Girls’ Generation back with third album

Girls’ Generation will release their third album’s first single “The Boys” on Oct. 4 through music websites in Asia and iTunes in the U.S. and Europe, the group’s agency S.M. Entertainment said Monday.

The nine-member group will unveil all the tracks from the new album the next day, the agency said.

The title song, “The Boys,” was composed and arranged by Teddy Riley, who has worked with Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson and Bobby Brown. Riley is credited with creating new jack swing, a crossover of hip-hop and R&B that was popular in the late-1980s on the New York club scene.

The group’s new song and music video will be released both in Korean and in English for K-pop fans around the world, the agency said.

The group’s third album will be the first since the mini-album “Hoot” late last October.

Teaser pictures of Girls’ Generation members Taeyeon, Hyoyeon and Sunny released prior to the group’s comeback on Oct. 4. (S.M. Entertainment)

Girls’ Generation have been performing overseas and their first Japanese studio album, released in June, has sold more than 680,000 copies so far. Girls’ Generation became the first Korean female pop group to hit double platinum with a debut album. An album goes double platinum when it sells more than 500,000 copies.

The band recently had a concert tour at the Taipei Arena in Taiwan, attracting 31,000 fans for three days from Sept. 9-11.

Other girl groups have recently released new material or are planning to this fall.

Five-member girl group KARA released their third album “Step” on Sept. 6, while seven-member band T-ara plan to unveil their new mini-album “Black Eyes” on Oct. 27.

The Wonder Girls said through the homepage of JYP Entertainment that they will release a new album in November.

By Kim Yoon-mi (yoonmi@heraldm.com)