo) was a South Korean girl group formed in 1997 by SM Entertainment, featuring three members: Bada, Eugene, and Shoo. Their debut album I'm Your Girl sold 650,000 copies, becoming the third best-selling album by a female group in South Korea. Their follow-up albums, Sea & Eugene & Shoo in 1998, Love in 1999 and A Letter from Greenland in 2000 also became best-sellers.

Early in their career, they were dubbed as the female counterpart of their labelmates H.O.T., who debuted in 1996. S.E.S. were challenged by groups like Fin.K.L, Diva, and Baby V.O.X, which debuted around the same time and were also largely successful. The group officially disbanded in December 2002, after unsuccessful contract renewal negotiations with Bada and Eugene; Shoo maintained her career with SM until 2006. They released the compilation album Beautiful Songs in mid-2003 as their final release.

In October 2016, the group's members reunited in order to celebrate their debut's 20th anniversary with a reality show, album, and concert. In November 2016, the group released the buzz single "Love [story]" under SM's music project SM Station. Their 20th anniversary special album Remember was released on January 2, 2017, with the dual singles "Remember" and "Paradise".

Critic Kim Bong-hyun has praised them as "the first idol group whose image and music are recognized",[1] while critic Kang Myeong-seok has noted that "I'm Your Girl" captivated the public from the first verse, and songs like "Love" and "Be Natural" are "legends of girl group songs".[2]

History

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1997–1998: I'm Your Girl, Sea & Eugene & Shoo, and Japanese debut

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They released their first album, I'm Your Girl and had their public debut on November 28, 1997.[3] Their image at the time was very innocent, with their discography consisting mostly of love songs. In much of their promotional work, including an appearance on Lee Sora's "Propose" show, they displayed their multiple abilities: Eugene demonstrated her piano playing, while Bada and Shoo sung together. Eventually, the singles "('Cause) I'm Your Girl" (which had future Shinhwa members Eric Mun and Andy Lee rapping in the introduction) and "Oh, My Love" became huge hits for S.E.S., and they quickly became one of the top-selling groups in K-pop.[4]

Their second studio album, Sea & Eugene & Shoo, was released in November 1998. The album saw commercial success, selling over 650,000 copies.[5] The single "Dreams Come True", a cover of Finnish group Nylon Beat's "Rakastuin mä looseriin [fi]" ("Like a Fool"),[6] became a hit along with "I Love You". Both singles ranked at number one on the music program charts in South Korea for multiple weeks, including three consecutive weeks on Music Bank. The group won several awards for the album, including Top Popular Artist at the 1998 MBC Music Festival.

During the same year, S.E.S. made their debut in the Japanese market with the release of the single "Meguriau Sekai". It was released under VAP Records on October 21, 1998. It peaked at number 37 on the Oricon Singles Chart and sold over 13,000 copies. A remix version of "('Cause) I'm Your Girl" was released as the group's second single in Japan on December 10, 1998, and also contained remixes of "Meguriau Sekai", "Believe in Love", and "Oh, My Love".

1999–2000: Love and A Letter from Greenland

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S.E.S. released their debut Japanese studio album, Reach Out, under VAP Records on March 10, 1999. The album peaked at number 50 on the Oricon Albums Chart. On May 18, the group received an appreciation plaque from Rock Records for having sold over 200,000 copies in Taiwan.[citation needed] On October 29, 1999, their third album Love was released. It became the second best-selling Korean girl group album at the time, only behind The Pearl Sisters' My Dear (1968).[7] The music video for the titular single, "Love", was filmed in New York City and cost ₩1 billion (US$800,000) to produce, making in one of the most expensive music videos produced in South Korea at the time.[citation needed] On December 13, 1999, S.E.S. received a commendation award from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The band's dark concept was later dropped at the end of their promotional schedule, and all three members reverted to a simpler image; the dance for "Twilight Zone" was subsequently changed as well. Promotional activities resumed at the end of January 2000. On April 21, 2000, a Japanese version of "Love", titled "Love (Itsumademo Onje Kajima)", was released. However, it peaked at only number 100 on the Oricon Singles Chart.[8] On March 19, 2000, S.E.S. held their first solo concert in support of Love at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena, titled A Sweet Kiss from the World of Dream. Tickets for the concert were sold-out with more than 9,000 people attending.[9] A live DVD of the concert was released in June.

