World-renowned and fan-favourite singer Hatsune Miku is making her way to stages in Malaysia.
If you’ve never heard of her before, Hatsune Miku is a synthesised character called a Vocaloid created by Crypton Future Media.
Her singing voice is made from a digital synthesiser that enables her creators to “make” her voice from various frequencies.
That aside, she’s the world’s first ultimate virtual superstar, having opened for acts such as Lady Gaga and appearing as an open-source digital avatar for non-commercial uses such as music videos, dancing tracks, independent merchandise and more.
She’s also amassed a large following on social media with 2.4 million followers on Facebook and counting.
If that surprises you, get this—her songs aren’t made by Crypton Media but by fans themselves, and those are the songs played at her concerts.
It’s a quirky coincidence that her birthday is the same as our country’s date of independence—31st August 2007. Since this year is her 10th anniversary, Crypton Media promises to have something special prepared.
She’s set to perform in KL, Axiata Arena at Bukit Jalil on 16th December. Tickets will be released on 8th October here.
The Axiata Arena Indoor Stadium, which hosted the 2017 SEA Games, is capable of fitting 16,000 members of the public. However, Kimitaka Nishio, CEO of Crypton Future Media encourages fans to buy their tickets early because only 6,500 seats will be open for the concert.
“We want the fans to have a good view of the 16-year-old star, and going for a 360 degree view would obviously hinder their vision. Hence why we chose to open only 6,500 seats, as we do not want the fans to be disappointed.”
He goes on to add that fans may look forward to seeing the other Vocaloid characters on stage, namely Kaito, Megurine Luka, Kagamine Len, Kagamine Rin, Gumi, and more.
During the concert, there will be mini-games and an arrangement of booths selling Miku merchandise with other Vocaloid characters. There will also be a T-shirt design contest where the winner will have his work credited as the official Hatsune Miku T-shirt and have it distributed all over the world.
Nishio refuses to reveal too much , but promises to include some of her well-known songs and previous performances featuring her special outfits.
For anyone interested to go, or who are curious about the phenomenon of Hatsune Miku, here are some things to expect on the concert day itself, based on past concerts and the press conference we attended yesterday.
1. She Might Not Be Real, But Everything Else Will Be
If you’re curious about what a Miku concert is all about, you can expect a real stage, real lights, and real people in the throng of the crowd; even a live band that is slated to perform alongside her.
The best part (or amusing) of the night will probably be when she greets the crowd in Malay, albeit with slightly incorrect intonations—but everyone will still scream themselves hoarse with support.
You can see a sample of her speaking Malay here.
2. She Changes Outfits Pretty Often
The star herself will be projected on the stage, 10-feet tall, donning her signature outfit.
Her grand entrance will likely be extravagant, where she explodes in a shower of pixels at the end of a song only to re-appear in a sassy costume in the next one—because digital software can create anything.
3. Her Fandom Is Massive And Very Dedicated
The fans will raise their glowsticks and wave it faithfully to the rhythm of the music, cheering her on when she gives one of her light-hearted giggles and engages in cheeky banter.
Declarations of love will be made (in broken Japanese) and we expect more than a few otakus dressed in standard Miku garb. They will attempt to re-create her dance moves, and if you watch the glowsticks, they have their own pattern and “language” of their own, if the crowd gets it right.
Based on the comments we’ve been seeing on social media, the fans are absolutely delighted that Miku is making her way here, so we’ll be expecting a good turnout.
4. Miku Doesn’t Need To Take A Break
Since Miku is a projection, she is able to sing and dance for an hour straight with no break—but to hype up the show, some of her friends might join her on stage.
It’s an intense experience, so make sure to stay hydrated and dress comfortably—or dress up, if that’s to your taste.
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This concert will be a first of its kind here in Malaysia, and we’re looking forward to seeing how the nation takes to this experience, combining art with technology. Who knows, she may open the doors for other virtual live concerts to our shores.
You can follow the official FB page for updates on the concert here.
