SM Entertainment to unveil virtual idol nævis from aespa's fictional universe in September

SM Entertainment will unveil its first virtual idol, nævis, next month, the K-pop agency said Wednesday.

Virtual singer naevis teaser video screen capture [SM ENTERTAINMENT]

SM Entertainment will unveil its first virtual idol, nævis, next month, the K-pop agency said Wednesday.

nævis, also spelled naevis, is an AI-generated virtual singer who appears in aespa's fictional universe.

The agency released a teaser video of the singer's story at midnight on Tuesday through its official YouTube channel and also launched an official website for nævis.

The virtual idol was created using computer graphics and AI voicing technologies and the promotional content that will follow has been produced with the help of generative AI, according to SM Entertainment.

An additional video will be released on Friday, the agency said.

nævis has made frequent appearances in girl group aespa's music videos and on stage, sharing the group's fictional Kwangya sci-fi storyline. The virtual singer was featured in aespa's song "Welcome to MY World" (2023) and performed at aespa's June concert during the "SYNK: Parallel Line" tour.

BY YOON SO-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]