Billboard Korea Artist Version (Interviews)

As Korea’s hottest digital idol group, PLAVE is usually misunderstood as an AI-generated phantasm. However the artists behind the animated band members are actual, as are the videographers, engineers, graphic designers, animators and retouchers who deliver their imagery to life.

For the commission sales version of Billboard Artist, Billboard Korea spoke to the characters who energy PLAVE. Listed below are highlights from the dialog.

This version is constructed round 5 key parts—earth, fireplace, water, air and a fifth: the “digital universe,” which represents PLAVE’s origin story. In the event you needed to outline one remaining component that completes the world, what would it not be?

Yejun: For me, it’s fact—and being actual, at all times. Whenever you put your actual emotions on the market, individuals can really feel that. Doesn’t matter the place you might be or who’s watching—real vitality simply hits completely different.

Noah: Happiness, 100%. I really feel like virtually all the pieces we do in life—whether or not it’s grabbing meals, texting a pal, even simply taking a nap—is mainly us chasing happiness in some type. That’s actually why I do PLAVE, too. It makes me glad, and I get to run after this wild, thrilling dream with the members.

Bamby: Emotion—for actual, it’s all the pieces. Like, I don’t assume we even begin doing something with out some sort of feeling behind it. Even once I’m like, “Okay, time to sing,” there’s at all times a purpose—somebody I’m considering of, some temper I’m in. It’s all pushed by emotion. No spark, no transfer. That’s simply how I run.

Eunho: Analog. If PLAVE began in a digital universe, I feel the center of our story nonetheless has to really feel human. The extra high-tech the world will get, the extra I really feel like individuals crave one thing tender, one thing actual. There’s this quiet nostalgia for the imperfect stuff—the human facet of issues. Perhaps that’s why what we do connects. It’s not simply the tech. It’s the sensation behind it. So yeah, if I needed to identify the ultimate component, I’d name it analog heat.

Hamin: Religion. I really feel like all the pieces begins from that. It’s as a result of we believed that PLAVE may exist, and it’s that very same perception that lets us love one another—and be liked again.

Like the thought of a flower pushing via powerful soil, what’s one thing significant you’ve grown from a tough time?

Bamby: I’m actually into rising crops. There’s simply one thing magical about watching life sprout from plain outdated filth—seeing it develop, bear fruit, after which return to the soil. That entire cycle is so lovely to me. It made me notice nature is all about giving and receiving, on this fixed loop. And I’m a part of that too, proper? I feel I’m rising a bit daily—like a tree, like a flower. I don’t assume we’re meant to bloom only one flower or develop one fruit in our entire life. It’s extra like—we preserve blooming no matter matches that second. One season, one vibe, one model of ourselves at a time. Performing as PLAVE? That’s one in every of my flowers. Doing this interview? One other one. It’s not about having a single good blossom—it’s about residing in a means the place you’re at all times making an attempt to bloom one thing actual. That’s the half I care about most.

Water appears tender, nevertheless it’s one of many strongest forces in nature. It cuts via diamonds with pace, shapes stone with persistence, and generally, all it takes is one tear to maneuver a coronary heart. What’s a quiet energy you carry that folks may not see at first—however really feel over time?

Yejun: I feel I’m just like the ocean—quiet, regular, however prepared to carry no matter comes my means. I need to be that sort of house for the members, and for PLLIs too. Like a winter sea—calm and nonetheless, the type you possibly can sit beside if you simply must breathe. And like a summer time sea—cool, open, and full of sunshine if you’re in a very good place. That’s the sort of energy I consider in. Not loud, not flashy—simply… at all times there. If I could be somebody you lean on with out saying a phrase, somebody who provides you peace simply by being round—that, to me, is actual energy.

Silver hair, crimson eyes and fireplace all really feel timeless—virtually immortal. However in addition they carry a sure quiet, a way of solitude, like midnight. Do you see your self as somebody who stands aside? And if you really feel that distance, do you lean into it—or attempt to break via it?

Eunho: I feel I do discover consolation in solitude. After I’m alone, I get to decelerate and assume—about the place I’m going, how I need to develop. If I’m in a very good temper, I’ll quietly have fun on my own. And if I’m not, I’ll sit with that too, attempt to unpack it. However I’ve additionally discovered that staying in that house too lengthy isn’t at all times wholesome. It’s simple to sink into it with out noticing. That’s why I attempt to face these emotions—after which step out of them. I feel that’s the place development actually occurs. So yeah, I like being alone. However I by no means need to get caught there.

