CMU School of Drama


Wednesday, November 03, 2021

Nine years after she died, Whitney Houston is back to entertain you

Music | phillytrib.com : The caramel hair was as perfect as remembered. The rhythmic moves were as graceful as in our mind’s eye. And when those signature melismas of “I Will Always Love You” began, it was impossible not to be transported to the spot again — that spot, the plane of transcendent Zen only a handful of singers have ever taken us. Whitney Houston was back. It’s just that she was a hologram.

3 comments:

Sidney R. said...

I have to say this concept is a bit jarring, but seeing how many important people in Houston's life are on board, I can't object. A few years ago my parents and sister went to see Queen (or who was still left of Queen) in concert, and there was a special hologram appearance of Freddie Mercury. They were really wowed and didn't exclude that aspect any time they were asked about how the concert was. I'm sure it's unique and really memorable. Also, there's the nostalgia element. Considering there are so many ABBA cover bands that gain a lot of traction because people simply want to hear old songs they love, I can see how there can be mass appeal for an artist as capable and memorable as Whitney Houston was. Also, it's always nice to hear a live band and there are also live dancers, so it does feel like a fully curated production.

Sawyer Anderson said...


This seems incredibly problematic. Although it has been approved by Whitney Houston's sister it still seems incredibly disrespectful, especially considering the reasons behind Houston's death. I don’t believe in ghosts or spirits, but it just seems as though we should let the dead remain dead, rather than trying to bring pop icons back to life for selfish reasons. This seems like the idea of technology being used in the most selfish capitalistic way. Especially the idea of performers being able to be in multiple venues at once- people pay to see the real artist, if its a projection how is it different from a movie? You could just wait for a music documentary about the tour to come out on netflix, or just live stream the performance so people can watch it in the comfort of their homes. Overall, I think this is a horrible idea and I seriously hope this does not continue.

Sarah Bauch said...

I remember being young and seeing holograms of celebrities that had passed away being advertised in commercials or on random TV shows like American Idol. While I think these are enormous leaps in technological feats, I wonder about the morality of it all. I suppose if the family of the celebrity or if the “right’s holder” of their work approves of it, then I guess you could look at the hologram as being a tribute to that person. However, something just doesn’t feel right to me about creating a hologram of someone that has passed away because you are unable to get permission from them directly. Even if the hologram is just them performing songs they performed many times and in outfits they had already worn, it just doesn’t sit right to me. I don’t think I like the idea of someone having “rights” to my appearance/likeness after I pass away, or putting my face on someone else’s body for a body double to do actions I have not gotten the opportunity to approve of.