[Youth Report] Captivated by Humanity Breaking Through Technology... 'Playb' Expanding the K-Pop Universe

5-Member Virtual Idol 'Playve'
Ranks 1st on Terrestrial Music Broadcast
Popularity Factor: 'Communication with Fans'

Recently, the five-member virtual idol group 'PLAVE' has been gaining popularity. PLAVE is a webtoon-style virtual idol created by Blast, a virtual IP startup spun off from an internal venture at MBC. Although they appear as 2D characters, they are differentiated from existing virtual idols by the fact that their real bodies are human. They use cameras and special equipment to transform their human bodies into characters. As they achieve results comparable to real-life idols, interest in PLAVE continues to grow.

PLAVE Shows Impressive Growth... Music Video Views Exceed 7.8 Million

Playbe hosting a 1st anniversary live broadcast. [Source=Playbe YouTube capture]

PLAVE is a five-member boy group consisting of Hamin, Noah, Yejun, Bambi, and Eunho. The group name is a compound of the English word 'Play' and the French word 'R?ve' (meaning dream), symbolizing their creation of a new world to realize their dreams. They are known as a 'self-produced idol' group, actively participating in songwriting, composing, and choreography.

PLAVE, which celebrated its first anniversary on the 12th, is enjoying intense popularity. The music video for the title track "WAY 4 LUV" from their second mini-album 'ASTERUM : 134-1', released on the 26th of last month, has surpassed 7.8 million views. Additionally, the initial sales of this mini-album exceeded 560,000 copies, surpassing the 203,000 copies sold of their first mini-album 'ASTERUM : The Shape of Things to Come'. Considering that their debut album 'ASTERUM' had initial sales of 27,000 copies, this reflects a steep growth trajectory.

Riding this momentum, on the 9th, PLAVE became the first virtual idol group to take first place on MBC's music program 'Show! Music Core'. The contenders for first place at that time were LE SSERAFIM's "EASY" and BIBI's "Bamyanggaeng".

The 'Real Bodies' Behind Virtual Characters... Popularity Through Blend of Technology and Emotion

PlayB. [Image provided by Blast]

What sets PLAVE apart from other virtual idols is the existence of 'real bodies' behind the characters. Unlike simple AI singers, actual humans wear virtual equipment and engage in communication through real-time rendering technology. This concept is similar to 'Virtual YouTubers (VTubers)', who appear in videos as virtual characters without revealing their faces.

The core of PLAVE lies in motion capture technology. This technology reflects the movements of real people directly onto avatars and has been used in films such as 'The Lord of the Rings' for Gollum and 'Avatar' for the Na'vi. Utilizing this technology, PLAVE interacts with fans through real-time live broadcasts.

Initially, few predicted the success of virtual idols, as many fans in the idol industry value the personal charm of individuals. Before debut, member Hamin said in his final live broadcast, "We are a different kind of virtual idol from those that have come before, so we are not very familiar. People can point fingers and throw stones, but convincing the public is our challenge."

However, PLAVE works hard to build a fandom by communicating with fans through an average of two live broadcasts per week. They also showcase the human charm of their real bodies through various 'Jacon' (self-produced content). As a result, PLAVE is praised for pioneering a new path in K-pop by skillfully blending technology and human emotion.

Expert: "PLAVE Attracts Public Attention Due to Its Uniqueness"

Playb. [Image provided by Blast]

Jung Deok-hyun, a popular culture critic, said, "PLAVE is virtual only in appearance, but behind that are real artists. It cannot be considered a completely virtual idol. If everything were virtual, immersion could be broken. However, PLAVE appeals to the public because there are real people who can respond in real time to fans' needs."

He added, "It is difficult for idol groups to gain attention even when they debut nowadays. PLAVE is gaining attention because of its uniqueness. The core of PLAVE is its technology. If the technology is supported, other virtual idols may emerge."