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When a Band That Never Existed Hits 1 Million Spotify Streams — Is Anyone Listening?

July 23, 2025

Consider Billie Eilish as a synthetic voice rather than the genuine one. Spotify recently entered the world of Velvet Sundown, a full AI project including music, graphics, and an algorithmically...

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Resident blocks Beatles fans from Harrison's home

July 23, 2025

In a move to regain some peace and privacy, residents of Arnold Grove in Liverpool have put up a chain across their street, blocking access to the birthplace of Beatles legend George Harrison...

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Pink Floyd Sells Their Rights to Sony and It’s the End of an Era

July 23, 2025

The legendary band that soundtracked a generation has officially handed over the keysThere are bands that make hits, and then there are bands that change the fabric of music forever. Pink Floyd has...

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Red Velvet in North Korea: The K-pop Performance That Crossed the Border

July 23, 2025

When five women did what decades of politics couldn’t, bring two Koreas a little closerThere’s performing for fans, then there’s performing for history.In 2018, Red Velvet, one of K-pop’s most...

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BLACKPINK at Coachella: The Moment That Made America Blink

July 23, 2025

When four girls from South Korea turned the California desert into a global stageThere are music moments… and then there are cultural reset moments. BLACKPINK performing at Coachella? Yeah. That...

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How NewJeans Rewired the Sound of 5th-Gen K-Pop

July 23, 2025

The girls who made whisper-singing and Y2K-core the new gold standard.K-pop has always been about pushing boundaries. Bigger stages. Louder beats. Flashier concepts. But then something unexpected...

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GameBoy by Katseye: The Song That Hits Harder Than a Final Boss Fight

July 23, 2025

Let’s get one thing straight: GameBoy by Katseye isn’t just a song. It’s an era. A pixelated fever dream. A full-body vibe that makes you feel like you're the main character in a retro-futuristic...

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YUNGBLUD’S NEW DOCUMENTARY PROMISES CHAOS, CATHARSIS & A FRONT-ROW SEAT TO HIS REVOLUTION!

July 19, 2025

The moment Yungblud’s fans have been waiting for is here. The trailer for his upcoming documentary, Are You Ready, Boy?, just hit the internet—and it’s a whirlwind of sweat, tears, mosh pits, and...

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SZA claims Nicki Minaj asked her to feature “twice” on her songs despite questioning how “successful” she was

July 19, 2025

In a recent interview, SZA shared an intriguing behind-the-scenes story about her relationship with rap icon Nicki Minaj. The Grammy-winning artist revealed that Minaj had asked her to feature on...

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Tomorrowland’s Main Stage Fire Is Changing Music Festivals Forever

July 19, 2025

A massive fire damaged Tomorrowland 2025's famed main stage, codenamed "Orbyz," two days before the event was set to begin in Boom, Belgium. Fortunately, no one was injured, but the fire was...

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Dinner Is Served… Again! The Last Dinner Party Returns with a Grittier Feast

July 19, 2025

British baroque-pop sensation The Last Dinner Party has unveiled details of their highly anticipated second album, From the Pyre, set for release on October 17 via Island Records. Alongside the...

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Why Gen Z Is Obsessed with a 1962 Song: A Cultural Deep-Dive

July 19, 2025

Connie Francis’s “Pretty Little Baby” was originally a B-side in 1962. Fast forward 63 years, and it’s now topping the Viral 50 and Top 50 charts, used in over 600,000 TikToks per day, and amassing...

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They're Not Real? The Rise in Virtual Kpop Groups

Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet

Photo Source: News24

As virtual technology continues to evolve and we move towards the metaverse future, the K-pop industry has begun delving into all the possibilities. Virtual/ AI groups and performers are becoming increasingly popular and widespread in the K-pop industry. In this article, we’ll dive into a few virtual groups that have debuted in recent years.

AESPA

In November 2020, SM Entertainment debuted Aespa, the first K-pop group with their own AI avatars. The group debuted with the single “Black Mamba” and has released three albums since. Having popularized the metaverse concept in K-pop, the group consists of four members and their virtual counterparts (“aes”). These online avatars have been created from the data that the members have uploaded online, being the reflection of Aepsa.

ETERN!TY

Created by Pulse9’s technology, the group, consisting of 11 members, made their debut in March 2021 with their first single, “I’m Real.” The company started by generating female faces using Deep Real AI, based on the traits: cute, sexy, innocent, and intelligent. Based on fan votes, the winning characters were designed and have been projected onto the faces of actual girls. However, the voices of the members are the voices of the actual singers.

MAVE

MAVE is a four-member girl group, entirely composed of AI members, under Metaverse Entertainment. The group debuted with their single album, “Pandora’s Box” in January 2023. The group’s name means “make a new wave,” as it hopes to create a new wave of K-pop that includes virtual idols. The group is formed through a collaboration between Kakao, an internet company, and Netmarble, a mobile game company.

PLAVE

In March 2023, PLAVE made their debut under Kakao’s VLAST with the single album “Asterum.” Unlike other virtual artists, PLAVE uses computer graphics to create manhwa-style characters in place of the real bodies. Each track on their album was written and composed by the members themselves.

FE:VERSE

FE:VERSE is a virtual 5-member girl group formed by the winners of Kakao’s survival show, GIRL’S RE:VERSE. The group debuted with “CHO” in May 2023. Although the members are virtual, they are played by idols from other K-pop groups.

They're Not Real? The Rise in Virtual Kpop Groupstheyre-not-real-the-rise-in-virtual-kpop-groupsJenny WangOct 24, 2023As virtual technology continues to evolve and we move towards the metaverse future, the K-pop industry has begun delving into all the possibilities...