Virtual Idols Rise: K-Pop’s New Frontier Beyond Human Performers
Once considered experimental and niche, virtual idols are rapidly ascending to become a central pillar of the K-pop industry, shattering previous records and ushering in a new era of entertainment. Their growing popularity is not just a trend but a significant expansion of the K-pop landscape, attracting investment from major entertainment corporations and redefining the boundaries of fan interaction.
Chart-Topping Success and Historic Performances
The journey of virtual idols in the K-pop scene can be traced back to 1998 with the debut of the cyber singer ‘Adam,’ who combined 3D technology with live vocals, even securing endorsement deals. Despite early technological limitations that hampered long-term activities, the concept laid groundwork for future innovations. In Japan, ‘Hatsune Miku,’ born from Vocaloid technology in 2007, continues to thrive with hologram concerts and merchandise, serving as a prominent example of enduring virtual idol success.
More recently, advancements in technology have fueled a surge of virtual idols creating new milestones. The five-member virtual boy group ‘PLAVE,’ which debuted in 2023, has spearheaded rapid growth in the virtual idol market. In just under two years since their debut, PLAVE achieved a first for virtual idols by selling over 1 million copies of their third mini-album, ‘Caligo Part 1.’ Their second single album, released last month, surpassed 1.09 million initial sales, ranking second in boy group single sales history, trailing only BTS’s ‘Butter.’ The group’s title track also topped iTunes charts in seven countries globally.
Beyond music sales, PLAVE has demonstrated remarkable success in live performances. They held a solo concert at the Seoul Olympic Park KSPO Dome in August and, significantly, performed at the Gocheok Sky Dome in September, a venue often associated with top K-pop artists – another first for a virtual idol group.
Similarly, the six-member virtual girl group ‘ISEYEAI’ achieved the highest ranking for a domestic virtual idol group on the Billboard Korea chart, reaching third place. The seven-member virtual boy group ‘SKINS’ has also proven their influence by being appointed as official ambassadors for a Japanese fashion e-commerce platform.
Major Entertainment Companies Enter the Virtual Arena
The undeniable success of virtual idols has prompted major entertainment agencies to enter the fray. SM Entertainment introduced ‘Naevis,’ a supporting character from the world of their girl group aespa, last year. HYBE’s subsidiary, SUPERTON, unveiled the virtual girl group ‘cignature.’ JYP Entertainment announced plans for AI artist production through its tech business subsidiary, BLU GALAXY, in September.
The burgeoning popularity of virtual idols was further highlighted by MBC’s hosting of the ‘Virtual Live Festival’ in October. This event marked the first time K-pop singers and virtual idols shared an offline stage together, presenting a novel performance experience where human and AI artists coexisted.
Factors Driving Virtual Idol Popularity
Several factors contribute to the widespread appeal of virtual idols. Market research firm Global Information projects the global virtual artist market to grow from $1.08 billion in 2023 to $4.04 billion by 2029. The increasing presence of virtual idols in the K-pop market is attributed to shifts in the primary consumer base of popular culture and technological advancements.
Generations accustomed to the metaverse readily embrace character-based virtual idols. Concurrently, improvements in AI technology are making virtual idols increasingly indistinguishable from their human counterparts. Cultural critic Jeong Deok-hyun notes that, unlike in the past, the current generation is more open to consuming content from virtual entities.
Expanding Beyond Music: IP Integration Across Industries
The ‘Hallyu IP Utilization Product Planning and Development Support Project,’ jointly organized by fn and the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), has facilitated the integration of intellectual property (IP) across various industries, demonstrating significant commercial success. Twenty-eight companies from diverse sectors, including traditional spirits and K-beauty, participated in the project last year. KOCCA reported that the autonomy granted to participating companies was a key factor in their business achievements.
One notable success is the collaboration between liquor specialist Daedongyeojudo and the webtoon ‘Reborn Rich.’ Instead of merely branding existing products, they sought to connect the webtoon’s themes of ‘chaebol family’ and ‘generational succession’ with the history and craftsmanship of traditional Korean spirits. The resulting ‘Sunyangju’ – Jin Yang-cheol Edition, inspired by the webtoon, was launched as a limited edition, featuring the tagline, ‘What if Chairman Jin Yang-cheol offered New Year’s greetings to Sunyang Group employees?’ This product saw success in major distribution channels like DailyShot and Wine25 Plus, with a pop-up store at Starfield attracting both drama fans and traditional liquor enthusiasts.
Daedongyeojudo CEO Lee Ji-min stated, “The launch of limited-edition products generated tangible sales in a short period and confirmed the effect of attracting new customers from the drama fanbase.” The IP collaboration product line accounted for up to 30% of their total sales. Further extending this success, their collaboration with the web novel ‘The Story of Mr. Kim Working at a Large Corporation’ resulted in ‘Jaga Soju,’ which ranked first in GS25 traditional liquor orders at the end of last year.
In the beauty sector, dance content company ONE MILLION and cosmetics manufacturer UBI Corporation collaborated on ‘Move On Your Skin,’ conceptualizing the process of skin irritation and recovery after intense performances as a narrative. This led to the creation of the Lia Kim Edition cleansing balm. Initially planned as a travel kit renewal, the project pivoted to a new cleansing balm product, leveraging the flexibility of the matching support structure.
Han Moon-kyung, Director at ONE MILLION, emphasized, “This project confirmed industrial expansion potential as choreographers directly participated throughout the product development process, and IP holders and manufacturers jointly designed the worldview and implemented it into content.” The cleansing balm, limited to approximately 3,000 sets, is set for exclusive release at Olive Young this month. Branded content related to the product has garnered over 200,000 views, and brand engagement and conversion rates via social media have more than doubled.
Content commerce platform Makestar expanded its business from K-pop idols to drama and actor IPs by utilizing the IP of the Studio Dragon-produced drama ‘The Heavenly Idol.’ A representative from Makestar noted, “This project was initiated during the process of expanding our existing business from K-pop idol IPs to drama and actor IPs.” Despite the inherent risks associated with drama pop-up stores, they proceeded based on comprehensive analysis of actor lineups and buzz data.
The pop-up store, designed with a classroom concept mirroring the drama’s main setting, and 29 types of merchandise offered an immersive experience. The pop-up in Yeonnam-dong, Mapo-gu, attracted a wider-than-expected audience, including international fans and families.
Makestar highlighted that the support enabled them to build a more stable product lineup, mitigating the significant initial production costs and risks associated with IP-based products. They were also able to engage in active marketing for international expansion. The initiative’s significance lies in its holistic approach, considering not just product sales but also IP experience spaces, fan participation, and global fan accessibility.
Other notable achievements include MD for PLAVE’s Japanese debut single and concert, a medical education kit for the webtoon ‘Trauma Center,’ and K-pop IP-based global pop-ups, along with collaborations with character and children’s consumer goods. Participating companies consistently cited the project’s strength in the seamless connection between planning, development, and networking, which translated into tangible business outcomes.
Lee Ji-min expressed, “It was a well-executed support project that connected the industrial expansion potential of Hallyu IP with practical business results.” She anticipates that enhanced networking opportunities, such as pre-matching and extended meeting times, will lead to more long-term projects beyond short-term collaborations.
Son Tae-young, Head of KOCCA’s Content IP Strategy Team, analyzed, “Trusting the IP and company capabilities, and providing maximum autonomy during the project execution, led to these achievements. These cases demonstrate that diverse products and services derived from popular content can generate significant economic ripple effects.”
작성자 소개
