South Korea's top group “Girls' Generation” (SNSD) debuted on August 5, 2007, and shot to worldwide fame with “Gee” and its signature long-legged choreography. The group’s album sales record from that year remains unbeaten to this day. However, member Jessica (Jung Soo-yeon) announced on September 30, 2014, that she had been notified by “SM Entertainment” to leave the group, officially changing the lineup from nine to eight members. Recently, at her solo concert in Malaysia, Jessica performed a rare medley of SNSD's iconic songs, including “THE BOYS,” “Genie (Tell Me Your Wish),” “MR MR,” “GEE,” and “Into the New World.” News of the performance immediately sparked polarized debate. Some questioned whether she was betraying SNSD and shouldn't perform these songs to gain attention, while others argued that since she originally participated in these works, performing them again was not overstepping.
Jessica launched her new “Reflections” tour, arriving at the Malaysia stop on the 11th. Since leaving SNSD 11 years ago, she has avoided performing any group-related tracks to steer clear of copyright disputes with her former agency, only singing songs from her solo career. But that night, she surprised fans by performing SNSD's iconic hits “THE BOYS,” “Genie (Tell Me Your Wish),” “MR MR,” “GEE,” and “Into the New World,” sparking heated discussion. Many SONE (SNSD fans) pushed back, considering her actions to be capitalizing on her past, especially since Jessica previously stated publicly she “didn't want to operate as SNSD anymore.” Her decision to perform the group's signature songs now was seen as highly contradictory behavior.
The most controversial was her performance of the ballad version of “Into the New World.” This version was first performed with tears in Japan by the remaining eight members after Jessica's departure and is regarded as a symbol of SNSD's eight members and fans overcoming difficult times together. To some fans, this song is now a memory exclusive to the eight members, who believe Jessica should not sing it anymore.