K-pop idols bond with Gen Z and Alpha fans on metaverse platforms

An increasing number of K-pop acts have jumped into the metaverse, a shared virtual world where people can interact with others via avatars, creating virtual spaces to build stronger and closer connections with their fans.

Girl group Billlie met their fans on local telecommunication carrier SK Telecom’s metaverse platform ifland last week. The latest event is part of the girl group’s effort to expand its presence in a three-dimensional virtual space.

The seven-member group invites their fans to a virtual world featuring Billlie’s K-pop Guest House Land, where visitors are allowed to experience various types of content, from the group’s pictures and music videos to members’ statues made with holograms.

Fans can tour the metaverse space to look at Billlie’s stage costumes and observe the dance choreography as well.

Rookie girl group NMIXX also created a fandom space earlier this month on local tech giant Naver’s metaverse platform Zepeto. Fans can view the members’ costumes and accessories through their avatars. 

In one of the virtual spaces closely resembling the girl group’s practice studio at its agency, JYP Entertainment, visitors can practice dance moves and take selfies with the members using their own avatars.

About one million users visited NMIXX’s virtual space in the first six days of its launch, and created more than 600,000 pieces of content on the platform, according to Zepeto.

Fans can make a choreography video of NMIXX’s debut song “O.O.” They can also team up with the girl group members to form a team to complete a quest in the virtual space.

Other K-pop idols have chosen to create opportunities for fans to communicate with them in the virtual world, aiming to attract Generation Z and Generation Alpha -- those born from the mid-1990s to the mid-2020s.

Another reason for opening metaverse platforms is to make up for the lack of opportunities to meet in person with fans, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues into its third year.

BTS has held a metaverse concert, while Blackpink invited their fans for a fan signing meeting in the virtual world. Girl group Itzy and singer Sunmi have also held fan meetings on metaverse platforms.

By Jie Ye-eun (yeeun@heraldcorp.com)