K-pop: The rise of the virtual girl bands in South Korea

Music Music: In The News
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Since releasing their debut single I’m Real in 2021, K-pop girl group Eternity have racked up millions of views online.

They sing, dance and interact with their fans just like any other band. In fact, there’s mainly one big difference between them and any other pop group you might know - all 11 members are virtual characters.

“The business we are making with Eternity is a new business. I think it’s a new genre,” says Park Jieun, the woman behind Eternity. “The advantage of having virtual artists is that, while K-pop stars often struggle with physical limitations, or even mental distress because they are human beings, virtual artists can be free from these.”

The cultural tidal wave of Korean pop has become a multibillion-dollar force over the last decade. With its catchy tunes, high-tech production and slinky dance routines, K-pop has smashed into the global mainstream, becoming one of South Korea’s most lucrative and influential exports. But the top K-pop stars, their legions of loyal fans, and the business-owners looking to capitalise on their success are all looking to the future.

With the explosion of artificial intelligence (AI), deepfake and avatar technologies, these pop idols are taking their fame into a whole new dimension.

The virtual faces of Eternity’s members were created by deep learning tech company Pulse9. Park Jieun is the organisation’s CEO. Initially the company generated 101 fantasy faces, dividing them into four categories according to their charms: cute, sexy, innocent and intelligent. Fans were asked to vote on their favourites. In-house designers then set to work animating the winning characters according to the preferences of the fans.

For live chats, videos and online fan meets, the avatar faces can be projected onto anonymous singers, actors and dancers, contracted in by Pulse9. The technology acts like a deepfake filter, bringing the characters to life.

Better than human - flawless and far less trouble … cheaper, too … :thinking:

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This is quite scary :scream: Its cool, but scary as well. If AI can make pop songs, what’s the point of having actual bands? or writers, or artists? :thinking:

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I wonder if they’ll ever create a virtual mosh pit…nah!!
Not that I’ll ever be in a mosh pit again thank you very much :wink:

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Seemingly, for the musical preference of a certain demographic segment … none … :man_shrugging:

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My daughter went once. Came home black and blue but had the best time of her life she said :roll_eyes:

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Watching so many musicians suffering with mental health problems, this makes me wonder if something like this would help or hurt those artists.

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Indeed:

Threat or aid?

For the human stars working around the clock to train, perform and interact with their fans, having some avatar assistance in the virtual world could provide some relief.

Han Yewon, 19, is the lead vocalist of newly launched girl group mimiirose, managed by YES IM Entertainment in South Korea. She spent almost four years as a trainee, waiting for her opportunity to be thrust into the limelight - and one of many candidates who had to undertake monthly evaluations. Those who didn’t show sufficient progress were let go.

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Han Yewon is a human lead vocalist of K-pop girl group mimiirose

“I worried a lot about not being able to debut,” says Yewon. “I went to work around ten in the morning and did my vocal warm-ups for an hour. After that, I sang for two or three hours, I danced for three to four hours and worked out for another two hours”, says the vocalist. “We practised for more than 12 hours in total. But if you aren’t good enough, you end up practising longer.”

Yet the prospect of virtual avatars flooding the industry worries Yewon, who says that fans appreciate her authenticity. “Because technology has improved so much lately, I’m afraid that virtual characters will take the place of human idols,” she says.