After a needless BTS backlash and a slew of nationalistic films marking the 70th anniversary of China joining the Korean War, the fact that one of the biggest events in the esports calendar will be contested between a Chinese and a Korean team this weekend may seem like unfortunate timing. But ahead of that showdown between Suning and Damwon Gaming in the League of Legends Worlds in Shanghai, here’s a sign that Korean-Chinese cooperation is possible: Lexie Liu has joined forces with LoL‘s virtual K-pop group K/DA for their new single “More.”
The track is a prelude to the group’s debut EP, All Out, which is set to release on November 6. In addition to Rap of China alum Liu — who voices new K/DA addition Seraphine — the sleek song also features American singers Madison Beer and Jaira Burns (who have previously voiced K/DA stars Evelynn and Kai’Sa), along with (G)I-dle performers Miyeon and Soyeon (who voice Ahri and Akali).
10 hours in and this new single has already gotten around 5 million views on YouTube.
The group’s new EP is the long-awaited follow up to “Pop/Stars,” their debut song from the 2018 LoL Worlds — essentially an advertisement for the game’s K-pop skins.
For Liu, who posted on Instagram that it was “such an honor to be a part of this,” it’s another slick production following the release of her new video “Jia Ren 佳人” last month.
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The ramping up of releases from K/DA coincides with the K-pop world’s increasing embrace of virtual idols. Just yesterday, one of the biggest players in the market, SM Entertainment, announced that new group Aespa would feature both human and virtual members.
In China meanwhile, the single comes after the launch of a new talent contest for virtual contestants. Dimension Nova, hosted by real-life stars Angelababy, Esther Yu and Wang Linkai, features “more than 30 virtual competitors [navigating] a series of competitions and challenges” and aired its first episode last weekend.
