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K-Pop's Next Evolution: VR Takes Fans Deeper Than Ever Before! Plus, Our SEVENTEEN M/V Experience!

Do you think VR experiences will become a standard part of K-pop fandom?! We give you our personal experience from SEVENTEEN's "Thunder" music video shoot! Let's take a closer look at the metaverse world!


Image: Jennie, Lisa, Enhypen, XG - Photo: oust.france.kr
Image: Jennie, Lisa, Enhypen, XG - Photo: oust.france.kr

K-pop fans, eat your heart out, as the virtual reality (VR) world is set to bring K-pop music videos alive, through incredible backdrops, immersive experiences for fans, as well as interactive fan experiences. Will VR transform K-pop forever?




Seventeen's "Thunder"


We previously wrote about the new music video from SEVENTEEN's "Thunder", and they are no exception from using VR in their music videos, especially in the backdrop scenes. For their recent fifth studio album, HAPPY BURSTDAY, they dropped a 360-degree VR highlight medley. Fans can literally explore a virtual world with just a tilt of their phone, each scene perfectly matching a different track from the album.


As Dojeon member Lewis Hooper worked on the set, he thought that the use of VR when it comes to the editing touches is remarkable, as it brings all of the creative ideas together in order to create some truly breathtaking content for viewers!



360-degree immersion


VR is able to produce a 360 degree angle for fans to enjoy! This format allows fans to look around a virtual environment, just by moving their heads, as if they would during an actual concert. In some cases, this format is also possible by just dragging a mouse on platforms like YouTube, to enable the viewer to be in the music video as opposed to just watching it.


Of course, beyond this, VR which is used in music videos will add interactive elements for fans, which can include being able to choose different camera angles, visual effects and in some cases being able to change aspects of the video narrative. All of these features are expected to keep fans interest in K-pop and help the industry grow!



Live concerts


Live concerts have also started using VR more often than ever before. Groups like aespa have previously experimented with VR concerts, and the feedback from fans was that it was like watching an ordinary concert through a new lens, without the chance for fans to actually interact with the stars.


Fast forward to Cha Eun Woo's upcoming VR concert (Cha Eun Woo VR Concert: Memories) which will be released on June 18, 2025, it promises to deliver a more engaging fan experience. With the ever evolving technology world, the enhancement of VR during live concerts, and music videos will only keep getting better. Do you think VR will pull fans into the action even more?



Challenges


In order to create high quality and interactive VR content for fans, music and production companies will need to invest in more expensive hardware, such as installing VR, is much more time consuming and complex than traditional music videos. The industry is still looking into effective ways to monetize VR music videos beyond initial sales or subscriptions, which will help their bottom line revenue go up, as well as potentially leading to up sales during the VR experience with add on features for viewers to purchase.


Should VR be used in K-pop music videos? Have your say, and leave a comment below!




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