Few musical cultures are as parasocial as K-pop: That innate urge to see, to meet, to greet, to interact with the idol at concerts, fan-meetings, festivals and even airports. Yet, the K-pop idol is a paradox – as available as they are walled off, as approachable as they are unattainable, as much a commodity as they are artists.
It’s difficult for real humans to walk this tightrope – but PLAVE, a group of virtual idols, are doing it. While the boyband are far from the first of their kind – before them, there were British band Gorillaz, 2000s sensation Crazy Frog and, perhaps the most iconic of them all, Japanese vocaloid Hatsune Miku, to name a few – the South Korean quintet have managed to amass a huge following back home.
While many similar virtual K-pop acts leverage deepfake technology and AI generation for their music and content, PLAVE and their label head took a different approach. As VLAST CEO Lee Sunggoo tells NME over email, the secret sauce was a personal human touch: “From the beginning, we planned for real artists to perform instead of AI. Seeing the success of the V-tuber market in Japan, I realised the ability of the actual performer is a critical factor in popularity.”
The five members of PLAVE deploy motion-capture technology to become Yejun, Noah, Bamby, Eunho and Hamin, but their music – and behind-the-scenes shenanigans – is very much human. The group’s involvement in their creative output isn’t limited to just albums either – together, they create the tracks, choreography, live performances and even jingles for their web broadcasts.
Though, as Lee recalls, the decision to have fixed human counterparts wasn’t wholly embraced in the group’s early days: “Some investors and industry experts questioned whether virtual idols could have a more flexible structure, where members could be replaced or added.” Yet, as PLAVE slowly came into being, he and his team “experienced how the characters and the artists became one” over time. “It became clear to us that this current line-up could not and should not change,” he adds.
While their label’s CEO was convinced of the idea, it took a while for the members to come around. “To be honest, I think Eunho and Noah didn’t initially believe in [the] concept [of virtual idols] as much as they were drawn to the idea of the three of us taking on this exciting challenge together,” says Yejun. The proverbial first domino, Yejun was the one who reached out to Eunho and Noah to convince them to join.
“One of the biggest difficulties is reimagining how we envision the stage [as] we can break free from physical constraints” – Bamby
Later on, Eunho called Bamby while Noah recruited Hamin. “At first Noah just told me to trust him which made me a little sceptical, to be honest with you,” Hamin recalls. “But as he kept contacting me, he said that I had the skills to complete PLAVE in a way that the current members couldn’t on their own. The fact that he needed me in that way and believed in me was what ultimately motivated me the most.”
Even with actual people behind the PLAVE characters, the group’s aforementioned human touch wasn’t fully realised yet. The initial plan had been to outsource the creation of the group’s debut single to an external composer – but that quickly fell by the wayside after dozens of demos that couldn’t quite bottle their essence. PLAVE then asked Lee if they could take a stab at it themselves.
Recalling the moment the group presented their future-debut single, ‘Wait For You’, Lee says: “I still vividly remember the thrill I felt when I first heard it.” Ever since that fateful song, all of PLAVE’s songs – including their chart-topping hit ‘Pump Up the Volume!’ – have been composed by the members. “[This] allows them to tell their own stories through their music,” he adds. “I believe this collaborative creative process strengthened their bond”.
The virtual nature of PLAVE should have been an insurmountable wall between them and their fans. But with their unbridled youthful optimism and penchant for experimentation, the boyband have managed to make up for the lack of a physical connection between themselves and their fans. It’s all backed by the group’s rich lore, which features the fictional extraterrestrial world of Asterum, where the quintet convene for their live broadcasts, performances and more.
PLAVE’s livestreams act as an invitation to visit Asterum, where fans get an intimate look into the creative process. For the group’s producers – Noah, Yejin and Eunho – the ping-pong pace of the trio’s exchanges reveals their chaotic yet endearing inner dynamics, what with their exhilarating mishmash of quips, laughter and squabbles. On one such broadcast, a fan commented: “Eunho is the accelerator, Yejun is the brake, and Noah is the steering wheel.”
“That comment was a creative way of describing how we each contribute to the process,” Yejun remarks. “Eunho is the one who throws out a ton of ideas and themes while I focus on shaping the direction of the song, carrying forward the best ideas. Then Noah takes a step back to look at the bigger picture and enhances the overall quality of the track.”
“The anonymity of virtual idols can be both an advantage and a disadvantage” – VLAST CEO Lee Sunggoo
As for Bamby and Hamin, the creative process is more physical. Wearing motion capture suits and planning out choreography for a virtual space “isn’t exactly a typical experience”, as Bamby puts it. “One of the biggest difficulties is reimagining how we envision the stage. In traditional performances, there are physical limitations to consider, but in Asterum, we can break free from those constraints and try completely new things.”
While Bamby admits that their virtual nature is “definitely an advantage”, he says that it can also be “overwhelming because we need to strike a balance between maintaining a sense of realism and showcasing our unique charm”. To that end, Bamby is glad to have Hamin along for the ride: “Being able to discuss and work through challenges together is a huge relief. When I work alone, it can be physically exhausting, but with the two of us, we can share our energy and support each other.”
The past two years have been a whirlwind for PLAVE, who went from having less than 100 viewers in the beginning – most of them employees from their agency VLAST – to selling over a million copies of their latest project, ‘Caligo Pt.1’. Through all that, the five members have learned to leave their silos and lean on each other. “When I feel something is not enough, I push myself until it becomes perfect,” recounts Eunho, who admits he’s learning to be kinder to himself. “The members taught me that I am not alone.”
Despite the success the group have achieved, CEO Lee doesn’t believe that “being a virtual idol is any easier than being a traditional idol” as, at the end of the day, everything still boils down to the audience. “The anonymity of virtual idols can be both an advantage and a disadvantage,” he says. “Whether selling albums or streaming music, everything comes down to the fans’ choices. If a virtual idol’s music or performance is lacking, fans will turn away.”
But for the moment, fans are tuned into PLAVE’s frequency, fuelling their rise to the top of the industry. “This year has been filled with so many incredible achievements,” Noah says, singling out their first headline concert at Seoul’s Olympic Hall in April 2024 as his favourite. “It was the first time we performed on a stage, and seeing all of our fans there was truly beyond words. An unforgettable moment of overwhelming emotion.”
The sun sets on Asterum, Yejun thinks back to the group’s first-ever broadcast. “Every time we perform on a big stage or a concert, we naturally think back to our very broadcast. Starting with just 10 or 100 viewers, to seeing that number grow over time, to now having hundreds of thousands of [fans] supporting us, it’s something we are incredibly grateful for.”
PLAVE’s latest project ‘Caligo Pt.1’ is out now on Spotify, Apple Music and more.