
[From Ben Beaumont-Thomas at the Guardian]
New deal with estate clears path for raft of new projects featuring the late soul and R&B singer.
The late Whitney Houston is set to tour as a hologram, according to the company behind the postponed Amy Winehouse hologram tour.
In a statement, Base Hologram described the show as an “awe-inspiring live theatrical concert that will celebrate her amazing life, work and everlasting legacy”. It will feature Houston appearing as a 3D hologram, with recordings of her vocals backed by a live band. No dates or locations have been announced.
Pat Houston, the singer’s sister-in-law and president of her estate, said: “Whitney prided herself on her family and that included her fans. She adored her audiences and that’s why we know she would have loved this holographic theatrical concept.”
The show follows Base Hologram’s successful Roy Orbison hologram event, which toured the US and Europe in spring 2018; it is returning in October, pairing Orbison with a holographic Buddy Holly. The company also successfully staged a Maria Callas holographic tour in 2018. A rival company, Eyellusion, recently staged a well-received Frank Zappa hologram tour, and is about to launch one featuring a hologram of hard-rocker Ronnie James Dio, who died in 2010.
Base Hologram’s plans for a 2019 Amy Winehouse tour were postponed, after the company faced “unique challenges and sensitivities” in trying to replicate Winehouse in “the most celebratory and respectful way possible”.
The Houston estate has also partnered with Primary Wave Music Publishing to produce projects featuring the Houston name. The company hopes to put out an album featuring unreleased songs from her 1985 self-titled debut, and is in discussions about a Broadway musical and a Las Vegas show.
In 2012, Houston accidentally drowned in her bathtub; she had drugs including cocaine and Xanax in her system. A pair of recent documentaries, the authorised Whitney and Nick Broomfield’s Whitney: Can I Be Me, explored the singer’s troubled life. The film Whitney explored the accusation that she was sexually abused by her cousin Dee Dee Warwick as a child – a claim that Houston’s mother, Cissy Houston, denied, describing it as “rumour, innuendo and hearsay”.
In an interview with the New York Times, Pat Houston said: “Before [Whitney] passed, there was so much negativity around the name. It wasn’t about the music any more … It’s been quite emotional for the past seven years. But now it’s about being strategic.”
Lawrence Mestel of Primary Wave said that Houston’s name and likeness would be used sensitively: “We wouldn’t do a fast-food brand relationship.” The company has acquired the rights to other heritage artists, including Bob Marley, Smokey Robinson and Paul Anka. It is also planning a hologram tour of late Canadian pianist Glenn Gould with Eyellusion, despite Gould disliking live concerts.
Collecting or love Whitney Houston’s music? Find rare and out of print Vinyl Records & CDs here at eil.com
EIL.COM Favourite Music Update Rare CDs, CD Singles, Rare Records, Vinyl Records, Albums and Music
- Whitney Houston - Saving All My Love For You - UK - 12" vinyl - £9.99, $12.29, €11.29 (New Item) (arrived 26-Jan-2023 11:23)on February 1, 2023 at 10:03 pm
WHITNEY HOUSTON Saving All My Love For You (1985 UK 3-track 12" vinyl single, also including All At Once and Greatest Love Of All. The blue-tinted glossy picture sleeve shows just light shelfwear with some ringwear while the vinyl shows lightsigns of play with just minor paper hairlines visible ARIST12640)
- Whitney Houston - I'm Your Baby Tonight - EX - German - vinyl LP - £25.00, $30.75, €28.25 (New Item) (arrived 20-Jan-2023 14:25)on February 1, 2023 at 10:03 pm
WHITNEY HOUSTON I'm Your Baby Tonight (1990 German 11-track vinyl LP featuring the duet with Stevie Wonder 'We Didn't Know', complete with illustrated lyric inner, picture sleeve. The sleeve has some minor edge scuffing and the vinyl shows a few light surface scuffs - overall an excellent copy)
- Whitney Houston - Saving All My Love For You - UK - 7" vinyl - £6.99, $8.60, €7.90 (New Item) (arrived 20-Jan-2023 11:07)on February 1, 2023 at 10:03 pm
WHITNEY HOUSTON Saving All My Love For You (1985 UK injection moulded 7" vinyl single, also including All At Once, picture sleeve. The sleeve shows signs of shelfwear, whilst the vinyl shows signs of play ARIST640)
- Whitney Houston - Japanese Singles Collection - Greatest Hits - Sealed - Japanese - Blu-Spec CDS - £59.99, $73.79, €67.79 (New Item) (arrived 18-Jan-2023 10:32)on February 1, 2023 at 10:03 pm
WHITNEY HOUSTON Japanese Singles Collection - Greatest Hits (2020 Japanese exclusive limited edition 35-track Blu-Spec CD 2 [an audio Compact Disc format using Blu-Ray technology and playable on all CD players]. Featuring all the hits and more. This set also includes a bonus 33-track All Region NTSC DVD; housed in a fat double jewel case, with picture sleeve, lyrics, back inlay & obi-strip, still sealed from new in hype stickered shrink. This set also includes a bonus fold-out artworkposter SICP31591~3)
- Whitney Houston - Greatest Hits + Slipcase & Booklet - Japanese - 2-CD album set - £44.99, $55.34, €50.84 (New Item) (arrived 13-Jan-2023 09:51)on February 1, 2023 at 10:03 pm
WHITNEY HOUSTON Greatest Hits (2000 Japanese 35-track double CD compilation set comprising separate 'Cool Down' and 'Throwdown' collections of classic ballads & anthems alongside her R&B, Dancefloor hits and remixes; including the new track Could I Have That Kiss Forever [with Enrique Iglesias], If I Told You That [With George Michael], It's Not Right But It's Okay [Thunderpuss Mix], I Will Always Love You, Exhale [Shoop Shoop] and more. The two discs sit inside the slim-double jewel case with the booklet inlay containing song credits and liner notes plus the limited edition outer slipcase picture sleeve complete with the extenisve English / Japanese lyric booklet)
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