SM Culture Universe

Last updated
SM Culture Universe
Created by SM Entertainment
OwnerSM Entertainment
Years2020–present

The SM Culture Universe (SMCU) is a shared universe produced by SM Entertainment.

Contents

Development

"We are now going to kwangya. We are also going through a turbulent fourth industrial revolution in which not only COVID-19 but also other diseases and climate change can occur at any time. In the future, there will be more changes in human lifestyle as technology advances, and as I said before, the future world will become a world of celebrities and robots. We mentioned SM Culture Universe (SMCU) as a key value and vision for the future entertainment world, and we will introduce new girl group Aespa as the first project that will soon open the beginning of future entertainment."

—Lee Soo-man, Producer, and Chairman of SM Entertainment, on constructing a shared universe. [1]

By 2004, SM Entertainment had been working to produce their own culture universe. [2] During the planning stage, Lee Soo-man thought of creating a worldview with "innovative and powerful" storytelling. [3] He presumed that creating, delivering stories, and entering the worldview is a competition. [4] Instead of a worldview interpreted as a symbol or a metaphor, they created storytelling content that contains a completely "new and very attractive" character and story, and Lee believed that this story is an essential element for expressing artists and music, and is the key to success. [5]

Lee Soo-man attended the First World Cultural Industry Forum (WCIF) as a representative of Korean culture and gave a keynote speech under the theme of "The Future of the World Entertainment Industry After COVID-19 and Culture Universe". [6] In one of the highlights on his speech, Lee stated that they are one step closer to the future entertainment world they have dreamed of. [7] He added that in the year 2020, they will realized SMCU as a vision for the future entertainment world, through the new girl group Aespa, and move forward with "new and innovative" ways as they have done so far. [8]

On November 11, 2020, Park Jun-young, the executive director of SM Entertainment, attended the UAM Seoul Demonstration and Drone Taxi Demonstration Flight Event "City, Open the Sky" hosted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Park explained the importance of cultural technology in the future mobility industry. It was stated that SM has continued to challenge convergence of culture and technology under the future vision of Lee Soo-man and has been preparing for the future as a "technology company" that goes beyond entertainment. [9] Lee mentioned SMCU as the "core value and vision" of SM. [10] He asserted that it aims to "create a culture-connected entertainment world" and is preparing to predict that the future will be a world of AI and celebrity. [11]

On November 12, 2020, Lee Sung-soo, the CEO of SM Entertainment, together with Choi Si-won, a Super Junior member, attended the Korea-World Chinese Entrepreneurs Business Week 2020 for Chinese businessmen around the world on behalf of the Korean cultural industry. [12] It was held simultaneously around the world as a real-time online forum and was broadcast on YouTube due to COVID-19 concerns. [13] Choi addressed SMCU as the "core value and vision of future entertainment" presented by SM. [14] He presented that SMCU is "not just a worldview" that is interpreted as a symbol or a metaphor, but a "new vision and project" to express artists and music through storytelling content that contains "attractive" characters and stories. [15] Choi talked about Aespa as the "beginning" of the SMCU project, and added that the worldview and stories of various groups such as Exo, Red Velvet, and NCT will unfold independently and sometimes connect to new stories. [16] Additionally, he added that Super Junior is also part of SMCU and hopes that people will see what different stories the group will unfold in the future. [17]

On June 23, 2021, SM Entertainment and Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for a joint metaverse study. [18] Previously, Lee Soo-man had teamed up with Marvel, Creative Artists Agency, and Intel, among other global companies, to make the culture universe. [19] Through the MoU, SM and KAIST plans to mutually carry out technological cooperation in fields such as content, artificial intelligence and robots, common projects related to digital avatar production, and collective academic research on Culture Technology (CT). [20] Through the joint research with KAIST's College of Culture and Technology, SM will focus on researching metaverse performance technology using avatars. [21] Based on the collaboration, KAIST and SM plans to carry out research that seeks both the "perfection" of performances and the "advancement" of technology. [22]

On June 29, 2021, SM Entertainment held SM Congress 2021 to announce SM's vision and strategy. [23] Lee Soo-man opened the event through stating that SM has "continued the challenge to create an experience" that was never before with music content. He explained that the metaverse era will be recognized for its "originality and will become more valuable" in the future. [24] Furthermore, Lee said that they have predicted, prepared and pioneered the future. [25] Lee told Aespa that they are "stepping out in earnest to a world" where they expand their worldview under the name of SM Culture Universe and create their own universe. [26] Moreover, SM announced further details regarding SMCU such as potential plans for films, applications, and games that would allow for fan interaction. [27]

