Rapper and virtual artist FN Meka -

Factory New

If you have recently come across the trap track

Speed ​​Demon

, you have been one of the many victims of the new virus that is hitting the music world.

Its "interpreter" is FN Meka, a virtual artist created by artificial intelligence, and "signed" at Factory New.

Founded in 2019 by Anthony Martini, the music label aims to specialize in the production of non-human artists.

His first signature, FN Meka, is a cyborg-like rapper straight out of the cyberpunk universe.

To push the robotic side to its climax, all the pieces produced by the digital artist are composed from A to Z by an artificial intelligence (words, music…).

Only the voice of the fake-rapper is dubbed by a real human from the indications of the AI.

A very real market

This new 3D creature seduces on social networks and especially on TikTok, where it has more than 9 million subscribers.

There are excerpts from his songs, but above all shorter videos where the virtual rapper takes the stage with unusual objects: a Starbucks PS5, an AirPod gun or even Lamborghini portable toilets, sold for $ 6,500 on a website. auction of NFT (Non Fongible Tokens), these unique digital objects whose property sells for tens of millions of dollars on the web.

Because, make no mistake, the objective of these digital artists is to create a new market.

There are, of course, artificial intelligences with more consensual ideals.

Like those which made it possible to create new titles by Jimy Hendrix, Nirvana or Amy Winehouse to raise awareness of psychological health problems in the music industry.

But above all, AI makes it possible to realize the dream of any marketing manager: to create the perfect advertising medium to promote brands.

Companies around the world are making virtual influence their new holy grail.

And the world of music is no exception.

To promote FN Meka's next track, its producers will be able to count on virtual influencers.

A flawless influencer

In March 2021, the virtual influencer agency, Havah Studio unveiled the face of 19-year-old Yasmine Varma, the first French virtual influencer on Instagram.

Tired of redundant content on the social network, Felix Renout imagines an innovative concept to attract promoters.

In a few weeks, the young virtual woman counts more than 5,000 subscribers on her account and is canvassed by brands such as Pimkie or Jennyfer.

“The virtual influencer is a fairly original medium for a brand.

The advantage is that, unlike a classic influencer, you can better control your image and avoid, in the event of a scandal, damaging brands, ”Felix Renout explains to

20 Minutes

.

Another advantage: the costs.

Yasmine Varma was modeled in 3D using Facebook's “Reality Labs” AI.

"All the development was done in-house so it was completely free, whereas when you call on a celebrity, there are a lot of costs to take into account: hotel, transport, agency, etc.", adds Felix Renout.

The agency currently only has one influencer, but Felix Renout is already planning to develop more interactive content, especially on Tiktok.

“We would like to develop Yasmine Varma and eventually introduce other characters who will be slightly removed from the content of a lifestyle influencer.

Profiles of parents, fictional characters… for example, we think about it, ”says Felix Renout.

While waiting for an influencer who praises the music of FN Meka ...

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  • Culture

  • Hip-hop

  • Rap

  • By the Web

  • Artificial intelligence