Virtual idols may have long been a trend in the Japanese music scene, but in the world of K-pop, it has just become a thing since the emergence of virtual boy band PLAVE in 2023. From PLAVE to aespa's naevis, we're introducing six virtual K-pop idols with perfect anime faces and heavenly voices you can't miss!

PLAVE

Ranking high on digital charts and claiming #1 on music shows, PLAVE has been one of Korea's favorites idols in 2024. VLAST Company, the mastermind behind PLAVE, created the group by bringing together webtoon style, K-pop music and VFX technology in one go. Unlike most other Korean virtual idols who are only active online, PLAVE members (No Ah, Ye Jun, Bamby, Eun Ho and Ha Min) are real-time 3D characters who offer connection and fandom experiences like the usual K-pop idols – they do daily live streams, fansign and video call events, fan concerts and even dance challenges with other artists! From their 2023 debut singles "Wait For You" and "The 6th Summer" to the recent hits WAY 4 LUV and Pump Up The Volume!, PLAVE continues to build on their dreamy "Play and Reve" concept, allowing audiences to explore the fascinating blurry line between reality and virtuality.

naevis

"naevis, calling!" naevis, a significant character in aespa's worldview, officially debuted as SM Entertainment's first virtual artist on September 10, 2024. As the connection between the virtual and real worlds, naevis helps aespa meet their "ae" avatars, and she assists the girls in defeating Black Mamba in KWANGYA. After performing as the featuring artist of Welcome To MY World from aespa's third mini-album MY WORLD, naevis officially tells her own story in her first single Done, where she decides to leave the space she's long been confined, and move on to finding freedom in her new journey.

MAVE:

Virtual girl group MAVE: debuted in January 2023 as a four-member group, with each member personalized with their own birthday, group position and even MBTI! Aspiring to "MAKE NEW WAVE" in the Korean music scene, MAVE: includes leader and main vocalist SIU:, lead vocalist ZENA:, main rapper and dancer TYRA:, and rapper and dancer MARTY:, who together travel from the IDYPIA utopia to the real world. After opening the Pandora's box in their debut single PANDORA, the girls embark on a journey to find their origin and true selves in their first EP What's My Name, which offers dynamic electronic dance plugs that match well with their cyber and digital concept.

For The More

Mabel 99Major's virtual boy group For The More first made their debut with VTuber members Byul Ha, Shu Hyang and Ssun, dropping their first original song Love Set in September 2023. Rather than using fandom platforms like Weverse, For The More promotes like VTubers and mainly posts song covers, games, announcements and other videos on YouTube. In their first comeback with rock anthem "End Of The Film" in October 2023, the group also introduced the new member Nidi to form a four-member lineup. Following the digital singles "Piece of Winter" and "Only You," For The More finally released their first physical record Eternal Seasons eight months after debut. The members express love for their fans in the title track "It's You," and show their individual music colors through solo songs.

Feverse

Debuting through Korea's first-ever virtual idol survival program GIRL'S RE:VERSE, Feverse consists of the top five finalists of virtual avatars voiced by real-life K-pop idols – Muneo (voiced by Kwon Eun Bi), Seoritae (voiced by Apink's Ha Young), Keuang (voiced by WJSN's Luda), Rien (voiced by Loona's Hee Jin) and KimSerena (voiced by WJSN's Soo Bin). Though they are no longer actively promoting, Feverse still made an impression with their unique concept of having an all-star lineup of voice actors. Their dreamy debut EP CHO released in May 2023 features works from hitmakers like RBW's Kim Do Hoon and Seo Yong Bae, and BTOB's Min Hyuk.

AEONIT

Four years after launching Korea's first virtual artist SUA, studio ONMIND brings its "virtual human" technology to the K-pop world by creating boy band AEONIT. Short for "aeonion" and "emit," AEONIT includes members Sae Byeok, Chan Yu, Reon, Yu An and Woo Ju who wish to brighten up the world with their refreshing and youthful energy. They began their idol journey on August 28, 2024, with the debut release LUMOS, spreading lively and cheerful vibes with upbeat rock band sounds. All members took part in the music and choreography productions for the three-track album. Infinite's Nam Woo Hyun, ONF's Wyatt and TAN's Lee Jae Jun are also credited on the songwriter list.








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Published September 19, 2024