The group's second Japanese studio album, Be Ever Wonderful, was released on May 24, 2000. In December 2000, S.E.S.'s fourth Korean studio album, A Letter from Greenland was released. It was commercially successful and sold over 635,000 copies in South Korea.[10][11] The album's lead single "Show Me Your Love", ranked atop the music program charts for multiple weeks. A cover of J-pop singer Misia's "Tsutsumi Komu Youni...", the song was a slow, ballad influenced by jazz. The second single, "Be Natural", was also promoted on music programs after promotions for "Show Me Your Love" ended.

2001–2002: Surprise, Choose My Life-U, and Friend

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On July 11, 2001, a special album was released (receiving the ".5" label).[12] Titled Surprise, their 4.5th album was a collection of their songs released in Japanese re-recorded in Korean (with new instrumentals). It sold over 357,000 copies in South Korea during 2001.[13] The lead single from the record, titled "Just in Love", was a Korean version of their Japanese single "Yume wo Kasanete" (1999) and brought S.E.S. back to a happy, poppy theme, although they avoided the cutesy images from their debut. The music video for "Just in Love" was filmed in Thailand. At the 2001 Mnet Music Video Festival, the song won S.E.S. the Best Female Group award.

Their major comeback album, Choose My Life-U, was released on February 15, 2002. This was a continuation of their sophisticated theme, with the album booklet full of suggestive pictures of the girls. Their first single "U" was quite different, being very dance-intensive; the video showed the girls in dominant roles and positions, with Eugene even becoming a dominatrix for one scene.[14][15] This song also did well and returned S.E.S. to the top of the charts, and won S.E.S. Best Female Group at the 2002 Mnet Music Video Festival for the second year in a row. "Just a Feeling" was their second single from this album.

Their comeback album and second Korean compilation album, Friend, was released on November 21, 2002. The main single was titled "Soul II Soul (S.II.S.)", which was a play on words (as the number 2 can be pronounced as "E" in Korean). In the dark-themed music video, Bada is seen writing letters while crying, Eugene is cutting up bunnies in a room (suggesting mental instability), and Shoo is seen caressing a large ball of light on her bed. The song was never performed on television.

2003–2015: Post-disbandment activities and reunions

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After releasing the compilation album Beautiful Songs in June 2003, members followed solo careers in music and acting. In 2007, the group celebrate their 10th anniversary, and in 2008, they appeared as a group on the South Korean show Happy Sunday. In October 2009, they made another appearance together on the show Come To Play.[citation needed]

In 2014, their song "Be Natural" was remade by their labelmate girl group Red Velvet, which at the time consisted of 4 members. The track served as their second official single. Also in that year, members Bada and Shoo appeared as guests on the show Infinite Challenge, as a part of their 1990s-themed special Saturday, Saturday, I Am A Singer. At the occasion, Eugene was absent due to pregnancy and was represented by Girls' Generation member Seohyun.[citation needed]

2016–2017: 20th anniversary project

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S.E.S for Marie Claire Korea, March 2017

On May 28, 2016, S.E.S attended the charity event Green Heart Bazaar.[16] A few months later, on October, it was announced that S.E.S. would make an official comeback to the music scene in 2016, almost 20 years since the release of their debut album.[17][18][19][20] On November 23, the group's schedule was revealed by their record label, with the official announcement of a special celebrative album.[21][22] On November 23, the group's comeback project #Remember was revealed, detailing S.E.S.'s upcoming releases. On November 28, S.E.S. released the song "Love [story]", a remake of their 1997 song "I'm Your Girl" and 1999 song "Love", through the SM Station project.[23][24] Its music video was released on December 29.[25]

Starting from December 5, the group starred in the ten episode reality show Remember, I'm Your S.E.S., broadcast through mobile app Oksusu. They also held a two-day concert "Remember The Day", on December 30 and 31 at Sejong University's Daeyang Hall in Seoul.[26] On December 17, 2016, S.E.S. performed on You Hee-yeol's Sketchbook.

