Twenty years ago, pop stars had several established channels for building audiences: record sales, radio plays, music videos, and live performances. Today there's an exciting new way for artists to connect with fans - virtual worlds. Pioneering pop stars are turning to digital to delight existing followers and reach a new fan base.
Aya Nakamurais one of those innovators. The French-Malian singer, who topped the charts, recently starred in theFortnite Soundwave-Series—a series of musical experiences with artists from around the world.
fourteen daysPlayers were recently invited to participate in an experience built from the ground upFortnite creativetool kit. There, an artist from France performed in an innovative musical experiencefourteen daysfor the first time.
Aya and her label Rec. 118 /Warner Music Franceworked with XR StudioMADO XRto create a digital replica of the star usingMetaHuman Creator, duringUnreal-Engine 5was used to create the virtual environments for the video clips featured in the experiment.
MetaHuman for realistic avatars
"When I heard about this project, I immediately knew it was going to be a breakthrough," said Louis de Castro, founder, CEO and creative director of MADO XR.
Für De Castro, Aya NakamurasSoundwave seriesperformance perfectly embodies how the digital world becomes a canvas for musical artists. "I see it as a giant playground that stimulates your imagination and also allows you to see your performance from a different angle," he explains. “Being part of a great project that demonstrates the full power of the metaverse is like being a pioneer. What could be more exciting?”
Aya Nakamura's virtual experience marks a milestone for both Aya and French music - a point not lost on Aya herself. "The collaboration is an opportunity to present my biggest show to old and new fans around the world," she said ahead of the experience. "I can't wait to share my music with you all and be the first French artist I work with.fourteen days!”
Alain Veille, President of Warner Music France, explains that musical experiences take place in virtual worldsfourteen daysGive artists a unique opportunity to meet fans where they are already spending time. “Bringing artists into a game likefourteen daysthat players love is a way to get them to connect more directly with their fans who have a common interest," he says. "'I had no idea they werefourteen daysfan' is a common positive refrain we hear from fans about their favorite artists."
Virtual experiences not only offer new and exciting ways to connect with fans, but also far more practical ways for busy music creators to reach millions of people at the same time. "Compared to a live tour that passes through many cities and venues, we often have more flexibility to work around the artist's schedule to get things done," says Veille.
Image courtesy of Warner Music Group
Aya's team was able to accommodate this into the project schedule and even inspired the approach of recreating the artist as an avatar using MetaHuman Creator as part of the process. "Production work was more flexible than the personal demands of a live show or tour," explains Veille.
Virtual worlds are a new frontier in music. Everyone from labels and artists to fans are on a journey together to explore what these digital spaces mean for the artist-fan relationship.
As Oana Ruxandra, Digital Director at Warner Music Group, explains, this means learning hand in hand with the artists, their teams, their fans and the platforms. "In this project with Aya, we experimented with new tools to help her develop her vision more holistically," she says.
“For example, this was the first time we used the MetaHuman tool in an Unreal Engine 5 environment. The precision of the animation, our ability to capture Aya's real-world movements in this virtual space was amazing to behold and it was incredibly moving and exciting. inspiring for all of us.”
Unreal Engine 5 for virtual worlds
MADO XR developed the visual concept, script and artist avatar in collaboration with talented musicians and digital industry veterans.
The team worked with a pair of directorsthe forelocksto work on the music video script. 3D scanning studio in ParisScan-Enginewere hired to scan Aya to get the digital data from this creative digital studioCreative Shapeshifterwould use to create your avatar. The virtual environments for the video clips that would be streamed onto the screens as part of the experience were developed in collaboration with a team of French artists fromcomet experiment.
Image courtesy of Warner Music Group
The first step in the process was scanning. The team took more than 150 photos of Aya's face and body to create a high-fidelity scan, which was broadcastMetaHuman Creator, a process now accessible to all through the new Mesh to MetaHuman featurePlug-in MetaHuman para Unreal Engine🇧🇷 "The hardest part of the process was the details that make them human - matching the lip color to the skin tone and shadows on the face so we could replicate that in the MetaHuman Creator," says De Castro. “The next step was to reassemble the facial equipment to bring out their emotions. After that, we moved on to motion capture animation.”
