JAKARTA - Fans and those from the younger generation have now had the opportunity to re-featur the presence of Whitney Houston on stage.
An innovative concert project by utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) technology was presented thanks to a collaboration between Whitney E. Houston Estate heirs with Primary Wave Music and Park Avenue Artists.
To revive the diva's performance, the creative team relied on the music-making platform Moises. The platform is known for its latest AI-based stem-separation technology, which allows Whitney's vocal extraction from the original footage, so it can be juxtaposed with a live orchestra.
This concert will bring the audience into the music world of Whitney Houston. The orchestra will directly accompany Houston's vocals, which are separated from the recording, interspersed with rare video footage.
To realize this unique performance, the heirs and Park Avenue Artists managed to isolate individual instruments and vocals from recordings, resulting in audio quality that is almost equivalent to studio quality.
Geraldo Ramos, CEO of Moises, explained that this project demands an unusually high quality separation of stems.
"We have to isolate Whitney's vocals from the fully mixed footage without reducing emotional power from his performances," Ramos said, citing Variety, Wednesday, September 17.
He added that this kind of concert would not have been possible five years ago, before stem separation technology reached the precision and fidelity they could currently deliver.
Meanwhile, Pat Houston as the executor of the heirs emphasized that his party was very careful in working on this project.
"We know this has to be done right," said Houston. "Moises and our partner, Park Avenue Artists, raised this idea with the heart, care, and creative advantage that Whitney has always shown. The result is something really special: a gift for loyal fans and a strong introduction to a new generation who finds his voice."
In line with that, Ross Michaels, co-president Park Avenue Artists, stated that this project is proof of how legendary artists and their heirs can create meaningful experiences for music lovers through wise use of AI technology.
"This is the first of several collaborations planned to use AI to illuminate the new dimension of an artist's work," said Michaels.
The seven-city tour will feature a full orchestra. Unfortunately, shows are only scheduled to take place in several locations in the United States.
The following is a list of tours for the Whitney Houston:20 September 21: Cincinnati Pops (Cincinnati Music Hall) 11 October: Wilmington, NC (Wilson Center at Cape Fear Community College) October 25: Tinjuh Oaks, CA (Bank of America Performing Arts Center) November 8: Carmel, IN (The Palladium at Allied Solutions Center) November 15: Waukegan, IL (The Genesee Theater) November21: Palm Desert, CA (McCallum Theater) November 22: Mesa, AZ (Mesa Arts Center)