The five members of Plave, one of K-pop’s trendiest groups, have appeared on television, held concerts, and one of their songs has even secured a place in the prestigious Billboard Global 200, an international music chart.
On paper, they seem like any other K-pop sensation, except that they are two-dimensional avatars. Their songs and content have racked up over 470 million views on YouTube.
The band, consisting of Yejun, Noah, Eunho, Bamby and Hamin, say they want to be globally recognised like K-pop sensation BTS.
“We don’t often get to meet our fans, so when we meet them at a concert we get very excited,” said Bamby, who has pink hair and eyes. “They cheer for us together … we make an all-out effort when we perform.”
Plave’s label, Vlast, says that, unlike many other virtual groups, the avatars are controlled by humans who use motion-capture and other technology to relay their actions and singing.