Kedeheon Soundtrack Tops Spotify Streaming Chart
'Mystery' Vocalist Kevin Woo: Listeners Soar from 10,000 to 20 Million
Idols Who Never Sleep or Age, High Possibility of Imitation
The U.S. daily The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) has put a spotlight on the global sensation of the Netflix animated film "K-Pop Demon Hunters" (Kedeheon). On July 20, Yonhap News reported that the WSJ, in an article titled "The Biggest Name in K-Pop Isn’t BTS. It’s Netflix," highlighted the worldwide popularity of Kedeheon and wrote, "A fictional idol band has reached levels that human idols could never achieve. It’s extremely surreal."
Previously, two songs from Kedeheon topped Spotify’s most-streamed tracks. The WSJ noted that this is a record no K-pop group, including BTS or Blackpink, has ever achieved. The WSJ also pointed out, "As virtual idols become more popular than real-life idols, those who dreamed of reinventing K-pop are now facing a harsh reality." The article continued, "This is happening especially as the entire music industry grapples with new participants, such as artificial intelligence (AI), who break away from traditional frameworks."
'Mystery' Vocalist Kevin Woo: "It Feels Extremely Surreal"
The WSJ cited Kevin Woo, a former member of U-KISS, who voices 'Mystery,' a member of the villainous boy band 'Lion Boys' in the film. His monthly Spotify listeners numbered only about 10,000, but since Kedeheon became a sensation, that number has soared to around 20 million. Kevin Woo said that while relaxing with a friend at a hotel pool in Los Angeles (LA), he saw children dancing to Lion Boys’ songs. His friend asked the children, "Do you want to meet the real Lion Boys?" and they screamed and asked for autographs. Kevin Woo gladly obliged, signing his own name next to 'Mystery.'
He said, "Playing a virtual character feels extremely unreal," adding, "People don’t recognize me as Kevin Woo or as a K-pop artist." He continued, "In a sense, it’s like reinventing my artistic talent," and said that he doesn’t mind if his activities as part of Lion Boys outshine his time with U-KISS, his Broadway performances, or his work as an actor.
K-pop researcher Kim Seokyoung, a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), said, "The success of Kedeheon shows that fans can interact with non-human idols," and predicted, "There is a high possibility that this will lead to a wave of imitators." He added, "This has been a long-standing dream of K-pop companies," noting, "Here, there are idols who never sleep, never get sick, and never age."
On the other hand, K-pop producer and composer Benny Cha responded, "There is no need to exclude humans." Having worked with AI singers, he explained, "You cannot replicate the vulnerability, chemistry, and unpredictability that real artists bring." The article was published online under the title, "The Biggest K-Pop Band to Top the Charts Doesn’t Actually Exist."
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