Virtual idols take the music industry by storm

Virtual idols become a threat to real idols, as they increase not only in quantity but also in quality.

According to Market Reports World, by 2024, the world entertainment market will have more than 500 professional virtual artists and music groups operating.

Make it happen

Virtual artists do not exist physically, but are designed with CGI (graphics technology) and work with AI-synthesized voices or recorded by real people with hidden faces, but still release albums, organize concerts via holograms, livestream. The virtual idol market is valued at 8.62 million USD in 2025 and is expected to reach 32.63 million USD in 2033.

Recently, the group Huntr/x, originating from the K-Pop cartoon Demon Hunters, became the first virtual group to top the Billboard Global 200 chart with the song "Golden" released in July 2025. This is a sign that virtual artists are no longer just internet phenomena but have entered the mainstream music scene.

With the development of technology, virtual idols have brought many new experiences to the audience, creating a new wave in the Kpop industry. In addition to performing online and releasing music products, these virtual idols are expanding their influence. They participate in projects such as singing soundtracks, organizing concerts and accepting advertising cooperation. They even attend award ceremonies like other artists.

Idol singers like Hatsune Miku, Kizuna AI, and the VTubers (under the Hololive company) are stars in Japan. As of 2024, Hololive alone manages more than 88 singing virtual idols, with a total of more than 80 million followers on social media platforms. Hatsune Miku is a global icon of Vocaloid technology, a software that allows the creation of virtual voices. She has become an inspiration for the worldwide songwriting community, with more than 100,000 songs written specifically for her voice.

The Korean entertainment market is also dominated by idols (girl groups) Mave. Debuting in 2023, Mave's debut MV "Pando-ra" has garnered over 20 million views and tens of millions of listens on Spotify. Boy group Plave sold 1 million albums in the first week of its debut in 2024, an achievement that many real groups dream of. Plave also contributed to the OST of the drama Dear Hyeri with the song "Would it have been different?".

Plave also made history by successfully holding two Eencore concerts at the 11,000-seat Jamsil Stadium. Plave's success inspired the debut of Sphaze with many plans, including Sphaze performing the song "Startlight" on Music Core. Naevis - a virtual solo artist under SM Entertainment - not only performed at the opening ceremony of Seoul Design 2024 but was also chosen as an ambassador.

In the Chinese market, Tencent's AI idol Luo Tianyi or Lucy also became a phenomenon. In just 6 months, the group released 17 songs, one of which surpassed 100 million views.

In the West, Gorillaz was a pioneering virtual band in 1998, combining real music with animated images. Lil Mique-la, an American virtual influencer, has released singles and attracted nearly 3 million Instagram followers.

Virtual idols are increasingly flourishing, threatening the existence of real idols. Photo: DOCUMENT

Forecast will not stop

The Chosun Daily reported that virtual idols have brought in record sales. They have also broken many music charts at home and abroad. Recently, more than 30,000 fans donated $3.1 million to the release of the webtoon of Isegye Idol, marking the highest amount of fan support in history for idols. The song Kidding by this virtual group reached No. 1 on domestic music platform Bugs Music and No. 3 on the US Billboard K-Pop chart.

Virtual boy band Plave has topped the Melon Hot 100 chart with the song "Merry PLLIstmas". With their debut mini album, Plave became the first virtual idol group to sell more than 200,000 copies in the first week of release. This number even surpassed the first week sales of Who! (110,442 copies) - the debut single of BoyNextDoor, a group under the "big guy" Hybe.

According to experts, virtual idols appear as a test in the inevitable development trend of the AI technology era. Virtual idols are gradually becoming a default existence, becoming a real threat to real idols. The appearance of virtual singers brings profound changes. On the one hand, virtual singers allow music companies to fully control their image, schedule, performance, and at the same time eliminate risks related to private life or personal scandals, which can easily happen to real artists. On the other hand, AI technology also helps shorten the creation cycle, allowing virtual artists to release continuously without needing a break.

On the fan side, digital idols meet the needs of high personalization and interaction. They can interact with their idols via livestream, metaverse platform. Fans can even edit their idol avatars according to their personal preferences, which is impossible with real artists. Most importantly, the virtual idol market has been valued at billions of dollars and continues to grow strongly, this trend is predicted not to stop, but also expand to other entertainment fields.

Currently, the Vietnamese entertainment market is also participating in creating virtual idols that are increasingly perfect in both interface and voice. Although they have not been able to create outstanding achievements, they have more or less become a threat to real singers.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/than-tuong-ao-khuynh-dao-lang-nhac-196250728202801676.htm