Cortesia Warner Music Group
The face rig assembly process described abovecan now be automated🇧🇷 De Castro believes that the MetaHuman Creator has changed the game when it comes to creating digital humans. "The best part is that it allows any creator, whether an experienced 3D artist or a beginner, to get involved in creating avatars," he says. "It's easy to use and intuitive, and the guidance provided is enough to make a decent avatar even for someone new to the technology."
Cortesia de MadoXR e Waner Music Group
As an early adopter, De Castro saw how far digital human technology has evolved from the traditional pipeline where you had to recreate the facial equipment, animation, and bones to get a facial expression that mimicked a real human being. "In that sense, MetaHuman Creator is really a unique tool," he says.
The best litmus test for the team's success is the artist's own reaction: "I was really surprised when I discovered my avatar," says Aya. “It feels so real – especially the movements and gestures. I recognized myself right away, that's really impressive!”
Aya's performance was broadcast on screens in a virtual environment embedded in them.fourteen days🇧🇷 Developed byAtlas Creative Studiosplayers can explore this virtual world while listening to Aya's music.
Courtesy of Mado XR
The team at Atlas worked hard to recreate the look and feel of the CG visuals in the music video for the virtual world that players would walk through. With the Aya and UE5 environments digitally created from the music video, the result is a more photorealistic look than you would normally expect.fourteen days, the team had to divefourteen daysCreative toolset to get a good match.
Courtesy of Mado XR
“A lot of things we had to do don't necessarily seem typicalfourteen dayscard because we had to adjust a lot of lighting and a lot of things to fit the video”, explains Michael Herriger, co-founder and CEO of the studio. "And that's what makes it really cool - you have that 'you're in'fourteen days, but offfourteen days’ experience what’s exciting at the same time.”
Courtesy of MadoXR
The future of music experiences
Ruxandra says that Warner Music believes the future will bring metaverse hyper-reality experiences overlaid on ultra-thin headphone devices. "These Metaverse experiences will be permanent, synchronized and live," she says. "They will span the digital and physical worlds, offer unparalleled interoperability, be populated with content from a variety of contributors, and have their own fully functioning economies."
Within these Metaverse experiences, continues Ruxandra, music will be a dominant form of interaction, communication and consumption. “The possibilities are endless for our artists to connect with their fans in an immersive, real-time and customizable way,” she explains. "We're incredibly excited to dive in here and now, at the dawn of these future experiences, to ensure our artists have the tools they need to become experts in these spaces."
For DeCastro,fourteen daysis the natural destination for virtual music experiences, as described by Ruxandra. “Let's be honest, nobody offers a better virtual show than this one.fourteen daysteam,” he says. "There's no party like afourteen daysParty, and this has helped Epic Games establish itself as the forward-thinking host when it comes to hosting the best game shows.
“The platform was indicated to us as the right place for those who want to bring together gamers, music artists, artists in general and designers. With the buzz of the metaverse, it is the best example of how digital reality works.”
FAQs
What is the code for Aya Nakamura Fortnite? ›
Click on Change Button in the Lobby and enter the Island code 3500-0540-0065. This will take you to the Aya Nakamura Soundwave series event.
What is the code for soundwave in Fortnite? ›After you've launched Fortnite, click on the “CHANGE” button in the Lobby. This will bring up the “Discover” screen, where you can click on the SOUNDWAVE SERIES: AYA NAKAMURA tile. Alternatively, you can switch to the “Island Code” screen and input the island code 3500-0540-0065.
How long is the Aya concert in Fortnite? ›The music experience will take players through several different interactive scenes, and the whole thing will take about 10 minutes to get through. Once the concert comes to an end, players will be able to pick up a golden coin.
Who is the female singer on Fortnite? ›Fortnite Soundwave Series: Epic Games announces the joining of record-breaking French-Malian singer Aya Nakamura.
Was Soundwave all ages? ›Now established as an annual event on Birpai Country in Port Macquarie Ride the Soundwave Music Festival is a ticketed all ages event on the Ride the Wave Festival line-up.
