The Rise of Virtual Groups in K-Pop

The new virtual group, SPHAZE, is set to debut on September 30 with their first single album, "Starlight". But why the sudden rise of virtual groups in K-Pop? 

Virtual idols were already immensely popular in Japan, with the superstar Hatsune Miku leading the way long before the trend gained traction in Korea. 

In recent years, virtual groups have gained significant momentum in the K-Pop industry as well, however. This surge can be linked to a combination of cutting-edge technology and the ever-evolving demands of fans. These digitally created idols, brought to life through advanced AI and animation, are reshaping the landscape of creativity and fan engagement. 

There’s two main types of virtual idols these days: the first consists of real humans who wear special motion-capture suits. A virtual appearance is then applied to their person. This is, for example, the case for the boygroup “PLAVE”.  

The second type consists entirely of AI-generated characters, created through artificial intelligence and animation. No human performers are behind the visuals/movements, instead solely providing their voice to the created idol characters. 

SeeU is known to be the first korean vocaloid created in 2011. Her voice was provided by Dahee Kim (member of GLAM). The term “Vocaloid” comes from a voice synthesizer computer program, which uses voice banks made from the sounds of real human voices.They can be used for a song or give voice to an anime charachter. 

Since then, the rise of virtual groups has been unstoppable, with these groups gaining significant love and support from the public. The boy group PLAVE recently held a successful concert at Seoul's Olympic Hall, which has a capacity of 4,000 people. 

The girl group MAVE, on the other hand, made a strong impact with their debut EP, which landed on the Global Music Chart and garnered millions of views for their music video. This success highlights the growing appeal of virtual groups in the global music scene. 

SM Entertainment has also embraced the concept recently, by debuting Naevis, a fictional solo artist within the SM Culture Universe (Kwangya) and a key part of the group aespa’s concept. 

More recently, it was announced that the new virtual boy group of Oort Entertainement, SPHAZE, will make their debut. The group consist of 5 members : Do Minseong, Nithan, Frederic, Seo Tale, and Ma Daehyeop. The name is a combination of the words “S” and “Phase” in “Special Phase” and “Second Phase”. It means to create a new special life that’s different and to go beyond the characters and move forward to the new second stage / life as idols. 

Starlight is now available on www.ipurple.eu