They sing, they dance, they model, but they don’t exist in real life – virtual influencers are trying to break out of the metaverse and into the charts.
From Alvin and The Chipmunks to Gorillaz, and Hatsune Miku to Polar, the music industry is no stranger to virtual characters as popstars.
Like many of today’s human artists, they’ve won Grammy Awards, held concerts as holograms, and can even be “cancelled” over controversial comments.
Noonoouri, a digital character created by German designer Joerg Zuber, is the latest blue-haired, doll-faced virtual influencer to land a record deal.
Created using motion capture and advanced graphics, she’s been signed to Warner Music as its first avatar artist, rubbing shoulders (virtually) with Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa, Cardi B and Ashnikko at one of the industry’s biggest labels.
Her vocals, built in part using artificial intelligence (AI) tools, have seen her dubbed an “AI popstar”.
Noonoouri’s pivot to music follows that of another top virtual influencer, Lil Miquela, who first began to release tracks in 2017, and has received millions of views for her music videos on YouTube.
It comes as streaming now reigns supreme in the music industry, and artists – like screenwriters and actors in Hollywood – are fighting for a bigger slice of revenues.
Musicologist Dr Shara Rambarran says virtual influencers-turned-popstars entering the arena may unsettle IRL (in real life) musicians “who want to put their music out there and not have to have that [additional] competition”.
As an almost entirely virtual creation, Warner Music’s new signing is not exactly your average artist.
Similarly to “vocaloids” like Hatsune Miku – who evolved out of voice synthesiser software into a fully sketched character – Noonoouri has been created using a combination of different technologies to virtually dance, sing and strut down runways.
She has 400,000 followers on Instagram, a modelling contract, and a doll-like appearance that can be tweaked or transformed at the click of a button.
Mr Zuber, who works at a design studio in Munich, says Noonoouri is a “lifetime project” for him.
It was fleshed out by him and his team of five people as a character that originally could speak about and highlight the world’s problems in a lifelike, 3D form.
“We started with the hair, the drawings of the fabric, the movement and everything, and I slipped into a motion capture suit to walk as her… to define her movements, her gestures and everything,” he says.
Mr Zuber adds that the team was keen to give Noonoouri a more “techie” than human sounding voice – which meant overlaying his base vocals for the character with a melodic track from a professional singer.
Algorithms were then used to automatically correct Noonoouri’s original vocal recordings and help the team match the speed, tempo and pitch of the singer’s voice.
Her signing to Warner comes against the backdrop of concerns in the music industry over the rise of the technology.
While artists such as Grimes and David Guetta have said they are embracing such tech to experiment with their music production, the likes of Sting and Ed Sheeran have criticised the use of AI. Meanwhile, Hozier recently told the BBC’s Newsnight that he would consider striking over the threat posed to the industry by AI.
Jamie Njoku-Goodwin, chief executive of industry association UK Music, says that many in the industry are excited about the opportunities AI might give artists and producers, but figuring out the regulatory and legal landscape so it “can enable human creativity, not erode it” is key.
“It’s about knowing what content and what data AI is being trained on, [and] about ensuring there’s adequate labelling so we know whether or not a piece of music is AI-generated,” he says.
Dr Shara Rambarran has written about virtual musicians, and says that while the trend of digital popstars is unlikely to abate in future, it’s also unlikely to usurp tangible humans topping the charts.
“It’s not a new concept at all, they’ve always existed in some shape or form,” she says.
“But will it overtake everything in the music industry? I don’t think so. I think there’s going to be room for everybody.
“There’s always going to be another innovative creation we’re going to be talking about and if this doesn’t work out, something’s going to replace it.”
And while Warner Music says AI only played a minor part in the creation of Noonoouri’s vocals, her signing still comes amid growing concerns over the role AI plays in music creation, and whether it will displace or defraud artists by duplicating their sound, style or image.
Marec Lerche, head of business development at Warner Music Central Europe, says Noonoouri and digital creations like her can offer labels more experimentation and flexibility.
