Naevis

Naevis
Background information
OriginSouth Korea
GenresK-pop
Years active2020 (2020)–present
LabelsSM Entertainment
WebsiteOfficial website
Korean name
Hangul
나이비스
Revised RomanizationNaibiseu
McCune–ReischauerNaibisŭ

Naevis (Korean: 나이비스; stylized as nævis[1]) is a virtual idol created by South Korean entertainment company SM Entertainment as part of the company's SM Culture Universe. Created using generative AI, Naevis first appeared in 2020 in universe-building content for K-pop girl group Aespa and their debut single "Black Mamba". After appearing with Aespa numerous times, Naevis's role expanded to be independent of the group in 2024 with the release of her first single "Done".

Background and development

Development on Naevis first began in 2017 as part of a research and development project at SM Entertainment, and was accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic as the metaverse concept began to grow.[2] Naevis's voice is AI synthesized, while visuals, including music videos, short-form videos, photos and merchandise, are created in partnership with LG Uplus, utilizing the company's Ixi-Gen generative AI product,[3] a small-scale language model based on LG AI Research's Exaone software.[4]

Naevis is not based on any one person, with her voice being created from a mix of samples taken from voice actors.[2]

Appearances

2020–2023: Establishment in Kwangya

Within the SM Culture Universe, Naevis has been descried as "Aespa's sidekick"[5] in Kwangya, a digital world in a parallel dimension.[6] Naevis helps the group fight the fictional supervillain Black Mamba.[7]

Naevis was first introduced in October 2020 in a video featuring Aespa member Karina entitled My, Karina.[4] The character later appears in Aespa's music videos for "Next Level"[2] and "Savage",[8] both in 2021, as well as 2022's "Girls".[9] In January 2023, SM revealed that they planned to expand Naevis's role, becoming a virtual idol releasing her own music. At the same time, it was announced that Naevis would make her musical debut as part of a virtual reality concert held at South by Southwest that March,[8] however the plans did not come to fruition.[10]

Naevis's voice was first heard on Aespa's "Welcome to My World". The song, which was originally meant to be sung solely by Naevis,[11] was released in May 2023 as part of the group's third EP My World.[12] Naevis also appears in the song's music video, following the group as a mysterious aura as they embark on a road trip.[13] Naevis's solo debut was again announced by SM in August 2023, then scheduled for the first quarter of 2024.[14]

2024–present: Expansion beyond Aespa

In June 2024, Naevis appeared as part of Aespa's Synk: Parallel Line tour.[3] Final confirmation of Naevis's solo debut in the third quarter of 2024 came on August 8, when SM released their plans for the final two quarters of 2024.[15] Further details came on August 21, with SM launching an official website and social media channels, as well as releasing a teaser video onto their official YouTube channel[1] depicting rows of computer code reading "Naevis is coming to the real world", followed by a silhouette of the character.[16]

Naevis's debut single, "Done", was announced on September 3.[17] The song, and its music video depicting Naevis entering the real world and exploring an urban setting, were released on September 10.[18]

In October 2024, Naevis acted as an ambassador for the Seoul Design Foundation's annual conference. At the event, a video of Naevis performing "Done" was exhibited, as well as an interview between the character and Seoul mayor Oh Se-hoon.[19] In SM's third quarter 2024 earnings report published in early November, the company confirmed plans to release extended play for Naevis in the first quarter of 2025.[20] Plans for further appearances were announced in December, with SM and Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation signing an agreement to co-develop new content for Naevis, including appearances on MBC's Show! Music Core.[21]

Reception

Naevis received a mixed reception from fans. While some found the AI generated graphics to be impressive, others found the combination of what appeared to be edited footage of a real person dancing with an AI face swapped to be unsettling. The need for SM Entertainment to launch a virtual idol in the first place was also questioned, with some stating that Naevis's AI synthesized voice sounded like a combination of Aespa members, and preferring that Naevis's songs be sung by Aespa instead.[22]

Discography

Singles

List of songs, showing year released, selected peak positions, sales figures, and name of the album
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
KOR
[23] 		SGP
 VIE
[24]
"Welcome to My World" (with Aespa) 2023 68 —[A] 63 My World
"Done" 2024 —[B] — — Non-album single
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region.

Filmography

Title Year Artist Notes Ref.
"My, Karina" 2020 Aespa Teaser video [4]
"Next Level" 2021 Music video [2]
"Savage" [8]
"Girls" 2022 [9]
"Welcome to My World" 2023 Aespa feat. Naevis [13]
"Done" 2024 Naevis [27]

See also

  • Mave: – South Korean virtual girl group

Notes

  1. ^ "Welcome to My World" did not enter RIAS Top Streaming Chart, but peaked at position 26 on RIAS Top Regional Chart.[25]
  2. ^ "Done" did not enter Circle Digital Chart, but peaked at position 105 on Circle Download Chart.[26]

