M.I.A. and Janelle Monae to Duet Two New Songs Via Holograms
M.I.A. and Janelle Monae are set to blow some minds Thursday night when they not only debut two new duets, but perform them together while on two separate coasts via the technological power/wizardry of holograms, Pitchfork reports.
Find Out Which Artists ‘Rolling Stone’ Readers Want to Return as Holograms
The two singers will be take the stage at private events to celebrate the launch of the Audi A3, with M.I.A. in New York City and Monae in Los Angeles. According to a press release, the show will mark “the first hologram performance with integrated video mapping,” and will also utilize “3D projection mapping to add layered depth of field perception with animated graphic content, the result of which will be an electric never-before-seen 3D bi-coastal performance.”
While holograms looked to be the next big thing after the technological resurrection of Tupac at Coachella 2012, the craze simmered down soon after (just a few months after Coachella, the company behind the Tupac hologram declared bankruptcy). On the Rock the Bells tour last summer, though, holograms allowed Wu-Tang Clan to perform once again with Ol’ Dirty Bastard, while Bone Thugs-N-Harmony used the technology to “bring out” Eazy-E.
Rolling Stone recently premiered Monae’s cover of David Bowie’s “Heroes,” a track she’s long had an affinity for. “Bowie is part of my musical DNA in so many ways,” Monae said. “And ‘Heroes’ is one of my favorite Bowie songs. When you love your favorite song, you want to keep some of the beautiful qualities of the original, but we brought Atlanta in the drums and wanted them to be thick and hit hard. It’s like us reimagining it. I thought, ‘If this song was in my dream, how would it get from our dream to my reality?’”