
As famous as BTS? Meet Plave, virtual K-pop boy band whose real identities are kept secret
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.
Advertisement
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.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


HKFP
5 days ago
- HKFP
Hong Kong parody musician Sunny Lam axes concert after ‘careful consideration'
Hong Kong parody singer-songwriter Sunny Lam, known for his satires on current affairs, has called off an upcoming concert after 'careful consideration.' Lam, who has 151,000 followers on Facebook and 122,000 followers on Instagram, announced on Friday that his two-day show – translated into English as 'Sunny Lam Birthday Concert in Hong Kong' – would be cancelled. In a post shared on his social media accounts, Lam said the decision to axe the concert, scheduled for Sunday and Monday, was made 'after careful consideration.' Those who purchased tickets would be contacted within seven working days for a refund, the musician added. 'We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience and disappointment this cancellation may cause and kindly ask for your understanding,' his post read. 'Thank you for your understanding and support. We will continue to work hard and look forward to seeing you again in the near future.' The concert was set to take place at Lau Bak Freespace Livehouse inside the West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD). Lam originally planned to host one show on Sunday only but added a second show after tickets sold out within a day in early May. Some netizens said the cancellation was 'expected,' while others urged Lam and his team to consider moving the concert online instead. According to Lam's YouTube channel, the musician began sharing songs he wrote on the video-sharing platform in November 2009. Many of his works are parody songs about political and social events in Hong Kong. His most popular hit, with 1.3 million views, was a song published in August 2022 about lawmaker Eunice Yung and her father-in-law Elmer Yuen, who has a HK$1 million bounty on his head for alleged national security offences. The song, based on the 1991 Cantonese hit 'Queen's Rd. East,' depicts the conflicts between Yung, a pro-establishment politician, and self-exiled activist Yuen, who stands accused of colluding with foreign forces and committing subversion by requesting sanctions on Hong Kong government officials and judicial officers. Yuen, who left Hong Kong in June 2020 before the national security law was enacted, was also said to have launched a 'referendum' to form 'The Hong Kong Parliament,' which Hong Kong authorities say aims to achieve self-determination and subvert state power. In recent months, Lam has also written songs about the US tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump, the controversial ports deal by Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing's conglomerate CK Hutchison, and Kai Tak Arena's decision in March to kick dozens of snooker fans out of the facility before a match at the World Grand Prix concluded. Past cancellations Musicians in Hong Kong have encountered venue cancellations for their shows. In December, Cantopop singer Pong Nan, known for his support for the 2019 extradition bill protests, announced he would scrap his concert due to a venue cancellation by the WKCD. The WKCD told HKFP at the time that it had no comment on the hiring arrangements for any individual events. In May last year, activist-singer Denise Ho announced that she would move her performance online after being unable to secure a live venue. Police showed up during the online gig. The singer, who was arrested in 2021 in connection with the Stand News sedition case, said it was very difficult for her to do a 'normal show' in an 'abnormal place.'


South China Morning Post
6 days ago
- South China Morning Post
K-pop's top MAMA Awards to return to Hong Kong for first time since 2018
One of the world's top K-pop awards ceremonies will return to Hong Kong for the first time since 2018, taking place in the city's 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium in November. The return of the MAMA Awards, formerly known as the Mnet Asian Music Awards, to the city is expected to be bigger than ever, with the event previously being hosted at the 12,500-seat AsiaWorld-Arena in 2018. The ceremony was first held in the city in 2012. In an Instagram post on Thursday, the event's official account announced that the ceremony would take place on November 28 and 29. Organisers have yet to release a seating plan or ticket prices for the show. The post attracted about 20,000 likes within just three hours of being published. Social media users welcomed the event's return to the city, with one describing Kai Tak Stadium as an 'awesome venue'. The MAMA Awards are considered one of the most popular events in K-pop, with groups such as BTS, Wanna One and Twice collecting awards at the last local edition of the event in 2018. Ticket prices at the time ranged from HK$888 (US$113) to HK$2,488.


South China Morning Post
27-05-2025
- South China Morning Post
Tencent buys BTS agency Hybe's stake in SM Entertainment ahead of China lifting K-pop ban
Tencent Holdings is snapping up a nearly 10 per cent stake in SM Entertainment valued at about US$180 million, marking a rare Chinese investment into a South Korean company in recent years. Shenzhen -based Tencent will buy the stake from K-pop band BTS ' management agency Hybe , which is selling its remaining 2.2 million shares in SM Entertainment at 110,000 won (US$80.34) each, a 15.3 per cent discount to Tuesday's close, according to a regulatory filing. The move comes as Beijing is widely expected to lift its nearly decade-old unofficial ban on K-pop performances in mainland China. That potentially opens South Korean companies, such as SM Entertainment, to resume music distribution through the relationship with Tencent. Before the restrictions, China was among the fast growing markets for K-pop. China imposed the so-called K-wave ban in 2016 in retaliation for South Korea allowing the US military to deploy a missile defence system called THAAD, or Terminal High-Altitude Area Defence, in its soil. Tencent, which runs the world's biggest video-gaming business by revenue and China's largest social-media operation, was not immediately available for comment.