I continue to be mystified by PLAVE’s incredible success. While established idol groups’ new videos are stuck at tens of thousands of hits, PLAVE’s new single BBUU! has already sailed past a million. I assume there’s some extra-musical appeal I’m missing. After all, I’ve never delved past the songs themselves because the music remains quite … Continue reading →

While “virtual” artists are incredibly popular and common in Japanese music, PLAVE have carved out their own niche in Korea. I still don’t understand why or how they’re as successful as they are, but I’m certainly not going to begrudge fans for enjoying their content. As usual, my commentary focuses on the music itself and … Continue reading →

Initially, I dug my heels in when it came to writing about PLAVE’s music on this blog. As popular as they are, this “virtual” boy band almost feels like a different genre than K-pop. And despite their punchy rock sound, I haven’t found much of their music compelling enough to compensate for the lack of … Continue reading →

I’ve been asked several times to cover PLAVE songs on the blog. I try not to write about “virtual” groups since it feels like opening a can of worms I’m not yet ready for, but PLAVE have become surprising popular. I can’t say I totally get it, but there are lots of things in this … Continue reading →