Jack, one of four virtual idols in the K-pop group Re:Revolution, sat on a stool in the metaverse — digital worlds where people interact through avatars — sporting a sleek cyberpunk battle suit.
Somewhere in Seoul that July afternoon, the artist behind Jack was in a motion capture studio, wearing a full bodysuit that translated his words and moves to his digital counterpart.
“When I was an idol trainee, I thought I would never make it,” the artist, speaking through his avatar, told Rest of World.
As a teenager, he spent years training to become a K-pop star at an entertainment company, he said. But crushed by the industry’s harsh beauty standards and fierce competition, he spiraled into insecurity about his looks and talent, chasing a debut that never came.
Virtual reality has given him a second chance at stardom. “As a virtual idol, I no longer wrestle with insecurities about my looks,” he said, his avatar’s perfectly styled jet-black hair framing his porcelain skin. “Now I know I have what it takes.”
