First, we had Princess Leia telling Obi-Wan Kenobi that he was her only hope. Then, we had Tupac onstage during Coachella 2012. Now, Whitney Houston’s next in line to be hologram-ed.
Hologram USA is partnering up with the Houston Estate to bring Whitney back for a posthumous world tour in 2016, according to Digital Spy. “The interactive show will premiere at a US venue before touring the world, and [Hologram USA CEO Alki] David’s FilmOn Studios will be on hand to create new content and syndicate it to all major digital outlets, including satellite and cable.” Special (and presumably, real-life) guests are also to be part of the tour.
Alki David, and Pat Houston, President of the Whitney Houston Estate and Whitney’s sister, made the announcement on Friday, September 11th.
“I was heartbroken when Whitney passed away in 2012,” said David. “The opportunity to help share her spectacular gifts with the world again is exactly what I hoped for when I built the hologram business.”
Houston added, “It’s a great opportunity for her fans to see a reinvention of one the most celebrated female artists in history and to continue a legacy of performances that will not be forgotten in years to come. I look forward to the partnership.” Houston had been previously asked about a Whitney hologram back in 2014, when she had said no, but qualified that answer by saying it was a possibility for down the road, according to Billboard.
Rolling Stone reports that Whitney’s hologram is not the first this company has taken on: “Hologram USA recently partnered with the Apollo Theater in Harlem and will help host a series of hologram performances. The partnership will kick off with a “performance” from Billie Holiday and will debut around Thanksgiving. The company was also behind the Chief Keef hologram, which performed only one song at a Chicago concert before police pulled the plug.”
I guess we’ll just have to wait until 2016 to see if this tour will be more successful than their Chief Keef experiment.