EXO’s Baekhyun and fast-rising girl group NewJeans will open the upcoming League of Legends World Championship with electrifying performances. Riot Games has confirmed that HEARTSTEEL, the virtual boy band of which Baekhyun is a member, will perform at the tournament’s opening ceremony. It will take place at the Gocheok Sky Dome in South Korea on November 19.
After taking the K-pop world by storm with hits like “Hype Boy” and “Super Shy,” NewJeans will perform their new track “GODS” at the event. Incidentally, the song is also the 10th official theme song for the League of Legends World Championship. It dropped on October 4 and has maintained a steady presence on the U.S. Billboard Global Chart for three straight weeks. NewJeans is the first K-pop group to record a theme song for the tournament, and Maria Egan, the Global Head of Music and Events at Riot Games, helped make this historic moment possible.
Egan’s role is to oversee talent partnerships. During her time at Riot Games, she masterminded collaborations with artists like Lil Nas X. This year, because the tournament will be held in South Korea for the third time, she and her teammates set out to do something special. Their goal was to pay tribute to the country’s vibrant gaming community and speak to the game’s massive international fanbase at the same time. With that in mind, it made sense to tap NewJeans. After all, as a group with a distinct South Korean identity that appeals to people worldwide, they were the perfect performers for the occasion.
@riotgamesmusic HEARTSTEEL – PARANOIA // OUT NOW #LeagueofLegends #HEARTSTEEL #Sett #Ezreal #Kayn #Aphelios #KSante #Yone #RiotGames
Idols as League champions?
Meanwhile, HEARTSTEEL will debut “PARANOIA,” which was released last month along with its music video. This virtual supergroup features reimagined League of Legends champions in new roles. Ezreal is a vocalist, while Kayn is a rapper and instrumentalist. Aphelios is an instrumentalist and songwriter, with Yone as producer. Co-leaders K’Sante and Sett step in as vocalist and rapper, respectively. The band showcases the talents of Baekhyun as the voice of Ezreal, ØZI as Sett, Tobi Lou as K’Sante, and Cal Scruby as Kayn.
Egan explained that fans expected Riot Games to collaborate with a K-pop boy group, so they made fan art reimagining their favorite idols as League champions. The team took this idea a step further by forming HEARTSTEEL. They carefully chose characters to feature, then envisioned how these characters would behave as real-life musicians while maintaining their in-game personalities. The last step involved refining their sound, which entailed experimenting, exchanging playlists, and composing before they settled on their debut single.
Anticipation is high for the League of Legends World Championship and its opening ceremony. It’s set to be a grand fusion of esports excitement and K-pop flair. – K-Pop News Writer
Featured Image: What a great way to kick off a fun day of gaming! Source: X/@riotgamesmusic.