On July 1, 2021, the Second WCIF was held in the form of an international seminar involving key figures from five countries including South Korea, the United States, China, Japan, and India. [28] Under the theme of "Changes in the Music and Entertainment Industry in the Post COVID Era", Lee Soo-man, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's chairman Mark Burnett, who produced famous audition programs The Voice and Survivor , and Teddy Zee, who has more than 30 years of experience in Hollywood, will be delivering their keynote speeches. [29] Lee asserted on his keynote speech that "unexpected" fields should fuse with entertainment, be able to create "explosive synergy", and that Korea should become the "first mover". [30] Moreover, he said that in the future, the content that would be drawing attention should be the supposed "recreative content" that users can recreate and claimed that the content can be a "third currency". [31] Lee added that it will be an agenda that they wanted to share with the cultural and future industry leaders as well as K-pop. [32]

Media

Comics

TitlePublication date(s)Writer(s)Artist(s)Ref.
First publishedLast published
SMCU : Red Velvet - The Story of ReVeNovember 9, 2022November 11, 2022Kim AromiD D Kang [33]

Projects

Aespa

It was announced that the SM Entertainment will introduce a new girl group, Aespa, which will be the first project for SMCU. [34] Lee Soo-man revealed that once the group is released to the world, people will experience "new" entertainment through "attractive" stories in addition to all Intellectual Property Rights (IP), visuals and performances, including their music, lyrics, and video content including the music video. [35] Lee have mentioned Aespa's storytelling in which artist members in the "real world" and avatar members in the "virtual world" communicate, interact, and grow through the "digital world", an intermediate world between reality and virtual reality. [36] In addition, he described a new concept group with a "groundbreaking" identity to work together in reality in which the members of the "real world", the avatar members and the mysterious beings in the "virtual world", who supports and assists them, are members of Aespa. [37] Lee furtherly presented their plan of a "completely new concept" of storytelling to which "real world" members and "virtual world" members have artificial intelligence (AI) brains as different organisms. [38]

CAWMAN

Cartoon, Animation, Webtoon, Motion Graphics, Avatar, and Novel (CAWMAN) is a new mixed video genre to portray SM Culture Universe (SMCU). [39] Lee Soo-man hinted that there are talks about making a movie in Hollywood using the genre. [40]

List of SM Culture Universe terminologies
NameDescriptionRef.
Ae (stylized as æ)The online avatars of Aespa that have been created from all of the data that the members have uploaded on the internet [41]
Black MambaThe threat to the world and disrupts the connection between the real subject and the virtual reality avatar [42]
EtherThe sea of unconsciousness [43]
FlatA virtual world where people and their "aes" coexist with each other [44]
KosmoAn unknown world that appears in the worldview of Aespa and NCT [45]
Kwangya (Korean : 광야;lit. Wilderness)A parallel dimension where the "Black Mamba" resides and the "ae" exists [46]
MyA key figure in the story which means "the most precious friend" in "Kwangya" [47]
Naevis (stylized as nævis)An artificial intelligence system and a mysterious being which connects Aespa and the avatar in the virtual world[ citation needed ]
Nu EvoThe new evolution [41]
SynkA virtual platform wherein Aespa and their avatars are connected [48]
SynkOutThe forced disconnection with the "ae" [49]
RekallThe process where an avatar can come out for a limited time in the real world [50]
P.O.S (Port of Soul)Allows Aespa and their "aes" to "Synk" or hang out together in the real world [51]

Recurring cast and characters

List of recurring cast and characters [52]
CharacterArtist or Group
TBA Kangta
Birth of Universe BoA
Speed of Light and Sound TVXQ
Space Travel Beyond Nationality and Ownership Super Junior
Goddess of Sound Girls' Generation
Five Lights Shinee
Supernatural Powers Exo
Transcendental Beings that are in Communion with the Gods Red Velvet
Messengers of Solidarity through Dreams and Subsconsciousness[ citation needed ] NCT
TBA Aespa

Reception

Gong Mi-na of StarNews noted the project for containing SM Entertainment's "accumulated technology" and "know-how" which is expected to become the new model for K-pop market. [53] Gong also praised SM for the consistent application of "cutting-edge technology" to K-pop and introducing contents that has "advanced to the next level". [54] Kim Sun-woo of Sports Seoul recognized SM's signaling of an "expanded worldview" that will "exceed" expectations, adding a statement from an official on the music industry, "The idea of avatar is fresh, but the key seems to be how collaboration will be achieved and how much bond it can form with fans". [55] Lee Jae-hoon of Newsis labeled SM's various experiments as building a "cultural empire" and is compared its similarity with Marvel Cinematic Universe which also creates contents with diverse world views with IPs. [56] Jung Yu-jin of SPOTV News reported that the industry is interested in Aespa's avatar worldview, describing it as "groundbreaking". [57] Jang Jin-ri from the same news media stated that it remains as SM's attempt to become a "cultural empire" beyond an entertainment company representing Korea. [58] Kim Do-heon of OhmyStar compared the SMCU to Marvel Universe because of its resemblance with building a virtual worldview. [59]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee Soo-man</span> South Korean business executive and record producer (born 1952)

