Have Hatsune Miku Perform for the Super Bowl Halftime Show

February 8, 2016

Roger Goodell
National Football League
280 Park Avenue
Suite 12
New York, NY 10017-1216
USA

Dear Mr. Roger Goodell

I am contacting you today to talk to you about the possibility of including a certain unique and popular musician as a performer during a future Super Bowl halftime show. Typically, the Super Bowl halftime show has consisted of famous and popular musicians such as Beyoncé, Cold Play, Katy Perry, Bruno Mars, Black Eyed Peas, and Destiny's Child just to name a few. One of the benefits of conducting a Super Bowl halftime show is that it allows us to create a symbolic time capsule each year of the type of music that appeals to humanity in the present. In addition, the halftime show is famous for having extravagant visuals, which over the years have ranged from light shows to fireworks to giant animatronics to dancing men in shark costumes. However, as each year passes, it has become observed that the halftime shows are frequently met with criticisms. These criticisms and issues include, but are not limited to, performers having wardrobe malfunctions, the costumes being too gaudy, the special effects being too strange or over the top, and performances being overly sexual or inappropriate for younger viewers. One major complaint is that the performances offer little variety and do not bring anything new to the table. It is this final complaint that makes it apparent that the next Super Bowl halftime show needs a performer that not only offers a new experience to the viewers, but can act as a new standard for pushing the boundaries of what the Super Bowl halftime show can do. That is why it is proposed that for the future Super Bowl halftime show, the NFL should have international music sensation Hatsune Miku perform.

Hatsune Miku is not your typical celebrity. She is a computer-generated musician that utilizes singing voice synthesizers such as Vocaloid 2 and Vocaloid 3, which are developed by Crypton Future Media. Using voice samples from Japanese voice actress Saki Fujita, through these voice synthesizers the resulting voice is then personified as a humanoid character around the age of sixteen years old with long turquoise hair known as Hatsune Miku. Miku does not exclusively exist inside the computer however. Since 2009, several concerts or live performances have taken place using Vocaloid software with Hatsune Miku front and center. Miku starts as a 2D image, rendered onto the stage using computer generated graphics projected onto a screen, thus giving the illusion that she is actually on stage. Performing on the stage with Miku is a live band as well as back-up dancers in some cases. Miku has had a string of very successful international live tours in locations such as Japan, China, Singapore, Indonesia, South Korea, Taiwan, and even the United States. In 2014, Hatsune Miku opened for Lady Gaga and made news later that same year when she performed on the Late Show with David Letterman. In 2016, Hatsune Miku will be performing a North American concert tour across the United States, Canada, and Mexico called the Hatsune Miku Expo.

Because Hatsune Miku is a computer generated Pop star, she is almost completely free of controversy. There is no risk whatsoever of Miku having a wardrobe malfunction. There is no risk of Miku dressing, singing, or behaving in a way that is inappropriate for younger viewers. By allowing Miku to perform during the Superbowl halftime show, younger viewers will be drawn to her cute and cartoonish appearance while older viewers will be entertained by the sophisticated technology that gives Miku her life-like appearance on stage. Being completely computer generated does not limit her capabilities as a performer, but instead greatly enhances them. Because everything in the performance is computer generated, there is absolutely no limit to the extravagance of the special effects that could appear during the halftime show, and she can do performances that could normally go beyond the human limit, ensuring that the performance is giving its 100% every single time. In addition, including Miku in the halftime show may attract viewers who normally do not care for football, but care for Miku and the Vocaloid software, thus increasing ratings. As the Super Bowl passes its 50th year, the NFL needs to show that it is willing to evolve and reach out to new, exciting, and unique talents. Having a computer generated musician will show the American people that as the Super Bowl enters the future, it is willing to embrace all forms of future technology to ensure that it puts on the best show that it possibly can for its viewers. Humanity has already shown that it is willing to embrace virtual musicians. In the past, there have been holographic performances done by late musicians such as Tupac Shakur, Eazy-E, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, and Michael Jackson. If humanity can embrace these virtual musicians, then Hatsune Miku should be given the chance to amaze audiences as well. It will also show that the NFL is willing to open its door not only to a more technological experience, but a cultural experience as well since Hatsune Miku has been able to top music charts all across Asia, especially in Japan. If enough support is shown, the American people may have the opportunity to experience a technological and cultural marvel of a Superbowl halftime show that will be talked about for years to come, all thanks to the Vocaloid software and Hatsune Miku.

Thank you for taking time to read my suggestion of having Hatsune Miku perform during a future Super Bowl halftime show, and I hope that said suggestion is taken into serious consideration.