What jet is Soundwave? ›| Soundwave | |
|---|---|
| Motto | "He who controls the flow of information controls the flow of battle.", "I am Soundwave. I command all communications.", "No prisoners, only trophies.", "Cries and screams are music to my ears." |
| Alternate modes | Cybertronian jet/satellite, Cadillac SRX, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG |
Soundwave is the only Cybertronian to have a visor for a face. He would use it to ground bridge his enemies to wherever he pleased.
Is Soundwave a good guy? ›Soundwave is a major antagonist in the Transformers franchise. He was Megatron's most loyal minion and transforms into a cassette player. Unlike the most other Decepticons, he is emotionless, but probably due to his more "robotic" character traits.
Can Soundwave talk in Transformers Prime? ›Soundwave is a major antagonist in the Transformers Aligned continuity. He is the communications officer of the Decepticons who also acts as Megatron's spy and is his most trusted and loyal Decepticon. In Transformers Prime he chooses not to talk, preferring to communicate through replayed voice recordings.
Are Fortnite concerts free? ›Ariana Grande marries Dalton Gomez in private Montecito ceremony. Like the game itself, admission to Grande's “Fortnite” extravaganza is completely free — though Epic Games recommends downloading and logging into the software at least an hour before showtime.
What is the oldest dance in Fortnite? ›
Tidy is the iconic dance made famous by Snoop Dogg in the Drop It Like It's Hot music video. It has been over 1200 days since it was last seen in the Fortnite Item Shop on sale for 500 V-Bucks. This one is even older than Kiss the Cup.
How long does soundwave series last? ›Regardless of how a player ultimately accesses the Soundwave Series, they must wait for the concert to begin once they have loaded into the map. Fans must then simply stay on the island for the entirety of the performance, which is approximately 20 minutes long.
What is the prettiest girl skin in Fortnite? ›- Valkyrie. Valkyrie, one of the finest female fighters, was presented to players in Chapter 1, Season 6, as part of the Norse theme. ...
- Cube Queen. ...
- Dr. ...
- The Imagined. ...
- Ice Queen. ...
- Sakura.
The Entertainment Software Ratings Board rates Fortnite “T” for teen, which means ages 13 and up. Common Sense Media, an Understood founding partner, also recommends the game for kids 13 and up, because of its action violence and open chat. This is a good starting point.
Is Geno a boy or girl in Fortnite? ›Appearance. Geno is a thousands year old man with the look of a muscular middle age man.
What NPC Am I hiring in Fortnite? ›- Kit: A cat in Reality Forest. ...
- Meowscles: A cat in Reality Forest. ...
- Cryptic: A suspicious-looking man in Rave Cave.
- Stash'd: A masked man in Chonkers Speedway.
- Fishstick: A fish-man in Sleepy Sound.
Despite all the reskins, the OG Renegade Raider will remain the rarest skin ever. The Aerial Assault Trooper is an equally rare skin that was available in the Chapter 1 Season 1 Battle Pass Shop at Lv. 15. Many players put it above Renegade Raider in terms of rarity, but there is no method to prove it objectively.
Is Renegade skin rare? ›Renegade is an Uncommon Outfit in Battle Royale that can be purchased from the Item Shop.
Who is the clone of Soundwave? ›A clone of Soundwave, Soundblaster was created by Shockwave but was labeled as a failed experiment, a detail over which he continued to feel unease. Becoming a Mercenary, he frequently received energon from Bumblebee, who considered Soundblaster to be worse than a Decepticon and a bit unbalanced.
Is Soundwave a girl? ›Soundwave has been mistaken by fans as a girl in Prime, mistaking a transmission recording he played back to Starscream as his actual voice.
How tall is G1 Soundwave? ›
Soundwave: 22' Cement Mixer: 22' Optimus Prime: 28'
Who kills Soundwave? ›Bumblebee and the other Autobots then took this as an opportunity to escape and afterwards punched Soundwave, causing him to drop his weapons then shooting him in the leg, dropping his remaining gun. Bumblebee then finishes him off by throwing an uppercut on his chest and shooting him in the head, killing him.
