Virtual Girl Group MAVE: Debut With the Cyberpunk-Themed ‘Pandora’

South Korean ‘AI’ girl group MAVE: finally made their highly-anticipated debut today with their single album Pandora’s Box. It is led by the single “Pandora” and features a B-side titled “Wonderland (IDYPIA).”The quartet have also dropped a music video for the lead single.

“Pandora” is built mainly of synthpop and trap, pushing forth a dreamlike sonic atmosphere to match MAVE:’s otherworldly themes and lore. The track’s lyrics celebrate the group’s individuality as a virtual one, declaring, “(I’m) a newly-written paradigm/ (Therefore) I know you’ve been waiting/ Find the hidden secret/ Are you ready for change?”

The music video for “Pandora” is an impressive piece of art with crisp renderings of each virtual member in solo shots, the group performing smooth choreography together (likely via motion capture) and fantastical cyberpunk city landscapes. The quartet use their digital existence to their advantage, leaping off buildings (a clear tribute to Ghost in the Shell), performing stunts with hover-cars, and flitting between worlds with ease. The video also features the single album’s cover art, a digital Pandora’s Box which the quartet unleash upon the world.

MAVE: was created by Metaverse Entertainment and their name derives from the term ‘make new wave.’ The label stated upon its launch in 2021, “Where two frontiers of reality meet, we craft a fusion from the cold touch of technology and warm breath of human sensibility to tell a story of humans beyond humans — Meta Idols.” The company has also previously launched the virtual human influencer RINA in 2021.

Metaverse Entertainment is a subsidiary of Korean media giant Kakao Entertainment and Netmarble, South Korea’s largest mobile-gaming company. The label was launched in 2021 to create and manage a roster of virtual artists and explore the various business and creative opportunities that come with these projects. MAVE: is the first group under the agency and rumors of their creation began floating around in 2021 after Korean news organizations uncovered plans surrounding the group’s debut.

Over the past few weeks, more about each member of MAVE: has been unveiled, including their positions within the group that follow the traditional roles in K-pop — SIU: is the leader and main vocalist, ZENA: is the lead vocalist, MARTY: a rapper and dancer, while TYRA:, the maknae (youngest), is the main rapper and main dancer. MAVE: have also provided an idea of their lore, with each member having crash-landed on Earth in search of emotions. There is of course still a sense of uncanny valley when at moments during the music video the members’ eyes seem a little unfocused or movements a little too swift, but considering this is their first release, a lot of these little glitches can be easily overlooked.

As of now it’s unclear who is voicing the members of MAVE: and they seem to be on a similar lane as K-pop boy group Superkind’s virtual member Saejin who is voiced by an actual anonymous human being. This makes the group’s members virtual idols rather than AI idols like girl group ETERN!TY, which was created completely via programs using artificial intelligence and deep-fake technology. Currently the main question surrounding MAVE: (and most virtual artists) is the way they will promote — will the group make appearances on popular broadcast shows like other K-pop stars or will they be limited to certain special releases, much like Superkind’s performance on the popular series 1thek’s Countdance and their own content released on their channels? As of now they have shared a greeting video for Korean streaming platform Melon, but we’re eager to see what’s next.