Virtual boy band Plave sold 1.03 million copies of its latest EP, “Caligo Pt.1,” within the first week of its release, according to its agency Vlast on Monday.

As of Sunday, the EP sold 1,038,308 copies since its release on Feb. 3, according to Hanteo Chart, a domestic album platform. This makes Plave the first boy band this year to sell more than a million copies within the first week of release.

It also makes Plave the first virtual idol group to accomplish this milestone.


On the day of the album’s release, the lead track “Dash” claimed the top spot on the leading domestic music platform Melon Chart, followed by the other four tracks: “Rizz,” “Chroma Drift,” “12:32 (A to T)” and “Island.”

The album hit a million streams within two hours and 20 minutes after its release and reached 10 million within 24 hours, setting a new record on the Melon Chart, according to Vlast.

“It’s such an honor for us to make new history with PLLI [Plave’s fandom],” said Plave members. “We will repay our fans’ love with good music and love.”

The new EP came five months after Plave's digital single "Pump Up The Volume!" was released last August. The members took part in the composition, production and choreography of the latest EP “Caligo Pt.1,” according to its agency.

Plave is a five-member virtual boy band — with real people behind the group — created by Vlast, a tech startup that began as a special project from television broadcaster MBC in 2021. The company was founded in February 2022 and debuted Plave on March 12, 2023.

Plave won MBC’s weekly music show “Show! Music Core” on March 9, 2024, with “Way 4 Luv” (2024). The group became the first-ever virtual idols to take the No. 1 prize on one of Korea’s regular television music programs.

BY YOON SEUNG-JIN [yoon.seungjin@joongang.co.kr]