Who is Jessica? Her Girls' Generation years, her departure, and what she has done since

Who is Jessica?

Jessica is a singer who debuted with Girls' Generation in 2007 and was in the group until 2014, and who has since worked as a solo singer and businesswoman. In November 2023 Segye Ilbo gave her age as 34 and described her as "working as a solo singer and businesswoman" after signing with Coridel Entertainment in 2016. She launched the fashion brand Blanc in 2014 and published the English-language novel Shine in 2020.

What did Jessica do in Girls' Generation?

Jessica is one of the nine original members of Girls' Generation, which debuted on August 5, 2007 with "Into the New World." YTN described the group as a second-generation girl group known for songs including "Kissing You," "Gee," "Oh!" and "Genie." While in the group, in 2009, she teamed up with Park Myung-soo as Myung Card Drive at MBC Infinite Challenge's Olympic Highway Duet Song Festival to sing "Naengmyeon," which TV Report said swept the major music charts at the time.

Why did Jessica leave Girls' Generation?

• Jessica left the group when SM Entertainment announced an eight-member Girls' Generation on September 30, 2014, and SM and Jessica issued differing official statements on the reasons. Below are only the statements each side released at the time.^2,3
• SM Entertainment's statement (September 30, 2014). SM said that, without proper coordination over conflicting priorities and interests in the group's activities, Jessica had started a fashion business, and "despite continued discussions, the situation reached a point where the team could not be maintained." It added that it would keep supporting both the eight-member group and Jessica's individual activities.^2,3
• Jessica's statements (September 30 and October 1, 2014). In the early hours of September 30 she wrote on Weibo that she had been told by the company and the eight members that she was no longer a member of Girls' Generation. On October 1, through a PR agency, she said she had discussed the business with the agency and the members several times from the planning stage, and had received the agency's consent to run it alongside the group up to Blanc's launch in early August. She also said the agency had told her on September 29 to leave the group.^3,4
• Afterward. In a 2016 interview article, Nocut News wrote that Jessica left Girls' Generation in September 2014 and left SM Entertainment the following August.⁵

What is Jessica's fashion brand?

Jessica's fashion brand is Blanc, whose launch was announced in August 2014. According to Metro Seoul, the brand presented itself as modern classic, and its first products were eyewear styles inspired by cities such as Seoul, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo, New York and Paris. Jessica said at the time that "a long-held dream of mine has come true."

What solo albums has Jessica released?

• Jessica's solo albums include her first mini-album, With Love, J (2016), and the mini-album BEEP BEEP (2023).^5,9
• With Love, J (2016). She wrote and composed more than half of its six tracks, including the lead single "Fly," and took part in producing the album. In a Nocut News interview she said the songwriting took nine to ten months.⁵
• BEEP BEEP (2023). Released on November 22, 2023 with six tracks including the title song, it was her first mini-album in six years. Alongside it she launched the Diamond Dreams concert tour, with dates in Singapore and Macau.⁹

What novel did Jessica write?

Jessica's novel is Shine, an English-language young adult novel published in the United States in 2020. Gulf News reported that it follows a Korean American teenager training to debut in a nine-member girl group at a major agency, that it is part of a two-book deal with the publisher Simon Pulse, and that a film adaptation was in the works. SBS Star reported that the novel entered the New York Times young adult hardcover best-seller list at No. 5.

What has Jessica done in China?

In 2022 Jessica appeared on season 3 of Sisters Who Make Waves, Mango TV's girl-group redebut competition in China, and placed second. On the show, 30 female celebrities over 30 compete for seven places in a girl group; Korea JoongAng Daily reported that she was the only Korean in that season and sang Ed Sheeran's "Perfect" in the first episode. TV Report wrote that since leaving Girls' Generation in 2014 she has focused on work abroad, including in China, on her business and on her own channels.

What is Jessica doing now?

In 2026 Jessica was announced as a performer at the celebration concert of "2026 Infinite Challenge Run in Gyeongju" on September 19, where she was set to sing "Naengmyeon" with Park Myung-soo as Myung Card Drive for the first time in 17 years. According to TV Report, the lineup included Park Myung-soo's DJ set along with Jessica, Skull & Haha, Zion.T, Yoon Mi-rae & Tiger JK and Lee Juck, and the appearance was presented as her return to a Korean stage after little domestic broadcast activity. iMBC Entertainment also reported on August 13 that the two would perform together again at the event in September. The concert itself is not covered in this page's sources.

Where can I listen to Jessica's music?

Jessica's solo albums and her Girls' Generation recordings are officially available on online music platforms in Korea and abroad. Shine was published by a US publisher and is sold through licensed bookstores. Availability differs by country, so check the official services where you live. This page does not point to unauthorized copies.

How to read this page

The account of her departure reproduces only the official statements SM Entertainment and Jessica released on September 30 and October 1, 2014, without judging which side is correct. Dates and rankings are as given in each article. This page will be updated once follow-up reports on the September 2026 concert are confirmed. The group's history is in the Hallyu Wiki article on Girls' Generation, and hers in the article on Jessica.