Sound Republic's AI singer ChaeA goes B2B: ambassador role, Asian Games track, and more

ChaeA pivots from music releases to corporate influencer

Sound Republic announced September 21 that ChaeA (채아), the AI singer the company has been developing in-house, is formally expanding into a B2B AI influencer. Music activity preceded the move. In June, ChaeA released 돌이키지마, a duet reinterpretation of the Jeon Young-rok and Lee Eun-ha original. August brought a music video appearance for Oh Tae-ho's remake 기억 속의 멜로디 (feat. 미뉴). Then came a collaboration with singer Lee Jin-gwan on 하늘이시여.

What's next: 우린 끝까지 간다, a support song for the South Korean national team at the 2026 Asian Games, drops September 23. Six days later, on September 29, ChaeA gets appointed official promotional ambassador for a domestic investment company — the first formal B2B placement under the new strategy. Corporate brand song production and advertising model work are also in the pipeline.

The design logic behind an AI influencer

Kim Tae-yoon, co-representative of Sound Republic, was direct: "The key to AI influencers used in corporate marketing is the delicate design of personality, taste, and tone of voice that can resonate with target customers, rather than visual appearance."

Designer Kil Da-young said the team works to carry ChaeA's distinct speech patterns and personality into every comment. More fans are now accepting ChaeA the way they would a real artist — through songs, daily photos, and comment interactions. (The distinction between "virtual singer" and "AI influencer" is doing real business work here: Sound Republic is essentially selling ChaeA's persona as a configurable template for other brands.)

A roster of AI characters in development

ChaeA is not the only character Sound Republic is building. The company is developing a lineup that includes '지웅' — described as having the sensibility of someone who raises a cat — and 'Nagi', who has J-pop preferences. Each arrives with a distinct persona.

Kim said the company plans to expand from ChaeA's operation into full-scale customized AI influencer planning, production, and consulting services for other companies, connecting music, video, and brand content under one offering.