The creators of an AI-generated K-pop-style band have apologised after telling fans that one of its virtual singers had quit because she was pregnant, according to reports.
The group is called BabyQueen, and it is run by a small team of students. After heavy online backlash, they admitted that the whole storyline was invented. BabyQueen debuted in September with five virtual singers, and each one has her own social media account. The band's official accounts recently shared a note in the name of a member called Mity. It said she was pregnant and was stepping back from music to rest and look after her health, NDTV reported.
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The Statement Attributed To Mity
In the note, Mity said: “Recently, I found out that I'm pregnant. After thinking about it for a long time and talking things over with the company and my members, I've decided to take a break from the team for now to focus on resting and taking care of myself.”
The note went on: “This wasn't an easy decision at all, especially for my members and staff who were preparing for this comeback together - I'm truly sorry.” It added: “Everyone worked so hard, yet plans had to change because of me. I don't take their efforts for granted, and I won't run away from my responsibility.”
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Post Draws Tens Of Millions Of Views
The update spread fast, drawing tens of millions of views and setting off a sharp debate about the K-pop industry. Some users joked about who the father might be, while others said the post made fun of pregnancy and childbirth.
One user said: “I mean, a lot of things in and about K-pop are very fake and artificial. In a sense, this is just the next step in that fake-ness (yes, it's a VERY big step though).”
Another user wrote: “Fair enough, but a real K-pop performer getting pregnant would be a huge scandal because they aren't even supposed to date. Obviously saying an AI performer got pregnant is just kind of sad but I think they were aiming at ‘big news,'”
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Creators Own Up
After the backlash, the creators said the story was made up from start to finish. They explained that running several virtual personas and posting daily content had become extremely tiring, so they wanted to remove one character.
In their apology, they wrote: “We're just a few girls who like K-Pop, and we're still students.” They added that Mity could return and try one of two paths: acting, or becoming a maternity and infant content creator.
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