Like any art form or idea or even when it comes to humans, there will be some form of evolution. I came up with my idea a loong time ago, way before there were personal computers. I just couldn't articulate my concept in a way that could be understood. So I left it alone and tried to be creative in other ways. I still continued to grow my music and still try to find my place in a world that kept telling me that they are not ready for my sound or look.
Then one day I saw this music video of a band called the Gorillaz. I wasn't too keen on their sound at first but it was catchy. I looked for the actual band members and soon discovered that they were a virtual band. Wow, pretty cool! All the concept created by one person and to make people feel as if they are real. By the way, the creator sang some of the vocals and the band was hired guest musicians.
They are a musical success and have a large fan base to date. I wondered how did they perform live on stage and to discover that most of their "live" performances used video on stage while the live musicians played on. I wondered how do I make the actual character perform live on stage, until one day I saw them on the Grammy's award show performing with Madonna...
Gorillaz at the 2006 Grammy's
OK so I was impressed but still they looked very cartoonish and they don't dance. So I combed the internet for something similar to what I have in mind and came across Hatsune Miku. Well she just blew my mind. This is exactly what I was thinking as far as the technology is concerned. She is a hologram that sings and dances. And to one up, her voice is completely artificial. Now that's fine if you like that sound, and she has millions of followers. But I was looking for the natural human sound of the Gorillaz with her hologram technology. That's where I-Roc-Aye will fit in and find his place...
Hatsune Miku live in concert.