Digital pop star Hatsune Miku has announced her first North American headlining tour, Miku Expo 2016. For the uninitiated, the Japanese star is a computer-generated avatar that sings with the help of a synthesizer and performs with a backing band consisting of human musicians. The animated character is more than a performing hologram: fans can use her synthesized voice to create their own songs.
You're probably already familiar with the seafoam-haired animated pop star. She made some waves stateside when she performed on The Late Show With David Letterman last year. She also opened for Lady Gaga on her ArtRave Tour in support of 2013's Art Pop. Watch Miku's Letterman performance, below.
As Pitchfork points out, Miku has also been remixed by Pharrell. Watch the video for "Last Night, Good Night (Re:Dialed)" below.
Miku is the creation of the Sapporo, Japan-based company Crypton Future Media. Thump's report draws attention to the company's website which features a section called "The Hatsune Miku Phenomenon." Apparently, her name translates to "the first sound from the future." In this section, Crypton Future Media describes the fanbase-of-sorts that has formed around the vocaloid:
"Hatsune Miku has traveled an interesting path from vocal synthesizer product to beloved collaboratively constructed cyber celebrity with a growing user community across the world. She is also often called a global icon or 'hub', because the culture around her encourages a worldwide creative community to produce and share Miku-related content. With the increase of remix works and the steadily growing global demands, Crypton Future Media, INC. engages consciously in the promotion, support and cultivation of the Hatsune Miku community."
While Hatsune Miku has played a handful of U.S. shows in the past, her upcoming North American tour is her first time headlining. The dates follow below.
4/23: Seattle, WA @ WaMu Theater
4/30: San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield (two shows)
5/06: Los Angeles, CA @ Microsoft Theater
5/14: Dallas, TX @ The Bomb Factory
5/20: Toronto, Ontario @ Sony Centre for the Performing Arts
5/28: New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom (two shows)
