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]
