Girls' Generation performing "Genie" at the LG Mobile Worldcup in 2009.
A teaser video was released in January 2009 and the first single "Gee" released soon after. "Gee" topped Cyworld's hourly music chart on the release day.The song also went number one on all major digital music charts within two days.The group began its album promotion in January 2009 on MBC Show! Music Core where they sang their new lead single "Gee" and the track "Himnae (Way To Go)", another song from their mini-album. A week after its release, "Gee" went #1 on KBS Music Bank. "Gee" also went to #1 on SBS Inkigayo a week after their return. "Gee" went on to become a phenomenal hit, breaking the record for consecutive number one wins on KBS Music Bank with nine consecutive wins, as well as receiving a triple crown on SBS Inkigayo. The song then broke the record by staying on top a seventh week, and remained in the position for an eighth week. It also tied[36] then broke the record for longest-running #1 on Music Bank, beating the 7-week record previously set by Jewelry in 2008 with "One More Time". "Gee" achieved its ninth #1 on the show on March 13, 2009. SM Entertainment stated that over 100,000 copies of the mini-album were shipped to stores, while sales analyst company Hanteo reported sales in excess of 30,000 copies within the first 10 days of its release. The track also showed strength on other charts, topping the Mujikon, Melon and Mnet charts for eight consecutive weeks, the Dosirak chart for seven weeks, the Muse chart for six weeks, and the Baksu chart for four weeks.
After a short break, SM Entertainment announced that the group would be back with a new mini-album sporting a "Marine Girl" concept. The new single was to be titled "Tell Me Your Wish (Genie)", with the full mini-album being released digitally on June 22, 2009.The group started their promotional activities on June 26, 2009, appearing on KBS Music Bank.The performance was followed by follow-up comeback performances on MBC Show! Music Core and SBS Inkigayo on June 27 and 28, 2009. The physical release of Genie was delayed by SM Entertainment in order to redo the album art, and was released four days later on June 29, 2009. Their first win for their single "Sowoneul Malhaebwa (Genie)" was obtained at the July 10, 2009 episode of KBS Music Bank. Their second award was claimed on the July 12, 2009 episode of SBS Inkigayo. Within a few days, the song topped on 10 different digital music charts.The track proved to be a success as it conquered various music sites, including Melon, Dosirak, Mnet, and Bugs, and it was number one on the weekly charts and the SKT ringtone weekly charts of the first week of July.The mini-album sold an estimated 50,000+ copies in its first week after released (almost double the numbers from the first-week sales of Gee), an unusual feat for any Korean girl group.The albums went to sell over 200,000 as of 2010. On November 2009, SM Entertainment announced the group's Into The New World Tour. The tickets for the tour went on sale on November 19, and sold out in 3 minutes.The tour initially consisted of two Korean shows on December 19 and 20, 2009.The tour began at Seoul's Olympic Park Fencing Stadium on December 19 and 20 and continued onto other Asian cities including Shanghai.
