On April 13, the Circle Chart — the longest-standing music ranking in South Korea, akin to the RIAA in the United States — revealed its latest milestones for musicians. Among notable achievements by K-pop sensations like Blackpink’s Jisoo, NewJeans, and BTS, emerged PLAVE — a groundbreaking boy band whose members conceal their true identities behind digital avatars. Despite their virtual nature, PLAVE’s commercial success and aspirations position them alongside the most prominent human acts in the K-pop industry, showcasing the evolving landscape of music entertainment.

For nearly three decades, various Korean entertainment companies have endeavored to create cyber singers, achieving mixed results over the years. However, none have made waves quite like PLAVE. With their third mini-album, February’s Caligo Pt. 1, this entirely virtual Korean act became the first of its kind to sell over 1 million units, as reported by Circle Chart. Similar to Gorillaz — the innovative British band conceptualized by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett — the members of PLAVE are real artists who demonstrate their influence without the need to reveal their physical appearances or personal lives.

PLAVE was born in a modest office located in Seoul, where VLAST, an entertainment company originally established as a computer graphics studio, now operates as a comprehensive production house specializing in real-time graphics and virtual intellectual property. VLAST not only manages PLAVE but also provides full label services, making the group its sole musical focus. Under the leadership of CEO Lee “William” Sunggoo, the company envisioned a virtual band inspired by manhwa, the Korean comics and webtoons increasingly popular over the past two decades, largely due to the striking aesthetics of their characters. After successfully pitching the concept to the artist who would voice PLAVE’s leader, Yejun, VLAST recruited three additional talented individuals — Bamby, Noah, Eunho, and Hamin. “Each new member was recommended by someone who recognized their musical talent,” Lee explains.

According to VLAST, the individuals behind PLAVE are all seasoned artists who previously sought careers in K-pop or R&B. Their digital personas, crafted with meticulous attention to 2D detail through advanced motion-capture technology, perform with the same charisma and talent as traditional K-pop stars. Beyond performing, the real members of PLAVE are heavily involved in writing, producing, choreographing, and playing instruments on their tracks — a level of creative engagement typically seen in top-charting groups like BTS and Stray Kids, making their approach quite unique in the idol group landscape.

Within the innovative headquarters of VLAST in Seoul, creative teams collaborate around various screens, monitors, and camera rigs, meticulously overseeing the motion-capture stages. This ensures that the PLAVE avatars and the actual musicians synchronize every dance move and facial expression flawlessly. With real-time animation technology, PLAVE is capable of hosting frequent livestreams for their fans and participating in concerts and festival appearances, provided the venues are equipped with screens for displaying their visuals.

The quintet’s real-life members can even interact with their devoted fans, known as PLLI, while performing from VLAST HQ, responding directly to their messages and cheers. To date, PLAVE has headlined four concerts with live audiences, all held in Seoul: first, they sold out two shows in April 2024 at the city’s 2,500-seat Olympic Hall, followed by two more in October at the 11,000-capacity Jamsil Indoor Stadium, as reported by VLAST. Reviews, including one from the Korea JoongAng Daily, praised the spectacular onscreen visuals, such as PLAVE “driving a burning motorcycle to the stage,” but also noted the significant limitations of not being able to physically connect with their audience, alongside technical glitches that occasionally disrupted the immersive experience.

(“We are fully committed to achieving the best possible outcomes,” VLAST emphasizes. “Enhancing the PLAVE concert experience involves upgrading every aspect that allows the audience to feel completely immersed and connected — including reducing technical difficulties.”)

“PLLI are the type of fans who truly connect with the real us,” Bamby shares in a video interview with Billboard. Standing at 5 feet 9 inches, he is the shortest member of PLAVE, characterized by his striking pink hair and magenta eyes. (Whether or not the attributes of these avatars are influenced by the actual individuals behind them remains a closely guarded secret.) Given PLAVE’s virtual identity, Bamby elaborates, “We rely heavily on communication platforms. We’re always curious about how our fans are doing and how they perceive our content.”

Since its debut in March 2023, PLAVE has accumulated over 2.1 billion official on-demand global streams, as reported by Luminate. Prior to their latest single, “Dash,” making history as the first song by a Korean virtual group to enter the Billboard Global 200 in February 2025, PLAVE had already made waves on the Global 200 Excl. U.S. chart with tracks like “Pump Up the Volume!” and “Way 4 Luv.”

