Justin Bieber is set to perform as an avatar.
The 27-year-old pop superstar has teamed up with the virtual concert company Wave on the upcoming ‘Justin Bieber – An Interactive Virtual Experience’, which is set to take place on November 18.
He follows in the footsteps of Swedish pop icons ABBA, who will appear in ‘Abbatar’ form for their upcoming ‘ABBA Voyage’ tour.
A statement about the show read: “The groundbreaking collaboration will give fans a futuristic look into the metaverse, merging gaming, real time motion-capture, and live musical performance into an immersive interactive experience.”
The ‘Peaches’ hitmaker said: “I am a big believer in Wave and love the platform as a new way for me to engage with my fans.
“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.”
Wave CEO Adam Arrigo added: “Justin Bieber is not only one of the world’s biggest artists, he is also one of the most forward-thinking. This partnership allows for limitless, virtual opportunities for him and his fans.
“By combining Wave’s technology with Justin’s creativity, we’ve created a unique, interactive experience that complements his upcoming physical tour. 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.”
The virtual show will take place at 2am GMT on November 18, and be broadcast again on November 20 and 21.
The one-off experience comes ahead of Justin’s rescheduled ‘Justice World Tour’ set for 2022.
The ‘Sorry’ hitmaker was due to embark on a world tour in the summer of 2020, but he was forced to delay the jaunt due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A set of dates were announced for this summer, kicking off on June 2, 2021, but they were moved once again to next year.
Justin said in a statement: “We’re working hard to make this tour the best one yet.
“I’m excited to get out there and engage with my fans again.”
The new dates, in support of his latest record, ‘Justice’, now kick off on February 18, 2022, at the Pechanga Arena in San Diego.
The ‘Yummy’ hitmaker has also added seven new shows in Jacksonville, Orlando, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Des Moines, Austin and Uncasville, Connecticut.