References

  1. ^ a b Yoon, So-yeon (2024-08-21). "SM Entertainment to unveil virtual idol nævis from aespa's fictional universe in September". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on 2024-08-23. Retrieved 2024-12-12.
  2. ^ a b c d Yoon, So-yeon (2024-10-16). "Inside naevis: SM Entertainment reveals how its virtual idol was made". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2024-12-05.
  3. ^ a b Yoon, So-yeon (2024-09-01). "SM Entertainment to use LG U+ AI technology for virtual idol naevis". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on 2024-12-07. Retrieved 2024-12-12.
  4. ^ a b c Dalugdug, Mandy (2024-09-02). "SM Entertainment partners with telco LG Uplus on AI-driven content for virtual artist Naevis". Music Business Worldwide. Retrieved 2024-12-05.
  5. ^ Loh, Lainey (2024-09-11). "SM Entertainment's first AI-powered virtual artist nævis makes official debut". Tatler Asia. Archived from the original on 2024-12-07. Retrieved 2024-12-12.
  6. ^ Lee, Ju-young (December 17, 2020). 현실과 가상 속 자아-이제는 메타버스 시대 [The Self in Reality and Virtual Reality-Now the Metaverse Era]. Maeil Business Newspaper (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
  7. ^ King, Ashley (2024-09-10). "SM Entertainment Debuts AI Artist 'Naevis' to Mixed Reactions". Digital Music News. Archived from the original on 2024-12-08. Retrieved 2024-12-12.
  8. ^ a b c Suacillo, Angela Patricia (2023-01-26). "aespa's fictional AI system Nævis to debut as an "artist" in VR concert at SXSW". NME. Retrieved 2024-12-12.
  9. ^ a b Ziwei, Puah (2022-07-08). "Watch aespa's powerful music video for new single 'Girls'". NME. Archived from the original on 2023-04-07. Retrieved 2024-12-12.
  10. ^ Daniel, Tencer (2023-05-22). "Meet the virtual artists backed by some of the world's biggest entertainment companies". Music Business Worldwide. Archived from the original on 2024-06-19. Retrieved 2024-12-12.
  11. ^ Dong, Sun-hwa (2023-05-09). "'Welcome to MY World': aespa invites people to 'real world'". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on 2024-12-07. Retrieved 2024-12-12.
  12. ^ Martin, Annie (2023-03-02). "Watch: Aespa release 'Welcome to My World' music video ahead of new EP - UPI.com". United Press International. Archived from the original on 2023-05-13. Retrieved 2024-12-12.
  13. ^ a b Yeo, Gladys (2023-05-02). "aespa drop music video for pre-release single 'Welcome To MY World'". NME. Archived from the original on 2023-09-28. Retrieved 2024-12-12.
  14. ^ Han, Soon-cheon (2023-08-02). "기대 웃돈 2분기 실적...SM '경영 안정권' 진입" [Expected Q2 performance exceeds expectations... SM enters 'management stability zone']. Seoul Economic Daily (in Korean). Archived from the original on 2023-08-06. Retrieved 2024-12-13.
  15. ^ Yoo, Hong (2024-08-08). "SM to launch new K-pop girl group in Q4". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2024-12-12.
  16. ^ Yeo, Gladys (2024-08-21). "SM Entertainment to debut first AI idol named nævis in September". NME. Archived from the original on 2024-12-08. Retrieved 2024-12-12.
  17. ^ "'SM 버추얼 아티스트' 나이비스, 10일 마침내 현실세계로...'던'" ['SM Virtual Artist' Naevis, finally returns to the real world on the 10th... 'Done']. Newsis (in Korean). 2024-09-03. Retrieved 2024-12-12.
  18. ^ Dutta, Debashree (2024-09-10). "Naevis: SM Entertainment's First Virtual Artist Releases Debut Single 'Done'". Rolling Stone India. Archived from the original on 2024-12-07. Retrieved 2024-12-12.
  19. ^ Shin, Min-hee (2024-10-17). "Seoul Design 2024 imagines the future with exhibitions, conferences and virtual idol naevis". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2024-12-12.
  20. ^ Chin, Carmen (2024-11-06). "EXO's Kai, Red Velvet's Seulgi and more SM artists to release new music in 2025". NME. Retrieved 2024-12-13.
  21. ^ Yoon, Seung-jin (2024-12-12). "SM Entertainment partners with MBC to create naevis content". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2024-12-12.
  22. ^ King, Ashley (2024-09-10). "SM Entertainment Debuts AI Artist 'Naevis' to Mixed Reactions". Digital Music News. Archived from the original on 2024-12-08. Retrieved 2024-12-13.
  23. ^ Peaks on the Circle Digital Chart:
  24. ^ "Aespa Chart History: Billboard Vietnam Hot 100". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 20, 2024. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  25. ^ "RIAS Top Charts Week 19 (5 - May 11, 2023)". RIAS. Archived from the original on May 16, 2023. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  26. ^ "CIRCLE CHART - Week 37". Circle Chart. Archived from the original on 2024-09-20. Retrieved 2024-12-12.
  27. ^ Lee, Gyu-lee (2024-10-08). "Virtual idols hit K-pop scene". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2024-12-12.

Official website