GALAXY Corporation’s Virtual K-Pop Group Auditions Has Begun

GALAXY Corporation’s Virtual K-Pop Group Auditions in Los Angeles

Virath Pum

GALAXY Corporation, the AI Enter-tech company and G-DRAGON’s label, hosted its first global virtual artist audition at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles last week, drawing over 100 pre-selected participants from around the world.

The 100 were chosen from the initial online application stage and participated in the second round in person for a chance to be selected for the company’s virtual K-pop group – avatars powered by select performers’ voices, movements, and personalities.

Similar to virtual artists like PLAVE and MAVE, the performers will be completely virtual, utilizing the company’s advanced AI technology to create an avatar that will become the idol. This is the first of its kind to have open auditions for a virtual group, while other companies’ virtual groups were chosen internally.

It was an interesting process to witness in person.

When I entered the theatre, the selection committee, including GK (Gyuhyuk Song), the Head of IP MUSIC at Galaxy Corporation, was facing the stage, taking notes as each performer began.

Except that no physical person ever walked out on stage.

The judges faced a giant screen of monitors, with a female virtual avatar in the middle. The avatar looked like a semi-faceless character from the Just Dance video games, with pink hair and a bright skirt. As the music began, a voice could be heard through the speakers – and even from behind the stage. The avatar started to move as if someone was controlling it.

That someone was the contestant, using motion capture to follow their exact moves.

The contestants were escorted backstage, where cameras were set up to capture the performance of whoever was in the camera’s line of sight. Bright tape lined the floor, indicating where the contestant would stand to allow the technology to work. They would be mic’d up for their vocal performance, with the special camera capturing their every move. One performer even did a backflip, which was captured through the avatar. Each round saw dancers, rappers, and singers delivering covers of songs from Justin Bieber, NewJeans, and more.

There was only one type of male and female avatar, corresponding to the contestants’ identity. Their real faces are never shown, hidden behind wide umbrellas as they are escorted off the premises. It truly followed a blind audition process.

The idea for a virtual group originated from GK and his team, as they questioned whether an artist could truly live forever. Having been in the industry for many years, GK noticed that several K-pop idols struggled to surpass their standard seven-year contract, often peaking in their teens or twenties. As technology advanced, he realized that an idol could live on forever through AI EnterTech. Hence, finding “eternal artists” who can “transcend the limitations of time, offering lasting inspiration not only to K-pop fandoms but to music lovers around the world.”

Though the initial calls were for a girl group, the company changed it to be open to everyone. There were no age, weight, height, looks, or gender restrictions. As long as you can sing, dance, or rap, you have the chance to make it into this group.

“Being in the entertainment industry for years now, things change,” GK says about the audition process shifting from a girl group to a co-ed group. “Trend changes. We have to adapt and adopt it. We can’t tell you what’s in store for us now regarding that. But, as it gradually grows and the virtual group is somewhat shaping its form, you’ll see through our media channels where we’re shaping and where we’re going with this.”

With the knowledge of what AI can do, does it really matter if the contestant could dance, sing, or rap? AI has been able to imitate voices to sing or rap any song and execute perfect dance moves, allowing all members to be in sync.

GK says those aspects do matter for their group. He explains, “The virtual character you see on TV may be AI, but we want to come from the roots where it’s all human. At the end of the day, it has to be a human being dancing and singing to that character to portray the best virtual AI.”

Although AI can fix pitch and tone, and change the languages in which the idol sings or speaks, GK says language and AI tech don’t correspond to good music. He says true music comes from the performer.

“At the end of the day, mixing technology with the language barrier right isn’t a priority for me at this moment,” he says. “Music is music.”

Though the technology is there and virtual K-pop groups have worked before, GK understands the limitations when it comes to asking an artist to hide behind an avatar. The performers behind PLAVE are real humans, selected internally by their agencies, with their identities kept secret. But, to have an open audition like this, there may be some potential finalists who want to be known as an idol. Several contestants who participated in the auditions did have the looks and talent to be an idol.

GK says it’s a complex situation because they’re still in the early stages of auditions and still working out their vision. He says, “At the end of the day, it really has to do with who is behind that character. If he or she wants to be revealed to the world, it’s totally up to them. However, on the company’s side, we have operations and logistics that we go through, along with certain protocols, to ensure that everyone’s rights are protected. It’s not something that I could easily answer at this moment, but as time gradually goes, I should be able to answer more.”

GALAXY Corporation plans on traveling to more cities worldwide to hold more auditions. The finalists from each city will advance in GALAXY’s debut campaign, and then ultimately be selected from among them.

“GALAXY Corporation’s future regarding this virtual audition is limitless,” GK shares. “We don’t have an endgame. We can tell you that we are going to take this to another level, but it’s not going to be within America. It’s going to be on a different continent. That’s what we can reveal.”