William Gibson's Idoru

For his ground-breaking 1996 science-fiction novel Idoru, cyberpunk author William Gibson created the concept of the “Idoru” or “cyber-idol,” a computer-generated young woman that was so beautiful and so realistic that people actually fell in love with her. Based on Japanese culture, Gibson was unusually prescient even by the standards of his visionary work – just three years later, the Horipro Entertainment Co. of Tokyo introduced the first Idoru to Asian culture in the form of Kyoko Date. The work of 50 computer animators that took 18 months to give birth, Kyoko Date became a pop culture sensation in Japan, scoring several hit records.

When her singing career gave way to other fleeting trends, her handlers re-imagined the cyber pop star into “Diki,” the first Japanese singer to release a CD in Korea. Kyoko Date wasn’t entirely a virtual fantasy, however…her vocals were sung by an unnamed female (human) vocalist. Not so with MNJP, the first completely digitally-generated Idoru. Even her vocals are created by the computer bringing, perhaps, Gibson’s original concept full-circle. Oddly enough, MNJP’s voice is eerily beautiful and quite enchanting, making one wonder what direction music and culture will be headed in the future….