Who defeated Soundwave? ›In a future timeline that branches off from this one, Soundwave ultimately met his end at the hands of Blaster, but even death could not stymie his loyalty to the Decepticon cause, as he was reborn as Soundblaster through the super-science of the planet Master.
Does Soundwave have a mouth? ›Transformers Animated
Among the Decepticons, Soundwave had a non-retractable mouthplate, much like his G1 predecessor's. Optimus's mouthplate flapped up and down when he talked, just like that of G1 Optimus, but none of the others' did.
Crazy ass moments in Transformers History on Twitter: "Soundwave and Shockwave are brothers in Transformers vs G.I Joe.
Does Megatron respect Soundwave? ›Soundwave is the one Cybertronian that Megatron can truly trust and it is most likely Megatron considers Soundwave as a friend due to the tone he normally addresses him with. It is clearly shown that Megatron has more respect for him than any other of his Decepticons.
How many minions does Soundwave have? ›Thanks to all of this, Soundwave has two minions who still turn into cassettes.
Does Soundwave join Autobots? ›Refusing to formally join the Autobot cause, Soundwave continues to proudly wear his purple Decepticon insignia, a badge of honor that, to some, marks him as the last true Decepticon.
Why did they cancel Soundwave? ›The company was unable to fully pay all its contractors for Soundwave 2014, Gayler says. "In previous years we were paid immediately," he says. "But we had a fair idea in 2014 that something was not right. We thought, OK, it's getting too big, it's getting out of hand."
Does Soundwave ever speak? ›Soundwave can speak, but chooses not to, preferring to communicate through replayed Cybertronians' voice recordings, including humans he encountered. Soundwave is very skilled in combat and will not hesitate to finish off his opponents.
What are Soundwave's minions called? ›
For the record, Soundwave only had three cassette tape minions of note: Laserbeak, Rumble, and Ravage.
Does Soundwave have red or yellow eyes? ›Interestingly enough, his eyes are painted red here, which fits in with his Generation One cartoon appearance, but actually does not jive with his game appearance where his eyes are yellow.
Can Bumblebee talk Transformers? ›In 2007, Hasbro and Michael Bay's Transformers film premiered, and with it, a fan favorite character was forever changed. The Autobot B-127, most commonly referred to as Bumblebee, did not have a voice. His inability to talk forced him to rely on other forms of communication.
What weapon does Soundwave use? ›Soundwave is armed with a shoulder-mounted cannon and a hand-held concussion blaster, which both transform into imitation batteries that store in a compartment on his back while he is in his alternate mode.
Is Soundwave and Soundblaster brothers? ›Soundblaster is brother of Soundwave (BW). It is unrelated to his G1 character. His beast mode is a Black Panther.
Who killed Soundwave in Dark of the Moon? ›During the battle, Que dies, and Bumblebee kills Soundwave. Many other Decepticons, including Laserbeak, the Driller, Starscream, and Shockwave, are among the casualties.
Can a 12 year old play Fortnite arena? ›You have to be at least 13 years old (or such other age, if greater, as may be required in your country of residence) to be eligible to participate. In addition, if you are between the ages of 13-17, you must have permission from your parent or legal guardian to do so.
Who is the girl in the Fortnite concert? ›Aya Nakamura On Preparing Her Fortnite Soundwave Series Performance. “I hope that this experience will make players want to come see me in person!”
Are Fortnite concerts actually live? ›The studio is meant to make performances bigger and more impressive, starting with Fike. “This will be a full live concert broadcast into the game,” says Nanzer.
What is the 1 rarest emote in Fortnite? ›The Kiss the Cup emote sees a trophy fall into your character's hands before they kiss it and raise it into the air with confetti and camera flashes going off while they do so.
What is the rarest emote ever? ›
- Rambunctious.
- Fresh.
- Tidy.
- Widow's Pirouette.
- Kiss The Cup.
- Rawr.
- Breezy.
- Tsssss.
The Alpha Banner
The banner features a triangle with a lightning bolt down the middle, and it can be upgraded 10 times. According to many players, the renditions of this banner are considered the rarest ones in "Fortnite."
