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The term ‘metaverse’ refers to a technology innovation concept that will enable global connectivity in a brand-new alternate digital world, where opportunities are endless. It has now become one of the world's most popular industries; everyone wants to be a part of the metaverse revolution, and since K-pop is known for evolving alongside cutting-edge technology, it was only a matter of time before the two were combined.
The metaverse has already been assisting the K-pop community by providing new opportunities for fan-artist connections, but this is only the beginning. Let's go through the basics of the Metaverse and how this technology will potentially transform the landscape of entertainment and music.
First things first, what exactly is the metaverse? Well, to elaborate on the definition above, the metaverse describes both existing and emerging digital platforms that link people in all spheres of their lives—work, education, entertainment, and so forth—in an online, three-dimensional space where virtual and augmented reality experiences are made available.
One interesting fact that is worth highlighting is that the Metaverse technically still doesn’t exist; currently, we have some platforms that contain some metaverse-like elements, for example, in-game events hosted within the online world of some video games, 3D virtual reality, and use of cryptocurrency; but there is so much more to be explored and incorporated. Metaverse seeks to combine economies, decentralized governance, digital identity, and social media.
Put simply, the metaverse is considered the ‘next step’ of the internet, which makes it a great economic and financial opportunity for the technology industry and other sectors. The market is expected to reach $800 billion by 2024, prompting competition among companies to establish themselves as forerunners in this cyberspace. The main competitors in this race are Microsoft and Meta (formerly known as Facebook), although other companies and countries have already begun to make strategies to overtake them.
In terms of market share, South Korea is now placed 12th globally in the metaverse business. The key benefits for South Korea are the game sector, which adopted new technologies quickly, and the culture & entertainment industry, which produces extremely well-liked media products, including the beloved K-Pop.
According to their plan, the government will allocate over $291.4 million to initiatives involving the metaverse, big data, and artificial intelligence from 2022. Additionally, financing will be provided for 250 smart city projects, the establishment of a ‘K-metaverse academy’, and the creation of an online Korean language school. The nation's goal is to hold the fifth-largest market by 2026.
South Korea intends to create its own K-metaverse and invest in efforts to promote its arts and tourism, both of which are strongly tied to the Korean music and entertainment industry; as a result, there are an increasing number of metaverse-related projects in K-pop each quarter.
The ability of the digital world to keep people linked during a pandemic may be seen in online concerts and virtual fan events, which enhance fans' interactions with artists. Examples of these events include AleXa's digital party on a metaverse platform and Blackpink's virtual avatar fan event.
But that's not all; currently, a number of K-pop performers are taking part in the metaverse movement, let us walk you through them.
The project ‘SM Culture Universe’ which is the shared cinematographic universe of the agency's Idols and connects music and storytelling, was announced during the company's ‘SM Congress 2021’. In addition, the four-member girl group AESPA and their virtual counterparts named ‘ae-spa’ were introduced, with the goal of creating a space where real people and virtual characters can interact and work together.
K/DA is a virtual K-pop group made up of four characters from the famous video game League of Legends Ahrii, Akali, Evelynn, and Kai'Sa. The voices of the characters have also been provided by various artists, including those of (G)I-DLE members Miyeon and Soyeon as well as American vocalists Madison Beer and Jaira Bruns.
The boy band ‘SUPERKIND’ debuted under Deep Studio Entertainment with a team lineup that included Saejin, an AI member that seamlessly integrated with the other four real-life members. Additionally, the group promises a novel interactive K-pop experience where fans will be able to participate in the music and music video production process.
The eleven-member female group ‘ETERN!Y’ was introduced by SM Entertainment in collaboration with the AI graphics company Pulse 9. All of the members of the group were created using artificial intelligence, and they can all express themselves as well as have their own world and narrative. The group members are from the planet Aian, and they have been sent to Earth to connect with people and discover ways to save their endangered planet.
To develop a sustainable fan experience in person, the makers are looking into augmented reality and holographic solutions; online, their fan engagement has been unique since they used feedback from their followers to make the members more "human-like" individuals.
The gaming company Catheon Gaming and the firm HUMAP Contents created Yuna, a fully functional AI with a remarkably lifelike appearance, which is considered the first metaverse K-pop idol.
It is anticipated that in the future Yuna will be transformed into a lifelike 3D virtual idol, release her own songs, and stage virtual concerts. She currently resides in the ‘Yuniverse’ and exhibits curiosity about our world and a desire to learn more about people.
Although the idea of a K-metaverse is new, K-pop has long used technology with components like a metaverse. In fact, in the late 1990s, Korea's first virtual singer Adam created and even released an album called ‘No Love Like This’.
Despite being well-liked by the audience, the production costs were too high and it was not profitable, thus Adam retired from the industry.
As we can see, the presence of virtual groups is growing steadily, and this is certainly not the end; in fact, in late November, Kakao Entertainment will start airing a K-pop metaverse survival program called 'Re:verse'. The contestants will hide their real identities in the metaverse and only display their dancing and singing skills through virtual characters. The show will feature thirty girls competing against one another in a metaverse called ‘W’ for the chance to form a new virtual group.
The flexibility and endless possibilities offered by technology are undoubtedly the appeals of the metaverse; for K-pop, it enhances everyone's creative freedom and offers new opportunities for fan-artist connections. The Korean entertainment industry welcomes the metaverse as a source of innovation since it recognizes the importance of upcoming technological breakthroughs.
Though the establishment of a complete metaverse appears to be something we will need to wait a little while longer, the combination of numerous technological developments and economic initiatives leads us to believe that we are actually closer than we think. In the meantime, we can watch, stand in awe of, and discover more about the present advancements that welcome the internet's new era.
What do you think of this technological breakthrough? Are you excited for the metaverse and have you checked out any of the musicians listed in the article? Share your thoughts with us and others on the Kooky app!
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Writer: Valeria Vilez
Editor: Han (O.L)