Let’s get two things straight: I am not a huge fan of League of Legends, the incredibly popular multiplayer battling game with over 80 million players globally. I’m also not the world’s biggest K-pop fan. But this new League of Legends music video, which mashes some of LoL’s most popular female characters with a stunning K-pop performance, has completely changed that.
The music video, titled “POP/STARS” and performed by the fictional K/DA group, was released during the League of Legends World Championship, which recently concluded with China’s first-ever victory. The video itself sits at over 7 million views since its debut.
Pop stars—including Madison Beer, (G)I-DLE’s Jeon So-yeon, and Jaira Burns—provide the vocal talent, but they’re each portrayed by League of Legends favorites like the fox-tailed Ahri, the devilish Evelynn, the winged Kai’Sa, and the masked Akali.
The music video blends some incredibly impressive animation and art direction with typical pop music video imagery. There are strobe lights, a sexy car, even a laundromat. Thanks to the fact that none of it is real, of course, it all feels amplified by both the characters’ personalities and supernatural powers. One particularly noteworthy sequence involves Akali performing a hip-hop interlude while the subway train she’s in phases between two different realities (one laced with colorful graffiti), and her mask’s mouth moves perfectly to the vocals. There are real-life music videos that don’t even reach an ounce of this visual artistry.
Equally impressive, the vocalists themselves performed a rendition of the song at the League of Legends World Championship opening ceremony alongside augmented reality versions of their characters. You’d better believe a K-pop star can rap alongside a digital construct that isn’t even there.
Leave it to the internet to get consumed with fascination for the music video. Some folks on Twitter have already posted fan art of the characters.
This fanart is very out of character for me but I'm OBSESSED with @LeagueOfLegends x K/DA Music Video. pic.twitter.com/nogOn7n3Vn
— Lissy Marlin (@Lazyfishyart) November 4, 2018
Ain't nobody bringing us down
— 달님 dalnim🌙 (@ladydalnim) November 4, 2018
They could try but we're gonna wear the 👑#KDAEvelynn #KDA #LeagueOfLegends #Evelynn #Evelyn pic.twitter.com/QCtGSAUzd2
https://twitter.com/knightcaptains/status/1058961016535638017
The song is available on Spotify, for those who need it in regular rotation.