After wandering aimlessly for an unspecified amount of time around the planet, Soundwave finally got his chance to escape the Shadowzone after Fixit caused an accident to the GroundBridge, creating a portal to the Shadowzone.
What year was the last soundwave? ›Soundwave Festival occurred annually until 2015.
Is soundwave a Decepticon? ›Soundwave is an evil Decepticon spy who uses advanced receptors to gather secret information about the Autobots. His ability to scramble, encode, and decode data signals of all kinds make him a valuable asset to Megatron.
What is the hated skin in Fortnite? ›1. Dynamo. Dynamo is – by far – the most hated skin in Fortnite, at the moment. If you post a clip while wearing the Dynamo skin, you're guaranteed to see the bulk of your replies consist of something along the lines of, “Dynamo, ew.”
What is the most weird skin in Fortnite? ›- Midas. Without a doubt, Midas is the most well-liked Fortnite character. ...
- Evie. ...
- Spider-Man. ...
- Peely. ...
- Manic. ...
- Bytes. ...
- Darth Vader. ...
- The Reaper.
In Fortnite, the least used skin in the game is none other than Bravo Leader. This skin was introduced in Chapter 1 of season 10 and has appeared in the item store seven times.
How long should a 7 year old play video games? ›It's good to set video game time limits by age. For kids over the age of 6, the American Academy of Pediatrics says no more than 60 minutes on school days and 2 hours on non-school days. Kids under 6 should spend closer to 30 minutes.
Does Fortnite cause anger issues? ›A child may become irritable after playing Fortnite because he is overly competitive in game play and cares only about winning, even when he recognizes the low percentage of actual”wins” he might achieve. While video game addiction is rare, extreme irritability and frustration may be an indication of this.
Why is Fortnite called Fortnite? ›
Fortnite is named after the online game's “Save the World” mode, for which players construct forts and other structures to protect against monsters who invade … at night. Hence, nite—an informal, but long-running spelling of night.
Is Jonesy with the 7? ›Jones' story arc in Fortnite is one of the best in all of video games currently. Starting off as a member of the Imagined Order, Jones betrayed the group and started helping The Seven in their fight for the island.
Is Jonesy dire? ›Dire is a variant of Jonesy that was awarded for completing that Season's Battle Pass, so there's no way to get it now.
Who is Midas Fortnite wife? ›He got married to Rio and had a daughter named Marigold. Midas left his his family to become an adventurer. Unfortunately for Midas, his wife Rio was taken by Oro without Midas' knowledge after she gave birth to Marigold.
What's the Battle Lab Code? ›Battle Lab 4498-5378-5716 By Ikerj2009 - Fortnite.
What is the code for Chapter 1 in Fortnite? ›3192-4487-8318.
Why was battle lab removed? ›Fortnite removing Battle Labs was always going to be controversial. This was done to bring the game up-to-date with Creative 2.0, which is actually delayed until 2023. You can still do all sorts of creating in the game, it's just not the new engine.
What are free Fortnite codes? ›- 8773-0285-0717 – Cosmitic item.
- ND8H-LW2Z-LKTW-7W22 – Free 1000 VBucks first time players only.
- SNMY9-NJ9JE-A7GHN-C54NQ – Redeem code for a gift (New)
- WDCT-SD21-RKJ6-UACP – Get Wildcat Skin FREE.
- 7A8D4-XAVA4-GYL7Z-3Y2MK – Get Frozen Suit FREE.
The Devourer (Fortnite)
Is the imagined order evil Fortnite? ›Geno might be gone, but there are other villains in Fortnite's metaverse waiting to emerge. With him out of the picture, the Imagined Order will disintegrate as well. Although they were evil in their own right, their goal was to protect realities from the horrors of the omniverse.
Can you get Wanda in Fortnite? ›
Wanda Maximoff is now a playable Fortnite character, with a skin of Marvel's Scarlet Witch being available in Epic Games' iconic battle-royale game.
How do you unlock girl Midas? ›The long-awaited Marigold skin is only available as part of the Golden Touch challenge bundle, which you can purchase from Fortnite's in-game Item Shop. You'll need to buy it with real money, meaning V-Bucks aren't an option.