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Music

Computer-Generated Pop Star Hatsune Miku Is Going On Her First U.S. Headlining Tour

Previously, she's opened for Lady Gaga, played Letterman, and been remixed by Pharrell.
Still taken from the artist's performance on David Letterman

As our world more and more resembles science fiction, this was bound to happen, eventually: Hatsune Miku, a computer-generated vocaloid pop star is going on her first headlining tour of North America. She was created by the Sapporo, Japan-based company Crypton Future Media, and her name translates to "the first sound from the future," according to their website. Per Wikipedia, she is "a humanoid persona voiced by a singing synthesizer application … She uses Yamaha Corporation's Vocaloid 2 and Vocaloid 3 singing synthesizing technologies. She also uses Crypton Future Media's Piapro Studio, a singing synthesizer VSTi Plugin."

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You may be familiar with her work from a performance on David Letterman, a touring slot opening for Lady Gaga, or perhaps when she was remixed by Pharrell. In a section called "The Hatsune Miku Phenomenon" on Crypton Future Media's website, they offer an interesting description of the kind of community that has formed around the artist:

"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."

In a press release relayed by Pitchfork, Crypton Future Media's Director of Global Development Kanae Muraki had this to say: "Miku Expo 2016 will be more focused on concerts, but we plan on holding several surprise events in cities with performances and maybe even some cities between tour stops. They will feature collaborations with special guests and new songs, including the winner of a song contest organized during the tour's build-up."

The dates for her 2016 North American tour 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)

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