NHK¡¯s annual ¡°Kohaku Uta Gassen¡± music bonanza thrives on spectacle. The 2019 edition didn¡¯t fail to deliver on this front, featuring endearing moments such as J-pop singer-songwriter Misia getting dozens of other artists to wave LGBTQ pride flags on national TV.
The biggest buzz, however, came from something a tad more unusual. Enka singer Hibari Misora graced the ¡°Kohaku¡± stage for the first time in decades to perform a new song. Well, technically, it wasn¡¯t Misora herself ¡ª she died in 1989. Rather, it was a life-like hologram performing this fresh tune thanks to Yamaha¡¯s Vocaloid: AI, a piece of technology that can replicate voices.
This wasn¡¯t the holographic singer¡¯s first appearance, however, having debuted on an NHK special about this digital resurrection in September. It made enough of a stir then to earn a special slot on ¡°Kohaku.¡±
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