Thursday, 15th October, rising singer-songwriter Dan Olsen launched ground-breaking interactive holographic technology with a performance of his track Standing Ovation at London’s 8 Northumberland Avenue. Appearing as a live hologram, Dan performed accompanied by a musician, who was live on stage, to an audience of media and industry, interacting with the crowd as if he were there in the room. Created by Musion 3D, the revolutionary holographic technology company, the launch will enable performers to reach audiences globally without having to leave their homes or local area of work.

In dazzlingly realistic detail, Dan Olsen performed three songs, Standing Ovation, Stronger As One and It Was Only Yesterday on the stage at 8 Northumberland despite being miles away at a London recording studio, and was able to react and interact with the socially distanced crowd as if he was there in person. Hailing from the Faroe Islands, London based Dan has amassed over a million plays on Spotify, toured all over the world, including in the US, China and Russia, and co-written with songwriters including Linda Perry, Pam Sheyne, and Sonique. He was first filmed by Musion 3D as a hologram 5 years ago, with early footage demonstrating just how much Musion’s technology has since developed.

Commenting on the premiere, Dan Olsen said: “It is amazing being able to deliver an authentic musical experience without actually being physically present, reaching out and speaking with fans as if I am really there. It's pretty mind blowing. Now the technology has developed to this interactive level, the possibilities are endless. I could be in my living room interacting in real time with fans in Australia, or anywhere in the world! It gives musicians the opportunity of playing live for their fans again, despite Covid, and, going forwards, offers carbon neutral touring. I think this is one of the best things that has happened for live music, ever!”

At a time when artists are unable to reach large crowds in an intimate way, Musion’s Fanshare® technology could be a potential lifeline for some musicians and performers who now have the opportunity to look eye to eye with their fans once again. Not only does this mean artists can perform safely but also offers incredible opportunities for innovation, from virtual meet-and-greets to ecofriendly one-night tours with the ability to hold simultaneous performances across multiple locations.

This premiere is the latest in a long list of reality-bending shows powered by Musion’s technology. In 2012, the company stunned crowds as the deceased rapper Tupac appeared alongside Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre at Coachella. Musion has also developed the 3D holographic technology for performances by dozens of living artists including Madonna, The Black Eyed Peas and, more recently, Rhianna.

“Being able to demonstrate our hologram technology with Dan is really important for illustrating the exciting and essential opportunities Musion3D Fanshare® can create, not only as COVID hampers the live sector but beyond as well”, added Musion’s Director Ian O’Connell. “As Dan has showcased, Fanshare® has the potential to transform how we think about live entertainment and touring, enabling artists to reach their fans all around the world in an interactive, carbon neutral and meaningful way.”

Q&A / Notes for one-sheet

How does Musion’s Fanshare® holographic technology work?
At location A, where the artist is physically present, Musion’s advanced filming and teleportation suite captures the performance with state-of-the-art HD/4K transmission equipment, providing the most advanced live 3D broadcast facilities in the world to date.

At location B, Musion deploys its Eyeliner display. The hologram is created by using high-pitch LED screens or projection to provide the viewer’s eyes with other visual cues – reflection, light, shadow, movement, and contrast – that fool the brain into thinking it is seeing a 3D image. The image is reflected onto a patented ultra-clear foil screen tensioned across the stage at a 45-degree angle. The foil is not visible to the audience allowing live humans to perform alongside holograms on stage in a natural manner.

How does this differ to previous hologram performances such as Tupac?
In the past, holograms have been used to digitally “resurrect” a deceased artist, such as Tupac, or they have been pre-recorded to add an exciting visual element to a performer’s show. With the Dan Olsen collaboration, everything is happening live, enabling the performer to give an authentic performance and engage with the crowd as if they were there in person.

Can artists perform in multiple places at once?
Yes, performers could perform live in dozens of locations simultaneously all around the world.

How did the idea come about?
The Fanshare ® idea was born from Musion’s collaboration with K-Pop theatres in South Korea, Japan, China and Singapore. Since 2014, Musion has supplied its patented Flame-Resistant Eyeliner Foil used by new digital 3D theatres throughout Asia to display 3D holographic on-stage performances.