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Ed Sheeran Slams “Damaging” Lawsuits Against Songwriters Amidst Copyright Case Victory

April 6, 2022

Over the past month, singer Ed Sheeran has been battling a copyright trial, accusing him of plagiarizing his 2017 hit song, “Shape of You” the song’s resemblance to their song, “Oh Why” Sami Chokri...

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Silk Sonic’s “Leave The Door Open” Wins Record of The Year at the 2022 Grammys

April 5, 2022

If you’ve been on social media for the past few months, odds are you’ve probably heard of the iconic viral hit, “Leave The Door Open” by Silk Sonic on just about every corner of the internet.

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5 Upcoming K-Pop Debuts To Watch For 2022

April 2, 2022

Debut: April 2022 After having competed on the reality survival show, “My Teenage Girl”, the seven-member group CLASS:y was formed, signing a seven-year contract with label, M25. The group was...

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Here’s What You Need To Know About Queendom 2

April 1, 2022

Queendom returned for its long awaited second season (hosted by Girls Generation’s Tayeon) and here’s all you need to know: Queendom is a South Korean reality-survival show in which six girl groups...

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Bobby Shmurda Is Finally Out Of His Epic Deal

April 7, 2022

Bobby Shmurda has finally been released from his deal with Epic Records following his own plea for his release on social media stating, “I did six years in jail trying to get off this label before...

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BIGBANG Make History With “Still Life” Comeback After 4-Year Hiatus

April 5, 2022

Alas, BIGBANG have finally made their long-awaited return to the spotlight with their new single, “Still Life” – a heartfelt ballad about the perils of growing up and learning from your past. As...

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Jack Harlow Samples Fergie’s “Glamorous” in Viral TikTok Snippet

April 5, 2022

Last week, Louisville heartthrob Jack Harlow dropped a 13 second snippet of a new song he’d been working on that samples Fergie’s hit, “Glamorous” and it immediately went viral on TikTok within...

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J-Pop group XGalX debut’s breaking social norms with song “Tippy Toes”

March 18, 2022

After month’s of anticipation Japanese Girl group XGalX debute with new single “Tippy Toes”. The group consists of 7 young empowered women named Jurin, Harvey, Hinata, Chisa, Maya, Juria and Co...

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Shawn Mendez opens up about break up with new song

March 29, 2022

Newly heartbroken singer Shawn Mendez performs his new song “When you’re gone” at South by Southwest. This is the debut song that came out after his break up with fellow singer Camila Cabello after...

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Chaka Khan on Kanye West’s Through the Wire – “I hated it; it was an insult!”

March 16, 2022

Whether you’ve been a fan of Kanye West from the start, or you’ve recently watched his Netflix trilogy “Jeen-Yuhs”, you’ve probably heard his of first breakout single into the rap industry “Through...

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Weeekly Makes 2022 Return With “Play Game: Awake”

March 10, 2022

Weeekly pivots away from their bubbly and upbeat sound and makes a major transformation in their edgy and ambitious first mini album, “Play Game: Awake”.‍“Play Game: Awake” marks Weeekly’s fourth...

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Stray Kids Make 2022 Comeback With Mini Album – ODDINARY

March 10, 2022

Dare I say its, EXTRAODDINARY?‍Stray Kids have returned with the release of their new mini-album, ODDINARY – a collection of seven songs that proclaim the message of embracing all of the things...

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

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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...