“You can appear in different places at the same time, you can change her style in a minute – we can make Nonooouri fly if we want, because it feels natural to her,” he says.
“She is already a digital character so there are more opportunities than with a human artist in that respect.”
24 comments
An interesting discussion is worth comment. I think that you should write more on this topic, it might not be a taboo subject but generally people are not enough to speak on such topics. To the next. Cheers
F*ckin’ tremendous things here. I’m very satisfied to see your article. Thank you so much and i am looking forward to touch you. Will you please drop me a mail?
What is Zen Cortex? ZenCortex is not just another drop in the ocean of dietary supplements; it’s a formulated concoction designed with a clear aim: to enhance auditory health and cognitive functions.
I love your writing style really enjoying this web site.
I am glad to be one of the visitors on this great site (:, appreciate it for putting up.
The subsequent time I read a weblog, I hope that it doesnt disappoint me as a lot as this one. I imply, I do know it was my option to learn, however I truly thought youd have something attention-grabbing to say. All I hear is a bunch of whining about one thing that you possibly can repair when you werent too busy searching for attention.
Thanks for another wonderful post. Where else may anybody get that kind of info in such an ideal way of writing? I’ve a presentation subsequent week, and I’m at the look for such information.
Hello! I just would like to give a huge thumbs up for the great info you have here on this post. I will be coming back to your blog for more soon.
Howdy! Do you use Twitter? I’d like to follow you if that would be ok. I’m definitely enjoying your blog and look forward to new posts.
Wonderful items from you, man. I’ve take into account your stuff prior to and you are just extremely wonderful. I actually like what you have obtained here, certainly like what you are saying and the way in which during which you are saying it. You’re making it entertaining and you still take care of to stay it sensible. I cant wait to learn much more from you. This is actually a great web site.
Good website! I really love how it is easy on my eyes and the data are well written. I am wondering how I could be notified when a new post has been made. I’ve subscribed to your feed which must do the trick! Have a great day!
Hmm is anyone else having problems with the images on this blog loading? I’m trying to determine if its a problem on my end or if it’s the blog. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Really nice layout and superb articles, very little else we need : D.
I was recommended this website via my cousin. I am now not positive whether or not this submit is written by means of him as no one else realize such distinct approximately my trouble. You’re wonderful! Thanks!
There is apparently a lot to identify about this. I believe you made certain nice points in features also.
It is actually a great and helpful piece of info. I am happy that you just shared this helpful info with us. Please keep us informed like this. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for the sensible critique. Me & my neighbor were just preparing to do some research on this. We got a grab a book from our area library but I think I learned more clear from this post. I am very glad to see such excellent information being shared freely out there.
Oh my goodness! an amazing article dude. Thanks Nevertheless I am experiencing difficulty with ur rss . Don’t know why Unable to subscribe to it. Is there anybody getting equivalent rss drawback? Anybody who is aware of kindly respond. Thnkx
Some really prime blog posts on this website , saved to fav.
I think other web site proprietors should take this web site as an model, very clean and fantastic user friendly style and design, as well as the content. You’re an expert in this topic!
Hi there! This post couldn’t be written any better! Reading this post reminds me of my old room mate! He always kept talking about this. I will forward this article to him. Pretty sure he will have a good read. Thanks for sharing!
I like this blog so much, bookmarked. “Respect for the fragility and importance of an individual life is still the mark of an educated man.” by Norman Cousins.
I got what you intend, appreciate it for putting up.Woh I am lucky to find this website through google. “Spare no expense to make everything as economical as possible.” by Samuel Goldwyn.
Good V I should certainly pronounce, impressed with your site. I had no trouble navigating through all the tabs as well as related information ended up being truly easy to do to access. I recently found what I hoped for before you know it in the least. Quite unusual. Is likely to appreciate it for those who add forums or something, site theme . a tones way for your customer to communicate. Excellent task..