G-Dragon Label Galaxy Corporation Sets US Virtual K-Pop Group Audition

Kwon Ji-Yong, also known as G-Dragon of K-pop group BIGBANG attends the photocall for a promotional event for The Signal “Peaceminusone” highball launch party at Grand Hyatt Seoul June 13, 2025 in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo by Han Myung-Gu/WireImage)

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Galaxy Corporation, the AI entertainment-technology company that’s the music label and management home to K-pop icon G-Dragon, announced it will visit the United States in hopes of discovering talent for an upcoming K-pop group with a twist — the group is virtual.

With online auditions open today, the 2025 Global Virtual Artist Audition will take place in Los Angeles in September. This marks Galaxy Corporation’s first large-scale talent search after launching its artist division that includes the BIGBANG leader and adds fuel to the ever-expanding definition of who and what makes a K-pop star.

According to a press release, those successfully recruited will undergo professional training in singing, rapping and dancing, while also being paired with an avatar to represent a digital identity to embody the artists. Galaxy Corporation says these identities will “transcend physical boundaries and allow them to perform, connect, and evolve in real time across global platforms.” Trainees will also receive specialized training in motion capture, digital stage presence and fan interaction through immersive media.

Virtual bands where animated avatars represent singers are not unheard of around the world. From Japan and South Korea’s first experiments in the ‘90s to Damon Albarn’s Gorillaz, modern technology has allowed virtual artists to compete with real-life singers as seen with Korean boy band PLAVE (who perform with motion-capture technology and sold more than a million copies of their last album) and Japanese singer Ado (whose performances through anime avatars are selling out arenas around the world). Those in the industry have shared that while there are substantial, up-front investments in the technology to launch virtual artists, there are far fewer expenditures that traditional artists need for things like hair, makeup and long-distance travel.

While Galaxy Corp has not yet launched any new artists or groups of its own, establishing itself as a home for virtual K-pop groups can help further distinguish itself in the increasingly competitive K-pop industry as an agency exploring different avenues in entertainment, as seen in their work producing the hit Netflix reality competition series, Physical 100.

While G-Dragon is not part of the virtual group, Galaxy Corporation has been actively supporting the star since his 2014 signing. The “enter-tech” company helped the star make his musical comeback with his first new solo music since 2017 via the single “POWER” that kicked off a new partnership with indie-music giant EMPIRE. This past February, G-Dragon released his third studio album, Ubermensch, which included contributions from Anderson. Paak, Nile Rodgers, Teddy, Diane Warren and his BIGBANG band mates Taeyang and Daesung. The LP’s accompanying world tour has played dates across Asia and Australia and plays in Newark, Las Vegas and Los Angeles in the coming weeks. On August 18, singer-songwriter VINCE drops his new single “CHA CHA CHA” featuring GD.

How the Global Virtual Artist Audition Works

Applicants of any age or gender can submit a single performance video of at least one minute between August 13 (12:00 AM PT) and August 26, 2025 (11:59 PM PT). You can apply online through this form now.

The in-person auditions will take place in Los Angeles on September 8, 2025 at the El Rey Theatre. Galaxy will recruit across four categories — Vocal, Rap, Dance and All-Rounder — with successful candidates undergoing the next steps of training.

All genres of music are welcome to be showcased. More information can be found on Galaxy Corporation’s Audition YouTube channel.