September 25, 2024 | 3:32pm
MANILA, Philippines — Hip-hop group The Black Eyed Peas will have its 2025 Las Vegas residency with a “new member” made from artificial intelligence.
The Black Eyed Peas is currently composed of will.i.am, Taboo, and Filipino-Americans apl.de.ap and J. Rey Soul.
But when they hit Vegas’ Planet Hollywood next year, the four will be accompanied by an AI program called “Vida,” which means “life” in Spanish.
In an interview with USA Today, will.i.am said the group predicted having an AI member in their 2009 “The E.N.D.” album with the avatar personality in the video and the character on their album cover.
“When I was running around the projects as a kid in L.A. and Apl was running around in the Philippines, to think that we would have the first AI member of a globally recognized urban pop-hip-hop group … man,” will.i.am added.
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He clarified that Vida is not a hologram as people can people can engage and communicate with Vida, “Our member of the group will be patched into every band member, stage hands and the audience, if they want to engage with her.”
Will.i.am said Vida will have songs with him, Taboo, and J. Rey, making it an interactive experience all around.
While compared Vida to a Disneyland ride, the rapper-producer shared the ultimate inspiration for Vida was Taylor Swift and her “Eras” tour.
“I was blown away. I haven’t been this inspired in so [expletive] long. That’s when I said, ‘I need to start dreaming and go to work’,” said the singer who watched Taylor’s “Eras” leg in Milan, Italy, and even called her an “empress.”
He teased that after Las Vegas, the show with Vida could head to Broadway or the West End.
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