On December 27, it was announced that S.E.S.'s new album would be titled Remember, and would contain two main singles. Two days later, previews for the music videos of main singles "Remember" and "Paradise" were released alongside the full music video of "Love [story]".[27] The first single "Remember" was officially released prior to the album on January 1, with its music video; the second single "Paradise" was released on January 2, also with its music video, alongside the full album.[28][29] On March 1, they held a fanmeet called "I Will Be There, Waiting For You".[30]

Discography

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Main article: S.E.S. discography

Korean albums

Japanese albums

Concerts

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  • A Sweet Kiss from the World of Dream (2000)
  • Remember, the Day (2016)

Awards and nominations

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List of awards and nominations received by S.E.S.
Award Year Category Nominated work Result Ref.
Golden Disc Awards 1998 Rookie of the Year Award I'm Your Girl Won [31]
1999 Album Bonsang Love Won
Album Daesang Nominated
2001 Popularity Award "Show Me Your Love" Won [32]
KBS Song Festival 1998 Main Prize (Bonsang) S.E.S. Won [33]
2001 Won
KMTV Music Awards 1998 Main Prize (Bonsang) Won
1999 Won
2001 Won [34]
Korea Best Dressed Awards 1999 Best Dressed Female Singer Award Won [35]
Korea Culture and Arts Awards 2000 Youth Popular Singer Award Won
Korea Entertainment and Arts Awards 1999 Youth Singer Award – Female Won [36]
MAMA Awards 1999 Best Group "I Love You" Nominated
2000 Best Female Group "Twilight Zone" Nominated
2001 "Just in Love" Won [37]
Best Dance Performance Nominated
2002 Best Female Group "U" Won [38]
2005 Mnet Producer's Choice Award S.E.S. Won [39]
MBC Music Festival 1998 Top Popular Artist Won
MBC Top Ten Singers Festival 1999 Top Popular Artist Won [40]
2001 Won [41]
SBS Gayo Daejeon 1998 Main Prize (Bonsang) Won
Seoul Music Awards 1998 Main Prize (Bonsang) Won [42]
Grand Prize (Daesang) Nominated

Other honors

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Lists of other honors received by S.E.S.
Organization Year Honor
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism 1999 Commendation in Leading Celebrity Category
National Entertainment Artists' Union 2000 Appreciation Plaque
Korean Confederation of Trade Unions 2000 Appreciation Plaque
Suwon District Prosecutor's Office 2002 Youth Crime Eradication Plaque

