by SM girl group ‘Espa’ using AI is gaining popularity while maintaining a steady top position on the Melon chart with the song’ next level.’
One of the hottest keywords in 2021 is ‘metaverse.’ ‘Metaverse’ is a compound word of the universe meaning the natural world and meta meaning fictitious and abstract, and refers to a three-dimensional virtual world.
Espa was the first Korean girl group to introduce a metaverse girl group. The group consists of 8 members, of which 4 are people, and the remaining 4 are virtual avatars. The virtual avatar is called ae and refers to another self in the virtual world. Described as another being, ae, with a personality formed based on the data we upload in our daily lives.
SM’s worldview using AI and Metaverse can be said to be a movement that grasps the flow of this economy and industry as a whole. The metaverse market is growing in size, and the related market is expected to reach KRW 50 trillion in 2019, KRW 520 trillion in 2020, and KRW 1700 trillion in 2030.
In line with this, various related services are increasing. Recently, it has become possible to buy, sell, and consume goods in the virtual world using one’s virtual world character. Blackpink became a hot topic after holding a virtual fan meeting at Naver Z (ZEPETO), a subsidiary of Naver.
Sm recently signed a business agreement with the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology on June 26 to combine Metaverse and K-pop. Through this agreement, technical cooperation in content, artificial intelligence, robots, etc., joint projects related to digital avatar production, and joint academic research on culture technology are expected. It is anticipated that KAIST and science and entertainment will show new synergies.
Sm Lee Soo-man said at the 2021 World Cultural Industry Forum, “We will continue to support the activities of prosumers. In the current era of prosumers, the content will become goods or assets in the future. The day when content becomes the third currency is coming soon. The history of K-pop is innovation, and it will become the asset and industry of the future. In the end, SM will create a content universe, and collaboration that converges technology with celebrities will be needed more than now. “He said.
In the future, Metaverse’s business expansion is expected to spread in all areas. Attempts to combine metaverses such as games, real estate, movies, and economics are being applied.
In Espa’s worldview, it is said that there are many ae in the world and can interact with virtual avatars. In the official video of Espa, it is possible to send text messages or have a conversation with one’s avatar.
SM has presented various original and diverse songs in SM’s style, such as Girls’ Generation, f(x), and Red Velvet. With the girl group Espa, which was introduced seven years after SM girl group Red Velvet’s debut, SM is expected to set the stage for another leap forward.
Espa’s “next level” is a remake of the movie “Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw.” Their debut song, Black Mamba, also set a new record, surpassing 100 million views in 52 days.
Netizens’ reactions to this led to positive responses such as “It’s much better than the original song,” “The original lyrics that only SM can make a standout,” and “I keep listening to it because it’s addictive.”
