[INTERVIEW] SUPERKIND pioneers unique blend of human, virtual members – Beragampengetahuan

Members of K-pop boy group SUPERKIND pose during an interview at The Korea Times headquarters in central Seoul, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Yun Da-been

By Pyo Kyung-min

SUPERKIND, a K-pop boy band that debuted just over a year ago, is breaking new ground in the industry by incorporating two virtual members in their lineup. Proudly identifying as the first generation of virtual AI idols, the septet is set to pioneer a unique era where humans and virtual beings share the stage in K-pop.

A day before the release of their new album “Profiles of the Future (Λ): 70%,” SUPERKIND paid a visit to The Korea Times headquarters for an interview, Tuesday. Five of the group’s members, namely Daemon, Eugene, Geon, SiO and JDV, were in attendance, while virtual members, SAEJiN and Seung, could not take part due to technical constraints.

Daemon, the group’s leader, proudly introduced the members and their pioneering role in the entertainment industry.

“Our group, formed by the fusion of human members ‘PRIDs’ and AI members ‘NUKEs,’ marks the first instance where humans and virtual members have united as a K-pop group. In this light, I am proud to call our group the pioneering generation of AI idols.” Daemon said.

Daemon, leader of K-pop boy band SUPERKIND, attends an interview at The Korea Times headquarters in central Seoul, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Yun Da-been

Fusion of human, virtual talent

Though a year and four months have passed since their debut, the latest album marks the first occasion where all seven members have taken part in the project. During their debut era, members JDV and Seung were not yet added to the group and SAEJiN did not take part in their second album.

Human member SiO expressed, “Despite the time that has passed, I still approach this as our rookie debut. We are excited to perform as a complete team for the first time, so I’m eager for our fans’ anticipation.”

The new album delves into the Sci-Fi genre, drawing inspiration from the Japanese animation “Cowboy Bebop” and the “Men in Black” film franchise. The album comprises four tracks, including the title song, “Beam Me Up (2Dx3D),” “Speed (2D),” “Beam Me Up (3D),” and “Mugshot (SMG).” In this context, 2D signifies the human members, while 3D represents the virtual ones.

“Our title track is a very unique composition. It’s a mix of two tracks, ‘Speed (2D)’ and ‘Beam Me Up (3D).’ The mash-up of these two songs is a symbol of our commitment to continue collaborating with our virtual counterparts,” Daemon explained.

As the group looked back on the album’s production, they recalled a mix of challenges and rewarding moments. While the human members had their own set of experiences, collaborating with virtual members added a unique layer to their journey.

Eugene shared his experience during the music video shoot. “I had no skateboarding skills, but I learned how to skateboard from Geon in just three days, specifically for the music video. I’m hoping the video reflects my efforts and doesn’t look clumsy,” he said.

Eugene, the eldest member of K-pop boy band SUPERKIND, attends an interview at The Korea Times headquarters in central Seoul, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Yun Da-been

Geon revealed that he learned valuable lessons during the filming process.

“We shot the music video in an abandoned factory and the air was quite stuffy. It taught me the importance of taking care of the condition of my throat as a singer in such environments,” he commented.

While these challenges were specific to human members, the experience of working alongside virtual members presented its own set of unique considerations.

In the music video, the virtual members take center stage as “space police” chasing the human members, who are depicted as “space criminals.”

SiO explained, “While we’re being chased by the virtual members, there aren’t many scenes where we physically meet. However, I believe the tension stems from this chase and the relentless pursuit. The climax is when all the members are finally captured, and the conflict between human and virtual beings arises.”

Daemon further elaborated, “What adds a unique layer to this dynamic is trying to predict the crimes each human member committed based on their visual characteristics in the music video.”

Given the time spent with the virtual members, the chemistry between the group members has significantly evolved. The group’s frontman emphasized that their improvement in teamwork can be observed in their synchronized dance routines.

“We’ve been practicing synchronizing our moves with the virtual members for quite a while and it has surely improved. I believe the technical precision in our dance routine has reached its peak and it’s something to look forward to,” Daemon said.

K-pop boy band SUPERKIND member Geon attends an interview at The Korea Times headquarters in central Seoul, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Yun Da-been

Unconventional collaboration

The initial synergy with the virtual members was quite challenging for the group as the human members were skeptical about the concept at first.

SiO unveiled that he wasn’t particularly interested in virtual technologies until he became a trainee at his current agency, Deep Studio.

“I had limited knowledge of artificial intelligence, the metaverse and the virtual human industry until I joined this company. It felt a bit surreal because it was all new to me,” he said.

Eugene also had his doubts. “I was quite unfamiliar and somewhat apprehensive when I first learned that I would be making my debut alongside a virtual idol,” he admitted.

However, the human and virtual members of the group are now united in their pursuit of a common objective and embraced the unique dynamics highlighting their specialties.

“Regardless, we all belong to the same group and we’re striving to earn the affection of our devoted fanbase, ‘PLAYER.’ So, I believe we’re all comrades with our sights set on the same destination,” SiO said.

He also highlighted the group’s approach of not aiming for a seamless fusion of AI and human idols, but rather capitalizing on each member’s unique strengths.

“We, the human members, tend to engage more in offline activities and maintain more direct interaction with our fans, while SAEJiN and Seung lean towards focusing more on engaging with our fans through online platforms. This is a means to draw a clear line between us and the virtual members, to emphasize the difference,” SiO clarified.

SiO, member of K-pop boy band SUPERKIND, attends an interview at The Korea Times headquarters in central Seoul, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Yun Da-been

Daemon provided a further explanation of the intentions behind the clear distinction between virtual and human members.

“To effectively integrate our AI friends and human members, it’s crucial to ensure that there’s a clear distinction between the two. This way, people can readily discern between the AI and the human members, and then we can work on combining them,” Daemon said.

“In the past, human members have requested that the company make the virtual members resemble the human members more. However, now, the human members are focused on enhancing our uniqueness, while the virtual members aim to embrace their distinct qualities. Over time, we plan to communicate to the public that we are indeed distinct, and then slowly convince them into embracing the gradual fusion.”

The group seemed to remain unfazed by the concerns people raise with their virtual members.

“I believe that the sensation of unfamiliarity is quite positive. We constantly strive to introduce innovation. Novelty naturally brings with it a sense of unfamiliarity. I believe our primary mission is to slowly transform that unfamiliarity into familiarity, and I view it as an adventure,” Daemon said.

JDV, member of K-pop boy band SUPERKIND, attends an interview at The Korea Times headquarters in central Seoul, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Yun Da-been

“Our goal is to make the concept of virtual humans more accessible to everyone as we collaborate with our non-human members and offer a means to fully enjoy it.”

SiO underscored the human members’ dedication to making this transition easier for the public.

“Above all, we are committed to immersing ourselves in this journey and working hard to demonstrate our enjoyment to the public. We want to convey that it’s not as challenging as it may seem and that you can embrace it with the same ease and enjoyment as we do,” he emphasized.

SUPERKIND’s ultimate aspiration is to hold a real-life concert that features both virtual and human members.

“Looking ahead, I believe our most significant aim is to host a concert with all our members. Concerts, I think, leave the most unforgettable memories for our fans. Our final objective is to execute a concert that integrates our virtual members seamlessly,” Daemon said.

“We currently rely on editing to bring the virtual members to life, but we’re eagerly anticipating the live realization of our concert dreams through the development of video technologies.”

From left are SiO, Daemon, Eugene, SAEJiN, JDV, Geon and Seung, members of K-pop boy band SUPERKIND. Among them, SAEJiN and Seung are virtual members. Courtesy of Deep Studio Entertainment