Computer Generated Pop Star

This is an LA Times article about a Japanese holographic popstar, Hatsune Miku. Personally, I think this is pretty horrifying. Not only is it bringing into reality the impossible ideal Japanese female (giant round head, tiny mouth, microscopic waist and ridiculously long legs....and honestly, who has BLUE floor-length pigtails?), but it's bringing manufactured music to a whole new level. We've grown accustomed to the auto-tuned voices of Lil-Wayne and Ke$ha, but at least they are real people with real ideas about how they want to express their "art." This is a company with few artistic aspirations, capitalizing on the demands of popular Japanese culture. I'd say this is going to be the start of something awful, where terrifying holographic cartoons take over the world and replace all the real musicians. However, if you watch the video below it will be painfully clear that no computer-generated sound can possibly be an adequate substitute for a real voice. The music is bad, and it's only redeeming quality is the band (real) which occasionally gets to rock out. Still, I can't help but think about that huge audience and the fact that Hatsune Miku has topped Japanese charts. If an entire country thinks she's great, there's no telling how many other people around the world will begin adopting this idea.

Japanese pop star Hatsune Miku takes the stage -- as a 3-D hologram

Pop princess Hatsune Miku is storming the music scene.

With her long cerulean pigtails and her part-schoolgirl, part-spy outfit, she’s easy on the eyes. Yes, her voice sounds like it might have gone through a little –- OK, a lot –- of studio magic. Legions of screaming fans and the requisite fan sites? She’s got 'em.

And, like many of her hot young singer peers, Miku is extremely, proudly fake. Like, 3-D hologram fake.

Miku is a singing, digital avatar created by Crypton Future Media that customers can purchase and then program to perform any song on a computer.

Crypton uses voices recorded by actors and runs them through Yamaha Corp.’s Vocaloid software -– marketed as “a singer in a box.” The result: A synthesized songstress that sounds far better than you ever have in your shower.

Crypton has even set up a record label called KarenT, with its own YouTube channel. The Vocaloidism blog has more details about the software.

A few months ago, a 3-D projection of Miku pranced around several stadium stages as part of a concert tour, where capacity crowds waved their glow sticks and sang along. Here's the starlet performing a jingle titled, appropriately, "World Is Mine."

The Blu-ray and DVD recordings of those events were recently released, according to SingularityHub, which also has more videos.

The virtual diva’s albums have also topped the Japanese charts. She’s on Facebook. We’ve seen living, breathing musicians at the Hollywood Bowl get less love.

It all reminds us a bit of S1m0ne. Remember her? She’s the sultry actress who captivated adoring audiences in the eponymous 2002 film. She was also completely computer-generated by Al Pacino’s character.

Somewhere, we bet she’s a little bit jealous.

--Tiffany Hsu