‘KPop Demon Hunters’ sparks virtual idol boom

“Fictional idol bands in ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ have reached heights never achieved by their human counterparts."

As global interest in the Netflix film KPop Demon Hunters, released on June 20, continues to surge, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) has highlighted the cultural and social significance of what it calls the “KDH phenomenon.”

In a story published on July 20 local time, titled “The Biggest K-Pop Band to Top the Charts Isn’t Even Real,” WSJ reported that the K-pop groups currently shaking the world are not BTS, but virtual idols “Huntrix” and “Lion Voice” from KPop Demon Hunters.

According to WSJ, Kevin Woo, who performs as a member of Lion Voice, now has about 20 million monthly listeners on Spotify. A former member of the idol group U-KISS, Woo had fewer than 10,000 monthly listeners before the film’s release. He told WSJ, “It feels surreal because I played a virtual character,” adding, “People don’t recognize me as a real K-pop artist, but in a way, it’s like reimagining my artistic talent.”

Experts believe the success of KPop Demon Hunters could usher in a new era of virtual idols in K-pop. Professor Kim Suk-young of UCLA told WSJ, “A long-held dream of K-pop companies has finally come true. Idols that don’t sleep, don’t get sick, and don’t age have emerged.” She added, “It shows that fans can emotionally connect even with non-human idols.” K-pop producer Benny Cha offered a more cautious take, saying, “Virtual idols can’t replicate the unpredictability or chemistry that real artists have.”

The film’s original soundtrack (OST) remains a strong performer on the charts in its fourth week. According to Billboard’s chart preview on July 20, the album ranked No. 5 on the Billboard 200, down slightly from No. 2 the previous week. Billboard reported that the KDH OST earned 85,000 album units during the latest tracking week, a 14 percent increase from the previous week.

As buzz surrounding the film grows, attention has also returned to singer EJAE (real name Kim Eun-jae), who voices “Rumi,” a member of the fictional girl group Huntrix. EJAE is the granddaughter of veteran actor and former lawmaker Shin Young-kyun, who currently serves as a senior advisor to the People Power Party. EJAE previously appeared on a morning network program in 2011 alongside Shin while she was a student at New York University.


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