Holographic Japanese “pop star” Hatsune Miku made her/its debut on the Late Show with Letterman earlier this week, and the results were… interesting.
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The anime-esque character is a sensation in Asia, with her “live” performances being a phenomenon in the region despite her, y’know, not actually being real. Making her Letterman show debut on October 8th, it was certainly odd to see the legendary talk show host greet her as he would his usual guest musicians, before she vanished into a puff of smoke. “It’s like being on Willie Nelson’s bus,” the host quipped.
Hatsune Miku’s appeal is said to lie in the fact that, unlike real-life pop stars, her fans can actually create music for her along with legal merchandise featuring her image. Some of Hatsune’s most popular songs are fan-created, with them downloading the vocal synthesizer used to give her a human-like voice, which is available for consumers in the region to experiment with. Her live performances are reminiscent of the live shows orchestrated by “cartoon” band Gorillaz, though with less Damon Albarn. That’s either a good or bad thing, depending upon your point of view.
