Justin Bieber to appear as digital avatar in first virtual concert
The event takes place on 18th November
Last updated 10th Nov 2021
Justin Bieber has performed his fair share of concerts throughout his career, and has now announced a very different type of performance. The singer is set to appear in digital avatar form as part of his upcoming virtual concert.
Created by virtual entertainment company Wave, Justin Bieber – An Interactive Virtual Experience will take place on 18th November at 2am GMT, with a rebroadcast occurring on Sunday 21st November at 7pm GMT. The performance is intended to provide a 'futuristic look into the metaverse, merging gaming, real time motion-capture, and live musical performance into an immersive interactive experience'.
During the event, Justin will perform an entire show with hits like 'Peaches', 'Hold On' and 'Ghost' while fans have the chance to chat to each other and shape what happens during the performance. In a statement about the show, Justin said: “I’m excited to be using this technology to bring people together and connect with fans from all over the world. I can’t wait for them to check out this interactive performance.”
Justin will also be performing in person in early 2022 across the US. His 'Justice' tour was set for summer 2021, but has been rescheduled due to Covid-19. He sadly has not added any UK dates to the tour, so it looks like we'll just have to enjoy his virtual performance for now.
The CEO of Wave talked about the benefit of this type of performance: "Justin is paving the way for artists to incorporate a virtual concert ‘tour stop’ to reach new audiences who can’t attend in-person or want a different kind of live music experience.”
To watch the virtual experience, fans will need to sign up on the Wave event page.
Watch the trailer for Justin Bieber - An Interactive Virtual Experience:
Justin is not the first artist to incorporate new, digital technology in a performance, as ABBA revealed they would appear as 'ABBA-tars' in their upcoming performances in 2022. Although ABBA's shows will take place in person, the group's digital avatars will turn back time to show the singers in their youth.
Several artists have also made appearances as digital avatars in the game Fortnite. In a special event, Ariana Grande collaborated with the game makers to create an avatar that appeared in the game for players to watch and interact with as she performed hits like '7 Rings' and 'Positions'.
Take a look through some of the best albums released in 2021:
The Weeknd - 'The Highlights'
Serving as the second greatest hits album released by The Weeknd, 'The Highlights' includes huge bops such as 'Blinding Lights', 'Can't Feel My Face', 'The Hills' and 'Love Me Harder' - making it no surprise that it flew to the Number 2 on the UK Albums Chart upon its release in February.
Sam Smith - 'Love Goes: Live at Abbey Road Studios'
'Love Goes: Live At Abbey Road Studios' is Sam Smith's third live album. Released in March 2021, it captures the singer's only live performance of 2020... For obvious reasons. Within the album fans can hear huge Sam Smith hits such as 'Dancing With a Stranger' and 'How Do You Sleep?'.
Drake - 'Scary Hours 2' (EP)
After announcing that his upcoming sixth studio album 'Certified Lover Boy' was to be delayed until later in 2021, fans were delighted when Drake dropped his fourth extended play 'Scary Hours 2' in March.
Drake then took the world by storm on 3rd September 2021, with the surprise drop of his sixth studio album 'Certified Lover Boy', which included huge tracks such as 'Girls Want Girls', 'Fair Trade' and 'Way 2 Sexy'.
Zara Larsson - 'Poster Girl'
Also in March, Zara Larsson released her epic third studio album 'Poster Girl'. The album was supported by the catchy tracks 'Love Me Land', 'Wow' and 'Talk About Love', as well as featuring the iconic 'Ruin My Life'.
Nick Jonas - 'Spaceman'
Despite the ULTIMATE Jonas Brothers reunion that really helped kick 2019 to a good start, Nick Jonas has still managed to continue a successful solo career, with March 2021 welcoming his fourth studio album 'Spaceman'. The album, which was his first solo release since the epic reunion of the bro-band, was a certified hit, cruising to the Number 12 spot on the US Billboard 200.
Selena Gomez - 'Revelación' (EP)
This one was truly music to our ears (quite literally) upon its release in March, with 'Revelación' being Selena's first ever release to be predominantly sung in Spanish! Preceding singles 'De Una Vez' and 'Baila Conmigo' topped the US Latin Charts, giving us a taste of the stunning vocals yet to come.
Justin Bieber - 'Justice'
Justin's March release of 'Justice', his sixth studio album, was hugely anticipated by fans, despite getting their fix of the star just one year prior, with his 2020 release 'Changes'. The huge drop, preceded by hit singles 'Holy', 'Lonely' and 'Hold On' and featuring other huge names such as Khalid, Chance the Rapper and Quavo, flew to the Number 2 spot in the UK Albums Chart.
Bebe Rexha
Bebe Rexha's second studio album, 'Better Mistakes', was released on 7th May, featuring the catchy bops 'Baby, I'm Jealous' featuring Doja Cat and 'Sacrifice'!
Rag’n’Bone Man - ‘Life by Misadventure’
Rag'n'Bone Man wasn't shy when it came to amping up the excitement for his second studio album, 'Life by Misadventure'. After dropping his huge collab with Pink, 'Anywhere Away From Here', in April, fans couldn't wait to hear what the 'Human' singer had in store when he released the album on 7th May.
BTS
K-Pop hitmakers BTS delighted fans when they announced the release of their sixth compilation album 'BTS, the Best', and it was released on 16th June 2021!
Doja Cat - 'Planet Her'
Released on 25th June, Doja Cat's third studio album 'Planet Her' got fans VERY excited. As we all know, the 'Say So' singer has worked with some pretty huge names in the past (we're looking at you, Ariana Grande and Megan Thee Stallion), and the 'Planet Her' tracklist proves she's keeping it that way!
Anne Marie
After announcing that her second album was on its way back in January 2020, fans were very keen to hear what Anne-Marie had in store for us all next. Despite the release being put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic, 'Therapy' was finally released on Friday 23rd July 2021.
Billie Eilish
Billie Eilish's second album 'Happier Than Ever' was released on 30th July, containing 16 tracks, which preceded singles 'Therefore I Am', 'Lost Cause' and 'NDA'. Adding the icing on top of the cake, the singer also announced that she will be taking the album on tour in 2022.
Lil Nas X
It's official, Lil Nas X's debut album 'MONTERO' has arrived! Landing on 17th September, it's safe to say that this one was welcomed by fans with open arms, given the huge success of his past hits such as 'Old Town Road', 'Panini' and his single 'MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)'.
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran took to his Instagram earlier this year to inform his fans: 'I'll be back online with the 4th instalment in the series later this year'.
Ed later released his single 'Bad Habits' on 25th June, soon after announcing that his new album will be called '=' ('Equals') and it was released on 29th October 2021! He even officially announced that he will be heading on a huge stadium tour in 2022. Good to have you back, Ed...
Lady Gaga & Tony Bennett
Yes, you read that right! Lady Gaga and the legendary Tony Bennett have teamed up once again to record an album together - which they completed as Tony sadly battled Alzheimer's disease.
The album was released on 30th September 2021, and fans absolutely love it!
James Arthur
James revealed that he spent lockdown channelling his creativity for a new music chapter. The 'Say You Won't Let Go' singer told Guilty Pleasures that he has "finished the album", after writing around 60 songs. He released his first single, 'Medicine', from the album in March.
His album 'It'll All Make Sense in the End' was released on 5th November 2021.
Mabel
In April 2021, Mabel released her five-track EP 'Magic', containing HUGE hits such as 'Don't Call Me Up' and 'Finders Keepers'.
Proving she's not stopping any time soon, she then released a brand new single 'Let Them Know' in June 2021, while teasing that her upcoming album 'M2' is on the way!
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