Almost twenty years in, and Girls’ Generation still holds a place in our hearts that nothing else quite reaches. SONEs know the feeling. That group defined a whole generation of K-pop, and the wild part is that the story never really slowed down when the eight of them stepped out on their own. If anything, it got more interesting.
Here’s the thing about going solo after being in one of the biggest girl groups of all time: you could easily just coast. Nobody would blame you. But these women went and built entire second acts in totally different lanes, and some of them barely even overlap. One’s writing novels. One’s ruling the small screen. One’s judging other idols. And a couple of them took the road nobody expected at all.
So let’s talk about the solo projects that live in our heads rent-free. We narrowed it to five, which was honestly painful, because there’s more where this came from!
Jessica Went And Became A Bestselling Author
You know what nobody had on their bingo card back in 2007? Jessica Jung, published novelist. And not just published, a New York Times bestseller. Her debut novel Shine dropped in 2020, and it pulls the curtain back on the K-pop industry through the eyes of Rachel Kim, a Korean American teen scouted off the street and thrown into the brutal machine of a Seoul entertainment label. Train constantly. Be flawless. Don’t date. Sound familiar? Jessica has said the story pulls from her own experiences, and you can feel it in the little details that a casual outsider would never think to include.
Then she followed it up with Bright in 2022, jumping ahead a few years to find Rachel as a rising star trying to launch her own fashion brand. Which, if you know anything about Jessica and Blanc & Eclare, feels like a little wink to the fans who’ve been paying attention. Do the books read like breezy YA drama? Absolutely, and that’s kind of the point. But there’s a sharpness underneath the glitz that makes them worth the read, especially if you’ve ever wondered what all that shine actually costs.
Yoona Quietly Turned Into A Bona Fide Leading Lady
Some idols dabble in acting. Yoona built a whole career out of it, and she’s been at it for ages at this point. The one we can’t stop thinking about is Bon Appétit, Your Majesty, the tvN fantasy romance that took over everyone’s watch lists. Yoona plays Yeon Ji-young, an award-winning French chef who wins the biggest cooking competition around and then, thanks to a little time-travel chaos, lands smack in the middle of the Joseon era. Now she’s cooking fusion royal cuisine to survive under a tyrant king with an extremely particular palate. It’s part foodie heaven, part court intrigue, part swoony slow burn, and it works so much better than it has any right to.
What we loved most is how natural she looks pulling it all off. The show reportedly had her learning proper prep and plating so those kitchen scenes would actually land, and the effort shows in every frame. It became appointment viewing for a reason, earning some of the highest domestic ratings tvN had all year. Yoona’s been racking up roles for years, and this one felt like the payoff for every viewer who’s watched her grow into the screen. If you somehow haven’t watched it yet, clear your weekend!
Tiffany Took A Seat On The Other Side Of The Judging Table
There’s something deeply satisfying about watching an idol who lived through the trainee grind turn around and mentor the next wave. That’s exactly what Tiffany did on Peak Time. For the uninitiated, Peak Time was JTBC’s survival show built around a genuinely lovely premise: idols from groups that never quite got their moment, whether they went inactive or disbanded entirely, get a second shot at the spotlight. Tiffany joined an all-star judging panel and was assigned to the dance category, which we SONEs immediately found hilarious given how she’s talked about her own dance struggles over the years. We say let her judge. Who understands the pressure of that stage better than someone who’s stood on it for over a decade? The show gave the participants exactly the kind of encouragement and honest feedback you’d want from someone who’s been there, and Tiffany brought real warmth to it. Watching her pour that experience back into artists chasing the same dream she once chased? That’s the good stuff.
Hyoyeon Grabbed The Decks And Never Looked Back
Okay, quick honesty moment: when we heard Hyoyeon was becoming a DJ, we did not know what to expect. Fast forward, and DJ HYO is one of the most fun creative left turns any member has taken. Instead of following the usual solo-vocalist route, Hyoyeon leaned all the way into her first love, dancing, and channeled it into EDM. She launched the HYO persona in 2018 and has been building a genuine catalog ever since, with tracks like ‘Sober,’ ‘Dessert,’ and ‘Deep’ stacking up along the way.
She’s played nightclubs and festivals across the world, from New York’s Webster Hall to some of Singapore’s biggest venues, throwing the kind of high-octane dance parties that make you forget she was ever anything but a headliner. She’s said she wanted her approach to feel unconventional, something a little off the beaten path, and honestly, mission accomplished. There’s something so satisfying about watching a main dancer find a lane that lets her stay glued to the rhythm. When most of the group split toward music or acting, Hyoyeon carved out something that’s entirely her own.
Sooyoung Made The Jump To Screen Look Effortless
Rounding things out is Sooyoung, who’s been steadily proving she’s got serious range as an actress while plenty of people weren’t fully paying attention. She’s stacked up film and drama credits across the years, and the work speaks for itself, from emotional dramas to sharper, edgier fare that lets her stretch. What we appreciate about Sooyoung’s path is how unflashy it’s been. No big proclamations, just consistent, solid performances that keep landing her more interesting roles. She shows up, she disappears into the character, and she moves on to the next one. It’s the kind of quiet, career-building work that doesn’t always trend, but it’s exactly what builds a lasting reputation in an industry that chews people up fast. We’re rooting for every project she picks up next!
The Legacy Keeps Going
Here’s what gets us about all of this. You could take these five projects, line them up, and never guess they came from members of the same group. A novelist, a leading lady, a mentor, a DJ, an actress with range for days. That’s the magic of Girls’ Generation! Nine, then eight, incredibly different women who each found something that felt true to them once the group era gave them room to breathe. The group may not be dropping new music on a regular schedule anymore, but the SONE well of things to be obsessed with never runs dry. And we wouldn’t have it any other way!
What GG solo project are you still obsessed with? Let us know over on our socials: X, Facebook, Instagram, and Reddit.
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