Virtual K-pop boy group PLAVE. Photo: @plave_official/X

MANILA — Until recently, Myngelle Yanes had always been surrounded by K-pop fans, but was never one herself. “Heck, I was that one friend who actually talked them out of buying expensive pretty idol papers,” she said, referring to photocards, a type of merchandise that bear the faces of K-pop stars.

All it took was one TikTok video for Yanes to fall down the K-pop rabbit hole. However, she initially thought the clip she came across was an advertisement for a “manhwa” or South Korean comic.

“I stumbled upon [member] Bamby’s TikTok dance cover of [Treasure’s] ‘Jikjin’... I got super curious on what manhwa they were advertising,” Yanes, a 23-year-old student from Pangasinan, recounted in an interview with ABS-CBN News.

“After that, it was a rabbit hole of new information about Korean pop culture,” she said.

Such a mistake was understandable because the group that Yanes stumbled upon, and ended up “stanning,” was PLAVE, the virtual boy band that has been attracting great interest in the K-pop industry in recent months.

Created by entertainment company VLAST, PLAVE — a combination of the words “play” and “rêve” (French for “dream”) — debuted in March 2023 with the single album “Asterum,” led by the pop-rock single “Wait For You.”

The team consists of members Yejun, Noah, Bamby, Eunho and Hamin, represented through computer graphics styled after manhwa animation.

The group utilizes motion-capture technology, according to reports, meaning there are real people behind the members, controlling avatars in the same manner as VTubers or virtual YouTubers.

Like most K-pop stars, PLAVE — which currently has over 649,000 YouTube subscribers — interacts with fans through livestreams, fan community apps, and promotes their music on Korean music shows. 

The members are heavily involved in crafting their own songs, and have notably worked with EL CAPITXN, who has made tracks for big-name acts such as BTS and IU.

In just a year since its debut, PLAVE has established a presence in the industry despite coming from a lesser-known company. The group’s second extended play, “Asterum: 134-1,” sold over half a million copies within a week of its release in February, according to a Korea Times report.

With the single “Way 4 Luv,” the septet took first place on the Korean music chart programs “Show Champion” and “Show! Music Core,” considered a big achievement for any K-pop act.

“I feel a sense of accomplishment alongside them. To be specific, I actually feel like a proud mom,” said Yanes.

“Because of PLAVE, I finally understood why my [K-pop fan] friends acted the way that they did and I’m glad to have found the chance to discover a whole different world through PLAVE,” she added.

The PLAVE members show off their trophy from the music chart program 'Show! Music Core.' Photo: @plave_official/XColliding worlds

Apart from K-pop enthusiasts, the group’s fandom called PLLI also consists of fans of games (such as Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail), manhwa, anime and VTubers, said Yanes, among the moderators of PLAVE PH across social media platforms.

“PLAVE is really perfect for me since it’s like all my worlds are colliding,” said another fan who asked to be identified only as “Yen,” whose interests include K-pop, anime and manhwa.

Yen, a 29-year-old bank worker from Taguig, became curious of PLAVE after repeatedly seeing their “glitching” videos on TikTok. 

“Glitches” refer to unintended or unexpected behavior in the virtual avatar, such as movement errors and unusually contorted body parts. These usually occur during the group’s livestreams.

“A lot really became their fan because of their glitches. It’s funny and cute how they just embrace it, they sometimes just joke around about how to bring back their hand that glitches by punching it,” Yen said.

“It’s part of their charm,” Yanes said of the glitches.

Virtual K-pop boy group PLAVE. Photo: @plave_official/X

‘Keep an open mind’

Despite the group’s success, skepticism remains about supporting virtual celebrities, which have been around even before PLAVE. Some examples include Korean singer Adam, Japan’s Hatsune Miku, and English band Gorillaz.

K-pop group aespa also debuted with its four members possessing avatar counterparts, who have appeared alongside the girls in their live performances.

“I hope people keep an open mind since virtual bands have existed [for a long time now]… I wholeheartedly hope they try to learn and understand that the boys on the screen we are supporting are no different from [other groups],” said Yanes.

Yen added: “They may be in their virtual form but the talents [PLAVE have] been showing us since day one are very, very much real, like every existing idol groups.”

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