PLAVE: The Virtual K-pop sensation taking the music world by storm

The five members of one of K-pop's trendiest groups, PLAVE, have appeared on TV and held concerts, and one of their songs has even secured a place in the prestigious Billboard Global 200, an international music chart.

On paper, they seem like any other K-pop sensation, except they are two-dimensional avatars with songs and content that have racked up over 470 million views on YouTube.

The band, consisting of Yejun, Noah, Eunho, Bamby, and Hamin, told Reuters they want to be globally recognised like K-pop sensation BTS.

"We don't often get to meet our fans, so when we meet them at a concert, we get very excited," said Bamby, who has pink hair and eyes. "They cheer for us together... We make an all-out effort when we perform."

Unlike many other virtual groups, PLAVE's label Vlast says the avatars are controlled by humans, using motion-capture and other technology to relay their actions and singing.

However, Vlast keeps the humans' identities behind the avatars a secret, so they spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity.

Since its debut in 2023, PLAVE has broken streaming records and topped the music charts in South Korea with its latest album, “Caligo Pt.1,” released earlier this year. The album sold over one million copies in one week.

"For concerts, we connect our in-house motion capture studio directly to the actual concert venue in real-time," Vlast CEO Lee Sung-gu said in an email. "This setup includes a feedback system that allows the members to see fan reactions from the concert venue as they perform."

Despite the rise of artificial intelligence, Lee says his company plans to expand on the motion-capture technique.

"It’s our unique strength," he said.

To Chang Ya Han, a 30-year-old Taiwanese fan who learned about PLAVE in an Instagram video, there is little difference between virtual and real-life idols.

"The love they give us, the way they drive us to improve, or how I wake up every day wanting to see them, that feeling is the same," she said at a crowded fan event in Seoul.

Vlast describes itself as a 'virtual entertainment' startup and said it received equity investments from K-pop labels HYBE and YG Plus early last year. The multi-million dollar K-pop industry increasingly embraces AI and the metaverse.

According to Seoul-based music critic Kim Do Heon, PLAVE's success hinges on its interaction with fans.

"It's expensive to go to an idol group's concert, and you need to use a paid messaging app to interact with them these days," Kim said.

"But the accessibility of cyber singers makes it much easier to like them."