Lil Nas X will perform his new single in a live, motion-captured Roblox concert
- Lil Nas X announced on Tuesday that he would hold a virtual concert in Roblox, a video game platform popular among kids and teenagers.
- The event will begin just a day after Lil Nas X releases his new single, "Holiday," on November 13, and he'll perform it for the first time in Roblox.
- Virtual concerts in video games like "Fortnite" and Roblox have become increasingly popular in recent months — rapper Travis Scott played a virtual concert in "Fortnite" that drew in over 12 million viewers.
Lil Nas X, the musician best known for his 2019 single "Old Town Road," is going to perform his new single "Holiday" for the first time during a virtual concert held in the video game Roblox on November 14 and 15. The Verge reported that the concert will feature motion-capture technology that will allow a Lil Nas X avatar to perform his greatest hits on stage in the game.
Lil Nas X announced the upcoming concert experience on Tuesday morning on Twitter, accompanied by a flashy teaser video that appears to use a snippet of Lil Nas X's upcoming single "Holiday," which is set to be released this Friday, November 13.
"I've been working hard with Roblox to create this incredible VIRTUAL LIVE CONCERT EXPERIENCE!" Lil Nas X wrote in the caption of the tweet. "WE GOT VIDEOS & A PERFORMANCE you don't want to miss coming this weekend!"
Roblox is one of the biggest video games in the world with over 150 million players (mostly kids and teens) logging on each month, The Verge reported. For many, it's a kind of social network as well, where players can hang out in different games and even develop their own. The platform has been pushing into musical events recently too — a September virtual concert in the game from pop star Ava Max drew in 1.156 million unique viewers.
According to the event's page on the Roblox website, Lil Nas X's upcoming concert will take place during three separate sessions: November 14 at 4:00 p.m. ET and 1:00 a.m. ET and November 15 at 12:00 p.m. ET.
The event also includes a pre-show on Friday, November 13 at 4 p.m. PT/7 p.m. ET that will include behind-the-scenes footage of the making of the concert along with a Q&A session. Players will also be able to participate in a scavenger hunt with the chance to unlock an exclusive Lil Nas X emote.
The Verge reported that the concert will feature a motion-captured Lil Nas X avatar that will perform hits including his newest single, "Holiday," on an in-game stage. The venue itself, which is currently open for exploring and was designed to feature aspects of the artist's persona, features opportunities to answer trivia questions about Lil Nas X and his music, earn hidden tokens, and purchase in-game merch.
While many artists have performed virtual concerts in recent years and over the course of the pandemic, some of music's biggest names are turning to video game platforms like Roblox and "Fortnite" to host elaborate concert events. Rapper Travis Scott put on a visually stunning virtual concert in 'Fortnite' earlier this year that drew in an audience of over 12 million live viewers. In May, a four-piece indie band called Courier Club organized Block By Blockwest, an immersive music festival featuring bands like Idles, The Wrecks, and Sir Sly that was held entirely in Minecraft with the support of DigitalOcean and Cloudflare.
With stages, merch, and digital spaces all tied to Lil Nas X's persona and music, this concert is sure to be an immersive experience.
- Read more:
- Artists are playing live concerts from their homes amid the coronavirus outbreak — here's how to watch the best ones
- K-pop groups are providing immersive virtual concerts for fans in quarantine, including AR golden dragons and big-display live cheering sections
- Inside the immersive Minecraft music festival that could set a precedent for the future of live entertainment
- Travis Scott's 'Fortnite' concert was the game's most visually impressive event to date