is a song recorded by Japanese recording artist
Minmi
Michiko Evwana (born December 8, 1974), better known by her stage name , is a Japanese hip-hop and reggae musician,, United Daily News (in Chinese), August 22, 2008 as well as a singer-songwriter and record producer. She is the first soca ar ...
, taken from her seventh studio album ''Ego'' (2015). It was made available for digital download and physical consumption on June 10, 2015 through Universal J—a subsidiary label owned by Universal Music Japan—as her third stand-alone single. "Hologram" marks Minmi's second consecutive recording after "Ite Itai yo" to have been written, composed, arranged, and produced by herself. Musically, the song was described by a critic at Selective Hearing as a transition from her signature
reggae music
Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use the ...
styles to
electronic dance music, whilst retaining musical elements of
dancehall music
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The R ...
.
Upon its release, the single received generally positive reviews from
music critics
Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...
. Some pointed out the track as a highlight from the album, whilst acclaiming the song's composition. Minor criticism was outspoken towards the application of
Auto-Tune
Auto-Tune (or autotune) is an audio processor introduced in 1996 by American company Antares Audio Technologies. Auto-Tune uses a proprietary device to measure and alter pitch in vocal and instrumental music recording and performances.
Auto-Tu ...
to her vocals. Commercially, it under-performed in Japan, stalling at number 116 for a sole week on the
Oricon Singles Chart, marking her lowest-selling release in that region. To promote the single, it was used for Japanese
anime
is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...
television series ''Jitsu wa Watashi wa'' (2015). Additionally, she appeared on Japanese music television shows ''Count Down TV'' and ''Refreshing!'', with her as well performing the track at the 2016 Freedom Aozora concert venue.
Background, composition and release
In June 2016, it was confirmed through Anime News Network that
Minmi
Michiko Evwana (born December 8, 1974), better known by her stage name , is a Japanese hip-hop and reggae musician,, United Daily News (in Chinese), August 22, 2008 as well as a singer-songwriter and record producer. She is the first soca ar ...
would release a new song titled "Hologram", which would serve as a featured track for the first season of Japanese anime television series, ''Actually, I Am…'' (Japanese: ''Jitsu wa Watashi wa'') (2015). "Hologram" marks Minmi's second consecutive single to have been written, composed, arranged, and produced by herself, following her 2014 single "Ite Itai yo".
Musically, it was pointed out by a writer for Selective Hearing as a transition from her signature
reggae music
Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use the ...
styles from previous releases to
dance-pop and
electronic dance music, whilst retaining musical elements of
dancehall music.
It also incorporates
synthesizers and
keyboards
Keyboard may refer to:
Text input
* Keyboard, part of a typewriter
* Computer keyboard
** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping
** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware
Music
* Musi ...
in its instrumentation, with Minmi's vocals being processed with
Auto-Tune
Auto-Tune (or autotune) is an audio processor introduced in 1996 by American company Antares Audio Technologies. Auto-Tune uses a proprietary device to measure and alter pitch in vocal and instrumental music recording and performances.
Auto-Tu ...
and
vocoder
A vocoder (, a portmanteau of ''voice'' and ''encoder'') is a category of speech coding that analyzes and synthesizes the human voice signal for audio data compression, multiplexing, voice encryption or voice transformation.
The vocoder was ...
pyrotechnics.
"Hologram" was released as the singer's third stand-alone digital single on June 10, 2015 through Universal J, a subsidiary label owned by Universal Music Japan; its artwork featured blue, purple, pink and green confetti.
The label distributed the recording for physical consumption as a DVD and CD in Japan, with a digital EP being made available in several other territories. All formats included the original mix of the single, with the addition of B-side track "#Yaccahaina" in collaboration with Japanese performer Mary Jane. The DVD release incorporated Minmi performing "Hologram" live at the 2014 Freedom Aozora concert venue.
The accompanying cover sleeve for all three formats portrayed a pink-haired Minmi surrounded by digitally-superimposed confetti.
Reception
Upon its release, the single received positive reviews from
music critics
Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...
.
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
's Adam Greenberg, who contributed to Mimni's biography on the website, cited the track as one of her best works. In a similar review, ''CD Journal'' staff members pointed out "Hologram" as a highlight from her album ''Ego''.
Another critic from the same publication commended Minmi's transition to electronic dance music, labeling the recording's production as "bold" and "spacey". The review further acclaimed the singer's vocals and songwriting on the single.
An editor from Selective Hearing enjoyed the track, concluding that, "In the end this is a slight deviation from Minmi's typical releases, but it's also refreshing to hear her branch a little bit." However, the publication negatively perceived the overuse of Auto-tune in the track and felt the corresponding B-side songs were better than the single.
Commercially, "Hologram" under-performed in Japan. It debuted at number 116 for a sole week on the
Oricon Singles Chart, marking Minmi's lowest-charting release since "La La La (Ai no Uta)" (2012), which peaked at number 58.
As of July 2016, it is her lowest-selling single according to
Oricon Style
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in Nov ...
's database.
Music video and promotion
An accompanying music video for "Hologram" was directed by Hideharu Ueki.
It opens with a woman walking down a beach front, with her subsequently holding and letting go of her
bikini
A bikini is a two-piece swimsuit primarily worn by women that features two triangles of fabric on top that cover the breasts, and two triangles of fabric on the bottom: the front covering the pelvis but exposing the navel, and the back coverin ...
strap by the pre-chorus. Over the rest of the visual, she is portrayed being engaged alone or with a man in the water or playing around the beach shore; several of the scenes repeat throughout the music video. The clip appeared on the DVD version of its parent album, ''Ego''. To promote the single, it was used for Japanese
anime
is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...
television series ''Jitsu wa Watashi wa'' (2015). She also appeared on the Japanese television music shows ''Count Down TV'' and ''Refreshing!'' to perform the song, alongside providing an interview in each show. Minmi subsequently performed "Hologram" live at the 2016 Freedom Aozona concert venue; various other Japanese acts, such as Scandal and 10-Feet, were present at the venue.
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from the CD liner notes of "Hologram".
;Management
*Management done by record label Universal J.
;Credits
*
Minmi
Michiko Evwana (born December 8, 1974), better known by her stage name , is a Japanese hip-hop and reggae musician,, United Daily News (in Chinese), August 22, 2008 as well as a singer-songwriter and record producer. She is the first soca ar ...
– lead vocals, producing, composing, songwriting, mixing, arranging
*Mary Jane – featured artist, backing vocals
*Hideharu Ueki – music video director
Track list and formats
All lyrics written by Minmi.
Charts
Release history
References
External links
"Hologram"at Minmi's official website.
"Hologram"profile at
Oricon Style
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in Nov ...
.
{{authority control
2015 singles
2015 songs
Anime songs
Japanese-language songs