Listicles

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S.E.S. on select listicles
Publisher Year Listicle Placement Ref.
The Dong-a Ilbo 2016 Best female artists according to experts 4th [43]
Mnet 2013 Legend 100 Artists 80th [44]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "[100beat.com 아이돌 특집] 최고의 아이돌과 최악의 아이돌은 누구?". 한겨레 (in Korean). September 21, 2010. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  2. ^ "추억의 1세대 걸그룹 돌아보기- 1부 (1997~1999)". 벅스! (in Korean). Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  3. ^ "S.E.S." Naver Music. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  4. ^ "Top 10 K-Pop Girl Groups You Need to Know". Billboard. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  5. ^ [정진영의 연예가 빅매치] 핑클vsS.E.S, 애들은 모르는 원조 국민 요정은?. The Fact. January 16, 2015. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
  6. ^ "Muistatko? Nylon Beatin kappaleesta tuli maailmanlaajuinen megahitti - näin erikoinen tapahtumaketju eteni". Iltalehti (in Finnish). July 6, 2020. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  7. ^ Kallen, Stuart (February 1, 2014). K-Pop: Korea's Musical Explosion. Twenty-First Century Books. p. 7. ISBN 978-1-4677-2549-1. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
  8. ^ "「s.e.s.」の芸能人名検索結果" [S.E.S. Japanese Discography on ORICON STYLE] (in Japanese). Oricon Style. May 2002. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  9. ^ "SES 공연 좌석예약률 '116%'" [SES performance seat reservation rate '116%']. Hankook Ilbo (in Korean). March 14, 2000. Archived from the original on February 11, 2001.
  10. ^ 2000년 가요음반판매량 [2000 Album Sales Figures] (in Korean). Music Industry Association of Korea. Archived from the original on May 16, 2007. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
  11. ^ 2001년 가요음반판매량 [2001 Album Sales Figures] (in Korean). Music Industry Association of Korea. Archived from the original on February 28, 2009. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
  12. ^ South Korea has a unique album labelling system. Instead of being known by their titles, they are titled first in order of appearance. Therefore, a debut album would just be known as their first (or 1집), while their fifth would simply be their fifth. The actual title of the album is secondary. Under this system, "real" albums are given whole numbers, while special or concept albums are labeled "half" albums. Because this album was not new material but old material made new, it is not considered "real" material.
  13. ^ 2001년 가요음반판매량 [2001 Album Sales Figures] (in Korean). Music Industry Association of Korea. Archived from the original on February 28, 2009. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
  14. ^ "[대중음악]S.E.S 5집 당당한 여성상 담아" [[Popular Music] SES 5th album contains the image of a confident woman]. The Dong-a Ilbo (in Korean). Naver. February 18, 2002. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  15. ^ "SES 5집 앨범 발표" [SES 5th album released]. The Korea Economic Daily (in Korean). Naver. February 17, 2002. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  16. ^ "어려운 아이 도우려 오랜만에 뭉친 원조 요정 S.E.S". Insight (in Korean). May 18, 2018. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  17. ^ "'S.E.S 재결합' 유진 "데뷔 20주년 기념 서프라이즈 기대하세요"". Naver News (in Korean). October 5, 2016. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  18. ^ "S.E.S. hints at comeback". The Korea Herald. October 4, 2016. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  19. ^ "S.E.S. officially announces reunion". Korea JoongAng Daily. October 4, 2016. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  20. ^ "first generation idol-comeback". Naver News (in Korean). October 7, 2016. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  21. ^ "Original Kpop girl group S.E.S to make music comeback; Bada teases Eugene's preparations". Yibada. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
  22. ^ ""데뷔 20주년, 완전체 컴백"…S.E.S, 재결합 선언". Dispatch (in Korean). October 3, 2016. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  23. ^ Chung, Jin-hong (November 28, 2016). "S.E.S releases its first song in 14 years". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  24. ^ ""원조 요정의 귀환"…S.E.S., 오늘(27일) 밤 'Love [story]' 공개". HEI (in Korean). November 28, 2016. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
  25. ^ "S.E.S to make comeback with double title tracks". Asia Today. December 27, 2016. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  26. ^ "S.E.S., 데뷔 20주년 기념 프로젝트 'REMEMBER' 시동! 28일 0시 음원 발매". 서울경제 (in Korean). November 23, 2016. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
  27. ^ SMTOWN (December 29, 2016), [STATION] S.E.S._Love [story]_Music Video, retrieved January 2, 2017
  28. ^ "[2017 가요②] S.E.S부터 악동뮤지션까지… 레전드vs루키". TenAsia (in Korean). December 30, 2016. Archived from the original on December 29, 2016. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  29. ^ "Remember - S.E.S. 20th Anniversary Special Album". Melon. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
  30. ^ "[단독] S.E.S, 오늘(1일) 20주년 팬미팅 '재결성 후 첫 만남'".
  31. ^ "98대한민국 영상음반 대상/골든디스크대상 김종환'사랑을 위하여'". Hankook Ilbo (in Korean). December 6, 1998. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  32. ^ "god 골든디스크 '대상'". The Korea Times (in Korean). December 14, 2001. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  33. ^ "[방송.연예가] '98 KBS 가요대상' 수상자 확정". Busan Ilbo (in Korean). December 16, 1998. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  34. ^ "KMTV가요대전, 강타·god등 19개팀 대상". JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean). December 20, 2001. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  35. ^ "올해 가장 옷 잘 입은 사람 선정" [Best dressed person of the year] (in Korean). Naver News Library. December 3, 1999. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  36. ^ "원로가수 현인 문화훈장 서훈". Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). Naver. March 16, 1999. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  37. ^ "왁스 '화장을 고치고' 올 최우수 뮤직비디오". Kyongbuk Ilbo (in Korean). November 26, 2001. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  38. ^ "보아의 'NO.1'최고 인기 뮤직비디오에". JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean). November 30, 2002. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  39. ^ "2005 Mnet KM Music Video Festival" (in Korean). Mwave. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  40. ^ "[방송] MBC 99 MBC 10대 가수 가요제". Busan Ilbo (in Korean). January 1, 2000. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  41. ^ "MBC '10대 가수 가요제' 수상자 선정". Maeil Business Newspaper (in Korean). December 21, 2001. Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  42. ^ "SMA Winners". High1 Seoul Music Awards. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  43. ^ "'반짝반짝 눈이 부셔'… 빅뱅-소녀시대 역대 최고 아이돌". The Dong-a Ilbo (in Korean). September 1, 2016. Archived from the original on December 18, 2021. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  44. ^ Wi, Su-ji. "[레전드100人] S.E.S, 걸 그룹 시대를 연 원조 요정" [[Legend 100 People] SES, the original fairy who opened the girl group era]. Genie Music (in Korean). Retrieved January 10, 2024.
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