In historic alchemy, gold wasn’t simply treasure—it was the fifth component, the final piece of an ideal world. Lately, it’s nonetheless the last word image of excellence. So inform us: are you quietly working your means towards being PLAVE’s golden member? (And no, we’re not simply speaking in regards to the hair, lol.)

Noah: Wait—are you calling me the golden member? That’s wild. Thanks, severely. Truthfully, I feel all of us in PLAVE are sort of wired to chase perfection in our personal means. However yeah, since I’m one of many older ones together with Yejun, I do really feel that further layer of duty. I’m at all times considering like, “How can we degree up as a workforce?” “What’s the subsequent model of PLAVE the world hasn’t seen but?” If we have been a automobile, I’d most likely be the one with each fingers on the wheel, eyes on the highway. Simply making an attempt to steer us ahead—secure, sturdy, and headed someplace wonderful.

In in the present day’s digital world, there’s a rising longing for one thing actual—for that human contact. An increasing number of individuals really feel the necessity to know what’s actual. How do you deal with that sort of stress, and the way do you keep grounded in your individual fact?

Hamin: Truthfully, I don’t actually see the purpose in drawing a tough line between what’s “actual” and what’s “digital.” I feel everybody’s simply residing within the model of actuality that feels actual to them. And for me? Digital is actual. Individuals are free to see it nevertheless they need—I don’t really feel the necessity to push again or show something. What truly issues is: can we nonetheless join? Can we perceive one another, share one thing actual, even in a digital house? That’s the sort of actuality I consider in.

The theme of this version, QUINTESSENCE, is all in regards to the 5 parts coming collectively to characterize purity, essence, and supreme high quality. In the event you needed to outline the “essence” of every of your fellow members in a single phrase or phrase, what would it not be?

Yejun:

Hamin – Maturity. He often is the youngest, however he’s usually probably the most grown-up of us all.

Eunho – Purity. When he’s engaged on music, you possibly can really feel how purely he loves what he does.

Bamby – Nature. He’s most likely probably the most effortlessly pure particular person I’ve ever met.

Noah – Attraction. There’s simply one thing about him—you possibly can’t dislike him. It’s a superpower.

Noah:

Yejun – The blueprint. Complete husband materials. No notes.

Bamby – Wild card. He’s our 4D king—you by no means know what’s coming subsequent.

Eunho – Pet. It simply matches, okay?

Hamin – Black cat. And yep, I imply that precisely the way it sounds.

Bamby:

Yejun – Comfortable blue. He’s strong as a frontrunner and sees each little element within the workforce.

Noah – Honesty. He’s at all times exhibiting his true self, to everybody.

Eunho – Fiery crimson. He brings that daring, energetic ardour to PLAVE.

Hamin – Leafy inexperienced. Like a powerful tree, he quietly retains the workforce balanced.

Eunho:

Yejun – The Middle. To me, Yejun hyung is the gravitational core of PLAVE. He holds us all collectively, not simply as a frontrunner however as an individual. What makes him particular is the best way he balances heat with sharp readability. I’d say he’s 60% cool-headed, 40% soft-hearted.

Noah – The Seasoning. He’s like that one pinch of spice that takes all the pieces from “okay” to “oh dang.” His voice? Complete taste enhance. We’ll be engaged on a monitor, and the second he hops in—growth, all of it is sensible. And on air? He’s the one dropping these chaotic one-liners that make us lose it. What will get me is how he flips between genius-level precision and complete goofball vitality. You by no means actually know which model you’re getting—and that’s precisely what makes him enjoyable.

Bamby – The Bitter Peach. Bamby’s like a tangy peach—candy, zingy, stuffed with character, and at all times maintaining you guessing. I’ve recognized him for some time now, and simply once I assume I’ve received him found out, he exhibits me a brand new facet. He lives like he’s the primary character in a film. “Bitter peach” would possibly sound humorous, nevertheless it matches him completely.

Hamin – The Bassline. And I imply that actually and emotionally. He performs bass, certain—however greater than that, he’s the bottom of PLAVE. He holds us collectively, provides the group form. He’s the youngest, however he’s the one checking in on everybody, maintaining the vibe grounded whether or not we’re on or off stage. Quiet, regular, strong—that’s Hamin.

Hamin:

Yejun – Selflessness. He leads by instance and at all times places others first.

Noah – Sensitivity & humanity. He’s observant, considerate, and at all times there with the fitting phrases.

Bamby – Approachability. He vibes with everybody and makes individuals really feel seen. He is aware of when to lean in and when to lean on.

Eunho – Heat & gentle. He lifts me up with compliments and at all times is aware of the best way to make me chuckle.