(San Francisco) The legendary American glam metal group Kiss announced on Sunday that digital avatars will now represent musicians in the entertainment world, using a method developed with Abba.
Kiss “marks the end of its physical existence by entering the digital world,” Pophouse Entertainment, a Swedish company specializing in brands and entertainment, said in a statement.
“The transformation of the group into avatars will ensure their immortalization, while pushing the boundaries of rock and roll performances, as Kiss did throughout their career,” she assured.
The group completed its final tour on Saturday End of the road at Madison Square Garden, New York.
At the end of the concert, their avatars “performed” a song, then an image of the four avatars appeared on the screen with the Kiss logo and a phrase, ” A new era begins » (“A new era begins”).
Known in particular for his megasuccess I was made for lovin’youits pyrotechnic effects and its stylized makeup, the New York group has sold more than 100 million records worldwide in its 50-year career, according to Pophouse Entertainment.
Vocalist Paul Stanley (71) and bassist Gene Simmons (74) were the only remaining founding members.
The avatars presented on Saturday put the musicians in the shoes of superheroes, “a glimpse into one of the many and diverse ways in which Kiss will live in the future as a digital artist through his avatars”, detailed the company Swedish.
The digital incarnations were created by ILM, the special effects company founded by George Lucas.
“We will be able to be forever young and forever iconic, and go to places we never dreamed of before,” said Gene Simmons, quoted in the press release. “Technology is going to allow Paul (Stanley) to jump higher than he ever has. »
Pophouse Entertainment has already developed a show by the Swedish disco group ABBA in London, where the quartet is represented by digital avatars broadcast in holograms, which notably play Mama Mia, Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man after Midnight) And Dancing Queen.
Building on its success, the show has been extended and plans are being considered to export it elsewhere in the world.