PLAVE is part of a broader trend of virtual acts originating from Asia. Pioneering virtual idols emerged in Japan during the mid-1990s, while South Korea’s first virtual act, Adam, a Sims-like cyber singer from Adamsoft, debuted in 1998 and sold around 200,000 copies of its first album, Genesis. Although Adam sparked a brief surge of interest in cyber stars, these initiatives were ultimately abandoned as the costs outstripped the returns.

The rise of virtual artists saw a resurgence in the early 2020s, fueled by advancements in artificial intelligence and metaverse technology, which enabled the formation of groups like Mave:, an AI-driven female quartet launched by the virtual-artist management company Metaverse Entertainment in 2023. Korea’s Kakao Entertainment reportedly invested 12 billion won (approximately $9.7 million at that time) in a partnership with Metaverse. While Mave: operates purely through technological means, other groups, including female sextet Isegye Idol and the 11-member girl group Itterniti, also feature real individuals behind virtual façades. However, none have achieved sales or recognition on the scale of PLAVE.

“The initial investment is significant,” Lee states. “However, once that foundational work is completed, there are advantages. Unlike traditional artists, we don’t incur costs for hair, makeup, or travel. Our resources instead focus on technology, creative development, and content production.”

PLAVE’s rapid rise has drawn financial backing from major players like HYBE and YG Entertainment, who also serve as strategic consultants on a range of issues, including the members’ vocal health and global rollout strategies. “As a company new to the entertainment industry, we value the insights and guidance from established industry leaders who possess substantial experience,” Lee notes. With global distribution managed by YG PLUS, Caligo Pt. 1 featured the group’s inaugural all-English song, “Island,” co-written by Adrian McKinnon, known for his work with artists ranging from Rae Sremmurd to ENHYPEN. On June 16, PLAVE is set to release its debut Japanese single, “Kakurenbo (Hide and Seek),” following a 2024 agreement with HYBE Japan to bolster PLAVE’s presence in that market.

“From the perspective of international fans, it can sometimes be challenging to fully convey the emotions we wish to express due to language barriers,” shares PLAVE’s Eunho, depicted as a silver-haired rapper with fangs. “Some feelings simply don’t translate completely, so we’re thrilled to have released an English track this time. We believe it has allowed us to connect more profoundly with our fans in English-speaking regions, and we plan to continue exploring multilingual projects.”

Presently, VLAST has no intentions of expanding its roster of virtual artists, concentrating all efforts on PLAVE. The company’s current objectives for the group include enhancing the concert experience, developing a dedicated mobile app, and striving to “reach a broader international audience” — particularly in Western markets — to “introduce them to the potential of virtual artists,” as stated by Lee.

“One of the most significant misconceptions we encounter is that virtual idols like PLAVE are entirely operated by AI,” he adds. “Even now, in certain overseas markets where awareness of PLAVE is still developing, this remains a prevalent misunderstanding.”

According to Noah, who has blonde hair and blue eyes, “one of the most exciting aspects of PLAVE is our ability to deliver experiences on stage that other artists cannot achieve — including magical effects and cinematic action sequences. People often question, ‘Are you AI? Doesn’t that make things easier?’ But the reality is that none of this is straightforward when you’re in the midst of it.” (He notes that some members even faced injuries while rehearsing the “intense” choreography for “Dash,” which was choreographed by Bamby and Hamin.)

Like many rising pop stars, the real individuals behind PLAVE have encountered their share of privacy challenges. Curious fans have managed to uncover clues regarding the members’ true identities; last year, some began to stalk them outside of VLAST and at their homes, despite the company’s requests for fans to respect PLAVE’s privacy and warnings of legal repercussions for anyone disclosing confidential information about the group. When rumors regarding the members’ real-life identities circulated widely on social media and online forums surrounding the release of Caligo Pt. 1, neither the band nor VLAST provided any comments.

The group’s leader, Yejun, who has navy hair and silver eyes, assures that in the upcoming year, “Fans will witness us performing live much more frequently. Until now, we’ve had relatively few opportunities to showcase our talents on stage. In 2025, we aim to change that — with more concerts and global tours.” (In early May, PLAVE announced three performance dates in August at Seoul’s KPSO Dome.)

“All five members of PLAVE are dedicated to music,” Lee reveals. “We believe that producing high-quality music and performances sets us apart from other virtual artists. Crafting compelling music is always among our highest priorities.”

“Our group dynamics, our direct communication with fans, and our unique musical identity are what have propelled us this far,” says Hamin, the black-haired, black-eyed rapper. Yejun adds, “The bond we share as members — the connection, the stories we’ve created, and the trust we’ve built — is what makes PLAVE extraordinary.”

This article is featured in the May 17, 2025, issue of Billboard.