Lee Soo-man is a South Korean business executive and record producer who is best known for being the founder of SM Entertainment, a multinational South Korean entertainment company based in Seoul. He has also been referred to as the "president of culture", as one of the pioneers of the Korean Wave. Lee debuted as a singer in 1971 while he was a student at Seoul National University. In 1989, he founded SM Entertainment, which has since become one of the largest entertainment companies in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SM Entertainment</span> South Korean entertainment company

SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency established in 1995 by Lee Soo-man. It is one of South Korea's largest entertainment companies and has been responsible for fostering and popularizing the careers of many K-pop stars garnering huge global fanbases. The company operates as a record label, talent agency, music production company, event management and concert production company, and music publishing house. SM Entertainment is known for having led the worldwide K-pop phenomenon and the musical side of "Hallyu", also known as the "Korean Wave", with early overseas successes such as H.O.T., S.E.S., and BoA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Mamba (song)</span> 2020 single by Aespa

"Black Mamba" is the debut single by South Korean girl group Aespa. Originally released as a standalone single on November 17, 2020, by SM Entertainment, the song was later included on the group's second extended play Girls, which was released on July 8, 2022. The song was written and composed by Yoo Young-jin, while also composed by Omega, Ella Isaacson, Gabriela Geneva (NIIVA), Jordan Reyes, Shaun Lopez, and Scott Chesak. Musically, "Black Mamba" was described as a pop, electropop and dance-pop track with a signature synth and EDM sound and bass that is paired with an addictive hook. The lyrics are about a being called "Black Mamba" that not only interferes with the members' and avatar's connection but also threatens their world and as such is abhorred by the members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aespa</span> South Korean girl group

Aespa is a South Korean girl group formed by SM Entertainment. The group consists of four members: Karina, Giselle, Winter, and Ningning. The group is known for popularizing the metaverse concept and hyperpop music in K-pop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winter (singer)</span> South Korean singer and dancer (born 2001)

Kim Min-jeong, known professionally as Winter, is a South Korean singer and dancer. She is a member of the South Korean girl group Aespa which debuted under SM Entertainment in November 2020. In January 2022, she became a member of the supergroup Got the Beat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forever (Aespa song)</span> 2021 single by Aespa

"Forever" is a song recorded by South Korean girl group Aespa. Originally released as the group's second digital single on February 5, 2021, by SM Entertainment, it was later included on the group's second extended play Girls, released on July 8, 2022. A remake of the song of the same name by Yoo Young-jin as a part of SM's holiday album Winter Vacation in SMTown.com in 2000, "Forever" is a mid-tempo R&B ballad with an acoustic guitar sound and warm lyrics about promising forever to a loved one.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Next Level (Aespa song)</span> 2021 single by Aespa

"Next Level" is a song recorded by South Korean girl group Aespa, which remakes A$ton Wyld's song of the same name. It was released digitally on May 17, 2021, by SM Entertainment. Composed by Yoo Young-jin, Adam McInnis, Mario Marchetti, and Sophie Curtis, the track is described as a dance and hip hop song with an upbeat new jack swing bridge. The song is a continuation of the group's story from their debut single "Black Mamba", telling their journey into the fictional Kwangya universe to search for the aforementioned "evil".

<i>Savage</i> (EP) 2021 EP by Aespa

Savage is the first extended play by South Korean girl group Aespa. The EP was released by SM Entertainment on October 5, 2021, and is available in three versions—P.O.S, Synk Dive and Hallucination Quest. It contains six songs, including the lead single of the same name.

"Savage" is a song recorded by South Korean girl group Aespa for their first extended play (EP) of the same name. It was released as the lead single on October 5, 2021, by SM Entertainment. Described as a "hyperpop-tinged title track", the song was written by Yoo Young-jin, who also composed along with Kirsten Collins, Jia Lih, and Hautboi Rich, and eventually handled the arrangement alongside Lih. It also continues the group's previous storyline in "Next Level", with the members and their corresponding avatars confronting their Black Mamba villain in the fictional Kwangya universe.

