[The Japan Times reports on reactions to a televised New Year’s Eve performance of a new song by an AI-based holographic simulation of a famous singer who died in 1989. The reactions raise complex questions about both the presence illusions and the ethics involved in these efforts. For more on the technology behind the simulation see a story in audioXpress (based on a press release available from Business Wire); here’s an excerpt:
“Yamaha Corporation announces that it has succeeded in reproducing the singing of the late Hibari Misora, a legendary Japanese vocalist, using its own VOCALOID:AI singing synthesis technology in technical cooperation with an NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) television program [NHK Special: Bringing Hibari Misora Back with AI (title unofficially translated by Yamaha)] broadcast in Japan on September 29, serving as both the public debut and first real-world implementation of VOCALOID:AI. … By using deep learning to analyze singing characteristics such as tone and expression within recordings of singing by a predetermined vocalist in any language, VOCALOID:AI can synthesize singing which includes the unique mannerisms and nuances of that vocalist with any melodies and lyrics.”
A 4:54 minute video of the performance is available (at this writing) from NHK Plus (via Vocaloid Wiki).
–Matthew]
NHK raises the dead for ‘Kohaku’ to mixed reviews
By Patrick St. Michel, Contributing Writer
January 10, 2020
NHK’s annual “Kohaku Uta Gassen” music bonanza thrives on spectacle. The 2019 edition didn’t fail to deliver on this front, featuring endearing moments such as J-pop singer-songwriter Misia getting dozens of other artists to wave LGBTQ pride flags on national TV.
The biggest buzz, however, came from something a tad more unusual. Enka singer Hibari Misora graced the “Kohaku” stage for the first time in decades to perform a new song. Well, technically, it wasn’t Misora herself — she died in 1989. Rather, it was a life-like hologram performing this fresh tune thanks to Yamaha’s Vocaloid: AI, a piece of technology that can replicate voices.
This wasn’t the holographic singer’s first appearance, however, having debuted on an NHK special about this digital resurrection in September. It made enough of a stir then to earn a special slot on “Kohaku.”
Misora is hardly the first dead music legend to come back via hologram. Rock group X Japan delivered one of the first really noticeable uses of the technology in 2008 with an appearance by deceased guitarist Hide at Tokyo Dome. Holograms made a global splash in 2012 when rapper Tupac Shakur appeared at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in California. Companies have since attempted to create experiences centered on digital projections of former superstars, with Base Hologram running tours starring Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison, and a Whitney Houston experience due this year.
Yet the holographic performance AI Hibari most resembles is that of Michael Jackson at the 2014 Billboard Music Awards, which aired live and caught people unfamiliar with this technology off guard. Many fans loved it as a tribute, while others felt creeped out or simply perplexed by what they were seeing.
That’s pretty much how Misora’s return to “Kohaku” went down, at least based on online reaction. Many fans were struck by how well her vocals were captured. Others, though, felt uneasy with how a holographic replica of Misora was singing a song she had no input in creating, while also giving messages to NHK’s audience that the actual Misora might not have been happy with.
Pop stars coming back to life via technology has always felt more like a gimmick than something to truly worry about — closer to cruise ship entertainment than something that will change the industry. Still, the Misora hologram does present one potential problem. Misora wasn’t invited to perform on 1973’s “Kohaku,” with many speculating it was because of a scandal involving her brother being involved in gang activity. This didn’t please the singer, who mostly brushed off NHK from then on. The 2019 performance made it seem like Misora and NHK were finally cool … which isn’t really accurate.
The worry is that these technological developments could change how people remember the actual artist based on what they say or do in the present, possibly confusing or even paving over who they were when they were alive. Hearing Misora’s voice delivered via Vocaloid is fine, but here’s hoping they don’t edit who she actually was.