Meet Hatsune Miku, a 16-year-old performer with a string of hits in Japan and her own devoted following. She is opening for Lady Gaga’s ARTPOP Ball tour in May and she would probably be excited about it if she was a living, breathing human being.
“My favorite digital pop star Hatsune Miku is opening The ARTPOP Ball from May 6-June 3!” tweeted Lady Gaga on April 15.
Officially, she is a “collaboratively constructed cyber celebrity” from Crypton Future Media, a pop sensation that sings lyrics written by fans using Yamaha's Vocaloid singing software.
Hatsune Miku (which translates to "first sound of the future") has sold out concerts in Japan, appearing “in the flesh” the same way Tupac Shakur did in 2012, projected onto a special screen in a technique called “Pepper’s Ghost.”
Apparently it takes more than six months for the people at Crypton to design each show, making each performance slightly more scripted than the set of your average pop star.
