SKT
We bet you didn’t have this collaboration on your 2024 K-Pop bingo card! SF9‘s leader YoungBin is collaborating with virtual girl group ifLANDIES‘ leader GaOn!
YoungBin, who recently completed his mandatory military service and joined SF9 for the group’s highly anticipated comeback with their 13th mini album “Sequence” has been raising anticipation for his solo activities.
Much to the joy of FANTASY, SF9 YoungBin has announced his solo project – a collaboration with the virtual idol ifLANDIES GaOn.
Who Is GaOn & What Is ifLANDIES?
ifLANDIES’ Instagram
GaOn is a member and the leader of the aforementioned virtual girl group ifLANDIES.
ifLANDIES is a 3-member virtual girl group existing in and active on the “ifland” metaverse app.
ifLANDIES is the virtual IP of ifland and is garnering huge attention from fans all over the world as the representative virtual idol group of the platform.
The group consists of members GaOn, NaRa, and DaSom and is managed by Ganada Entertainment, which takes its name from the three members’ names.
Ganada Entertainment is a virtual entertainment company, based and operating in ifland.
As such, anyone can become a star in ifland or alternatively, a star’s manager!
In this way, ifland aims to expand into a new metaverse worldview of K-Pop where fans can directly nurture and manage stars.
ifLANDIES debuted in December of 2022 and has consistently remained active with new releases.
Through ifhome, ifLANDIES communicate with their fans “ifning” in real-time, consistently sharing updates about and revealing their daily lives.
Upon the global launch of ifLANDIES, their 4th single album will be released to encapsulate their persona.
What Is ifland?
For those who might not know, ifland is a free social metaverse app created by South Korea’s SK Telecom.
It is a virtual world where anyone can create their dream online avatar, decorate their own space called “ifhome” and interact with fellow players.
It is also booming in popularity as a platform for K-Pop idols to interact with their fans virtually, as is the case with the project girl group Triple iz.
Both ifLANDIES and Triple iz communicate with fans through their respective ‘ifhomes’.
Thanks to ifland, virtual metaverse fan meetings, showcases, and more are becoming increasingly commonplace and accessible for fans all over the world.
ifland is available on both iPhone and Android.
About The Collaboration
SKT
ifLANDIES’ GaOn collaborated with SF9’s YoungBin to create the new single ‘Purple Sunrise‘.
Just as the name suggests, ‘Purple Sunrise’ will deliver a dreamy aesthetic with the solid musical synchronization of YoungBin and GaOn.
Moreover, YoungBin is not only featured in the song, but he also participated as a songwriter, proving his mettle as a multifaceted artist.
Following the incredible success of SF9’s 13th mini album “Sequence”, which impressively entered the TOP 5 of the iTunes “Album Chart” in 18 regions including Denmark, Spain, and Russia, FANTASY are even more excited for SF9 YoungBin x ifLANDIES GaOn.
In addition, ‘Purple Sunrise’ is produced by The Waves producers Paper Planet, Drivia, and Shin Arin, who have produced music for artists like WANNA ONE, INFINITE, GOLDEN CHILD, Park JiHoon and more.
This trio of producers has consistently participated in production for ifLANDIES.
Naturally, this outstanding combination of artists and producers is raising anticipation among fans for ‘Purple Sunrise’, and expectations are sky-high.
When is ‘Purple Sunrise’ Dropping?
SKT
‘Purple Sunrise’ is scheduled for release on March 18.
The release will be celebrated with a Showcase Fan Meetup on March 28, where SF9’s YoungBin and ifLANDIES’ GaOn will directly interact with fans in real-time on ifland.
You can expect a meaningful time with the idols including a mini Q&A session, lots of fan interaction, and more.
You can check out the full schedule of the Showcase Fan Meetup for SF9 YoungBin x ifLANDIES GaOn’s ‘Purple Sunrise’ below!
Kpopmap
That’s not all!
Exclusive content featuring ifLANDIES and SF9’s YoungBin will be released after the fan meetup, along with very special ‘Purple Sunrise’ costumes that you can dress your avatar in and new ‘Purple Sunrise’ dance motions for creating virtual dance challenge videos on ifland.
An exclusive NFT containing the worldview and essence of ifLANDIES, using their new song’s symbol “Purple Stone” is also slated for release.
Through this collaboration between a “real” idol and a virtual idol on ifland, the horizons of K-Pop are expanding once again, embracing the metaverse and introducing a whole new avenue for fans to enjoy the K-Pop experience.
No matter where you are in the world, ifland can bring you close to your idol, and that, right there, is the future of K-Pop.
