Inside naevis: SM Entertainment reveals how its virtual idol was made

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Inside naevis: SM Entertainment reveals how its virtual idol was made

Published: 16 Oct. 2024, 17:20 Updated: 16 Oct. 2024, 18:42

YOON SO-YEON
yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr

Virtual singer naevis [SM ENTERTAINMENT]

SM Entertainment officially became the first major K-pop agency to jump on the virtual idol bandwagon with naevis, a virtual singer that debuted on Sept. 10 with the single “Done.”

The singer was hinted at here and there in SM Entertainment’s content, especially that of girl group aespa’s, in connection to the quartet’s fictional background story involving its digital alternate universe and the digital “ae-members” of aespa. She was first introduced in aespa’s music video for “Next Level” in 2021 and rolled out her first single, “Done,” last month.

The exquisite detail in naevis’ graphics led to YouTube comments expressing viewers' amazement at the sheer quality of the idol's debut, with some calling the singer “state of the art” and “overwhelmingly natural” compared to other virtual idols active in Korea.

“We started preparing for a virtual artist at SM Entertainment because we were certain that a digital world, where virtual artists can show diverse talents, will open up,” said Park Jun-young, the chief director of SM Entertainment’s virtual intellectual property (IP) center in charge of producing naevis.

“We wanted to prepare for such an era to come, with an artist who can freely cross the boundaries of the digital world and the real world.”

SM Entertainment's virtual idol naevis [SM ENTERTAINMENT]

naevis joins the unique list of virtual idols that have been popping up in Korea, different from the so-called V-Tubers or virtubers that are popular in other countries, especially in Japan.

Virtual bands, such as Plave, Stellive, Isegye Idol, IITERNITI and MAVE:, have made their debuts in the last couple of years, with K-pop not only in their music but also in their marketing and promotion strategies. The artists utilize the latest in AI technological advancements, computer graphics and online streaming.

“K-pop is a form of content enjoyed by a generation that accepts virtual artists without resistance,” Park said. “The main consumers of K-pop, who do not differentiate between the digital and physical, and easily transcend the boundaries of the virtual and the real, have helped such challenging artists come forth.”

Park answered questions from the Korea JoongAng Daily in an email interview about naevis. The following are interview excerpts edited for length and clarity.

SM Entertainment to use LG U+ AI technology for virtual idol naevis

Q. When and how did SM Entertainment start planning the debut of naevis?

A. The idea of naevis, a virtual artist, began in 2017 as part of an R&D project. We tracked the market environment, technological advancement and our internal circumstances and came to the results that we see today.

The metaverse field became well-known to the public during the pandemic, but SM Entertainment had always anticipated that a time would come when artists would perform freely in both the real and the digital worlds. Our efforts have been preparing for such days to come with not only the virtual artist naevis but also other projects, such as the online concert platform Beyond LIVE and others.

That’s why we gave naevis a major role in aespa’s story in November 2020 to give her public exposure.

What does naevis have planned for the near future?

We established a detailed three-year plan for naevis. There could be some differences in execution due to various circumstances, but we have prepared things for the global stage as well as for specific regions, periods, genres, content and collaboration that can only be done by naevis. We also have webtoons, games, online streaming content and animations ready.

We could be rolling out other virtual artists in the future, but for now, our goal is to get the public more acquainted with naevis through various activities.

SM Entertainment's virtual idol naevis [SM ENTERTAINMENT]

Was there anyone specific that naevis was modeled on?

naevis was not based on anyone specific. Instead, her voice and appearance are being developed in naevis' own way with the theme of being “a flexible character” that can appeal to fans.

We created naevis’ voice by mixing a variety of voice actors’ voices to make naevis’ very own charming voice. We held extensive research so that she could tell her own story and sing with that unique voice. Her voice will be able to show a variety of genres and show endless potential with the advancement of technology.

Will naevis’ activities be different from those of real-life artists?

There isn’t a major difference in the plans for her activities based on what she will be doing as an artist. Still, we believe that her flexible character and background story will be able to allow her to expand her IP without evoking “a sense of foreignness.”

We believe that the flexible character that naevis aims to be will be a way to alleviate any possible uncomfortableness felt by the public. We hope to minimize any sense of "foreignness" if her charms are shown well through the different platforms, media and content.

SM Entertainment's virtual idol naevis [SM ENTERTAINMENT]

Will naevis be teaming up with aespa again?

We hope naevis will be someone who is loved by the public and fans of all generations, especially because she aims to be an artist who becomes connected with people through music by learning and resembling the emotions of humans.

Her age is unknown. If we had to define where she is from, it would be from the digital world of Kwangya. She has now started her very own story and narrative ever since she arrived in the real world. So, her story may unfold with aespa from time to time, but she will be pursuing her own activities for the time being. The real-world aespa and ae-aespa in the world of Flat will be a little too busy for now.

Do you have any new business models ready for naevis that differ from real-life K-pop artists?

A new business model would not be that different from the conventional IP business structure. We will establish the repertoire that naevis will be able to perform and then meet with fans at concerts, in the long term.

We hope you look forward to naevis’ activities as she accumulates data and learns about the real world to a point that doesn’t compromise her unique identity.

BY YOON SO-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]