<i>2021 Winter SM Town: SMCU Express</i> Album by SM Town

2021 Winter SM Town: SMCU Express is the ninth winter album by SM Town. The studio album was released by SM Entertainment on December 27, 2021, and is available in 13 different versions. It features 10 songs, including two singles off the album, "Dreams Come True" and "Hope from Kwangya". The album marks the first SM Town's special season album release in 10 years after the predecessor 2011 Winter SMTOWN: The Warmest Gift, which was released in December 2011. It is also the first album to feature Kai, Red Velvet, NCT, and Aespa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SM Town Live 2022: SMCU Express at Kwangya</span> 2022 online live concert by SM Entertainment artists

SM Town Live 2022: SMCU Express at Kwangya was an online live concert held on January 1, 2022, by SM Entertainment. Similar to the 2021-new-year online concert SMTOWN Live "Culture Humanity", the concert was broadcast free of charge online through various streaming platforms and selected broadcasting network in selected countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kwangya Club</span> South Korean mobile app

Kwangya Club was a Korean mobile application created by South Korean company SM Brand Marketing, a subsidiary of SM Entertainment. It provided a membership-based official fan club service that offered different community services for SM artists. The application was the first service provided by the metaverse brand, Kwangya. The platform was fully operational on September 1, 2022, after its pilot operations in July. It shut down on September 11, 2023, with all its users moving to Weverse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SM Town Meta-Passport</span> South Korean mobile app

SM Town Meta-Passport is a Korean mobile application created by South Korean company SM Brand Marketing, a subsidiary of SM Entertainment. The application is the second service offered by the metaverse brand, Kwangya, and provides a digital passport that grants citizenship for Music Nation SM Town. It also presents membership services, digital stamps that could be obtained during various events, and Ace membership information that would be provided on a visa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ever SM Town</span> Theme park space and content production at Everland

Ever SM Town is a theme park space and content production project by SM Entertainment and Everland. The project was formed through a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed between SM and Everland. It opened on October 1, 2022, with the concept integrated into the theme park's major areas that incorporated SM Culture Universe (SMCU). Various SM artists' intellectual property (IP) was utilized for the artist-experience space throughout the amusement park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee Sung-soo</span> South Korean business executive

Lee Sung-soo is a South Korean music production director and A&R executive. He is the chief A&R officer of SM Entertainment and CEO of Kreation Music Rights. He was formerly the CEO of SM Entertainment and SM Entertainment USA. Lee began working for SM as early as 1998 as a part-timer and officially joined the agency in 2005 as an A&R representative, before later becoming head of the production division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ningning</span> Chinese singer (born 2002)

Ning Yizhuo, known professionally as Ningning (Korean: 닝닝), is a Chinese singer based in South Korea. She is a member of the South Korean girl group Aespa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Welcome to My World (Aespa song)</span> 2023 single by Aespa featuring Naevis

"Welcome to My World" is a song recorded by South Korean girl group Aespa featuring Naevis. Written by Ellie Suh, Hyun Ji-won, and Danke alongside Mich Hansen, Jacob "Ubizz" Uchorczak, Celine Svanbäck, and Patrizia Helander, it was released as a pre-release single for their third extended play My World by SM Entertainment on May 2, 2023.

<i>My World</i> (Aespa EP) 2023 EP by Aespa

My World is the third extended play by South Korean girl group Aespa. It was released by SM Entertainment on May 8, 2023, and contains six tracks, including the pre-release single "Welcome to My World" featuring Naevis, and the lead single "Spicy" which reached the top three on the Circle Digital Chart. Compared to the dark, futuristic, hyperpop-influenced tones of Savage (2021) and Girls (2022), My World's brighter pop sound draws mostly from dance and R&B, with melodies characterized by "captivating beats" and "delightful" vocals of the group. The songs incorporate eclectic styles ranging from alternative pop and dream pop to synth-pop and ballad. Described by Aespa as a return to the "real world" from Kwangya, the mini album shows a new side of the group across various genres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giselle (singer)</span> Japanese singer and rapper (born 2000)

Aeri Uchinaga, known professionally as Giselle (Korean: 지젤), is a Japanese singer and rapper based in South Korea. She is a member of the South Korean girl group Aespa, formed by SM Entertainment in November 2020.

References

  1. ↑ Lee, Min-ji (October 28, 2020). SM 이수만 "에스파, 현실-가상세계 초월한 혁신적 그룹" [SM Lee Soo-man "Aespa, Real-Virtual Innovative Group"]. Newsen (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 29, 2021. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
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