Virtual K-pop Group, PLAVE, Releases Second Single Album, PLBBUU, in Collaboration with Sanrio Characters
Photo Credit: VLAST
“Thank you always for waiting for us, and we worked very hard to complete this album with the best quality possible, as much as you have waited for it. Please enjoy and give much love to our new album, PLBBUU, and we hope it makes you happy. Love you, BBUU!” - PLAVE
This album includes the title track, “BBUU!” as well as “숨바꼭질 (Hide and Seek)” which was previously released as a digital single, and the final track, “봉숭아 (Bongsoong-a).” All five members of PLAVE participated in the composition and lyric writing for all three tracks in this album, proving themselves as self-producing idols once again.
The title track, “BBUU!” is an easy-listening track that blends R&B rhythm and playful lyrics. The chorus, which repeats counting numbers in a childlike and rhythmic manner, creates an addictive hook, similar to the one from PLAVE’s previous track, “Why?” Its title, “BBUU!,” is an onomatopoeia in Korean (뿌우), that mimics the sound of light kissing or the shape of puckered lips. The word also serves as a key element in both the song’s progression and choreography, representing both visual and auditory expressions.
The second track, “숨바꼭질 (Hide and Seek),” is the Korean version of PLAVE’s Japanese debut title track of the same name, originally released on September 15th. While highlighting the group’s distinctive musical identity through a rich band sound, this track retains the emotional depth of the original song while introducing new and original Korean lyrics that reflect the nuances and sentiment that are unique to the language.
The album closes with “봉숭아 (Bongsoong-a),” which is “balsam” in English. It is a pop track with an R&B tempo. In South Korea, there is a tradition of coloring fingernails with balsam when it blooms in summer, and it is believed that one’s love will come true if the fingernails stay balsam-colored until the first day of snow. The delicate lyrics and vocals depict the color of balsam on fingertips that blends into a snowy landscape. Rekindling sentimental elements of everyday life at the threshold of early winter, “봉숭아 (Bongsoong-a)” offers a glimpse into PLAVE’s deepened perspective as musicians.
Besides the release of PLBBUU, 2025 has been filled with activities for PLAVE. After debuting in Japan with “Kakurenbo (Hide and Seek)” in June, PLAVE topped Japan’s four major music charts (Oricon Daily Single Chart, Oricon Weekly Single Ranking, Oricon Weekly Accumulative Single Ranking, Billboard Japan’s Top Singles Sales and Hot 100). According to Billboard Japan’s data collected between July 7th and July 13th, more than 388,200 copies of “Kakurenbo (Hide and Seek)” have been sold within the first week of its release. This is the highest number of first-week sales of a Japanese album by international artists in 2025. In August, PLAVE embarked on their first Asia Tour, 2025 PLAVE Asia Tour [DASH: Quantum Leap], in Seoul, Taipei, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Bangkok, and Tokyo. On August 17th, which was originally their last performance date in Seoul, PLAVE surprised fans with an announcement of encore concerts on November 21st and 22nd at Gocheok Sky Dome. As soon as the pre-sale ticket link for fan club members opened for the encore concerts, both dates were instantly sold out, just as their original Seoul concert tickets were sold out soon after the pre-sale ticket link opened. With this encore concert, PLAVE will become the first virtual idol group to perform in and sell out two of South Korea's top five stadiums (KSPO DOME and Gocheok Sky Dome).
ABOUT PLAVE
PLAVE is a revolutionary virtual idol group redefining the K-pop and music industry landscape with members YEJUN, NOAH, BAMBY, EUNHO, and HAMIN. Introduced by VLAST, PLAVE combines cutting-edge technology, immersive storytelling, and self-produced artistry to push the boundaries of what’s possible in music and entertainment. By blending genuine artistry with groundbreaking innovation, PLAVE is pioneering the future of K-pop. Their webtoon-inspired character designs make them instantly recognizable, but beyond their virtual personas, PLAVE is a fully self-producing group, with each member actively contributing to their artistry. YEJUN, NOAH, and EUNHO handle all lyrics, composition, and production, while BAMBY and HAMIN are responsible for choreography and performance direction.
PLAVE debuted with their single "ASTERUM" in March 2023 and quickly achieved many milestones once thought impossible for virtual idols. They became the first virtual idol group to top multiple major music charts and win first place on multiple music shows such as Show Champion on MBC M and MBC every1, as well as on Show! Music Core, setting new benchmarks and cementing their status in K-pop and music history.
Caligo Pt. 1 released in February 2025 reached over 11 million accumulated streams within a day of release on South Korea’s streaming platform Melon and received two major achievements on the platform for entering the Billions Club, which is given to artists who have recorded more than a billion streams accumulatively since their debut, as well as being the best millions streaming album within 24 hours. Six days after the album's release, PLAVE’s cumulative streaming number surpassed two billion, and that number continues to grow each day. The title track “Dash” from Caligo Pt. 1 granted the group’s first entry to Billboard’s Global 200 chart, and four tracks from the album were on Billboard's Global Excluding US chart. All of these outstanding achievements only continue to prove the group’s worldwide influence and overall potential.
Helix Publicity
Helix Publicity LLC
artists@helixpublicity.com
PLAVE 'BBUU!' M/V
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