Taiwan's First Virtual Idol Talent Show VPOP ASIA Premieres, Lulu Hosts 'Air' Performance and Jokes She Looks Like a Madwoman

Taiwan's first virtual idol audition program, VPOP ASIA, will premiere on July 18. Host Lulu Huang Lu-Ziyin (Huang Lu-Ziyin) is taking on the unprecedented challenge of 'hosting into thin air,' joking that she looks like a madwoman on set. She shared that her recent frequent overseas vacations were due to high stress in the first half of the year.

The innovative talent show features 15 virtual trainees, alongside a real host, live judges, and a real band providing musical accompaniment. Each episode will feature a rotating panel of celebrity judges, including ØZI, Chen Xinghan, Peng Jiahui, Wei Li'an, Kress Gyalsum, Xiao Huangqi, and Dai Ailing. Lulu Huang Lu-Ziyin serves as the main host.

The program's visuals will showcase Lulu interacting with 3D virtual avatars of the contestants. At today's press conference, Lulu appeared with executive producers Liu Si-Ming and Chen Zhen-Chuan. Reflecting on her unique hosting experience, she laughed: 'If someone saw me from the side during filming, they'd probably want to check my mental health—I really look like a lunatic!'

Lulu explained that she must react emotionally to empty space. 'In reality, I'm the only one on stage, so I rely on a monitor to adjust my eye line. Some virtual idols are 190 cm tall, so I have to look up; others are 150 cm, so I look down. Whether they're in front or behind me, my gaze must follow. When they hug me or give a high-five, I have to respond accordingly—without making it obvious I'm constantly checking the monitor. It's actually quite fun.'

Producing a virtual idol talent show is technically challenging. Liu Si-Ming discussed overcoming copyright hurdles by re-arranging nearly 120 classic Mandarin pop songs from the past 30 years. 'We're not doing nostalgic remakes,' he emphasized. 'We're creating the future.'

Lulu recently returned from the Maldives. She admitted her frequent travels are due to accumulated stress: 'I really need to keep traveling abroad occasionally. The fact that I'm going so often shows just how much pressure I was under earlier.' But now, she says, it's time to focus seriously on work.

VPOP ASIA will air every Saturday at 10:00 PM starting July 18 on TVBS Entertainment Channel; from July 19, new episodes will be available on CATCHPLAY+ at midnight every Sunday, and rebroadcast on TVBS Jingcai Channel at 4:00 PM. On Hua Vision Main Channel, it airs every Sunday at 10:00 PM; starting July 23, episodes will be released every Thursday at 8:00 PM on the official VPOP ASIA YouTube and Twitch channels.