Diehard fans turn virtual teen singer into Japanese mega-star
She wears extremely short skirts, sports blue pigtails to her knees and has the boundless energy of a playful puppy. During her 10-year career, she's released more than 100,000 songs in a variety of languages and opened shows for Lady Gaga. And yet Hatsune Miku, who boasts 2.5 million Facebook followers, doesn't actually exist — at least not in the typical way we think of a flesh-and-blood diva. Miku is a computer-simulated pop star created more than a decade ago by Hiroyuki Ito, CEO of Crypton Future Media in Sapporo, Japan.
A virtual music star, driven by fans and voice-synthesis software. Here's a sample video, if you're curious. I can't judge the voice, since I don't speak japanese, but the animation is remarkably good.
takyon: Wikipedia for Hatsune Miku and Vocaloid. Have some fun with Miku! meme (YTP version. Warning: Gets LOUD).
News? Maybe not. However, you're on the right track:
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(Score: 4, Interesting) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Monday November 06 2017, @05:39AM (2 children)
Japanese for "Idol Singer". Most are selected by the entertainment industry then marketed to stardom.
It's also the name of a book by one of those cyberpunk authors about an american fan who travels to Japan to investigate a romance between an american rock star and a Japanese hologram.
It's quite a good book. My favorite part takes place at a Love Hotel.
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 06 2017, @09:37AM
Not really; it's just Japanese pronunciation of the word "idol" (アイドル). Sure, they usually sing, but AFAIK it's not an absolute requirement. They do photo shoots, movies, etc. Source: I live in Japan.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 06 2017, @12:48PM