Donny Osmond uses AI to sing with his 14-year-old self

Some stars walk their careers protecting the mentation of themselves that archetypal made them famous. Donny Osmond took the other path. He built a vocation by evolving with the times and past kept going. Today, successful his Las Vegas residency astatine Harrah's, the legendary entertainer performs a duet with a integer mentation of his 14-year-old self, the aforesaid teenage Donny who captured hearts decades agone with hits similar "Puppy Love."

The infinitesimal feels astir surreal connected stage. Yet it besides reflects thing deeper astir Osmond's career. Instead of resisting exertion oregon relying lone connected nostalgia, helium has embraced caller tools that let him to reinterpret his ain past successful beforehand of a unrecorded audience. That willingness to experimentation with exertion has helped him stay applicable for much than six decades successful entertainment.

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Why Donny Osmond inactive connects with audiences

There is simply a crushed Donny Osmond inactive matters to aggregate generations. Older fans cognize the teen idol who broke retired with songs similar "Puppy Love." Others cognize him from Donny & Marie. Theater fans retrieve "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." Younger audiences whitethorn cognize him arsenic the singing dependable of Captain Shang successful Disney's "Mulan." Then determination are world TV fans who saw him triumph Dancing With the Stars oregon conscionable him again connected The Masked Singer.

That scope gives him thing uncommon successful entertainment. He does not beryllium to conscionable 1 era. He belongs to several. And alternatively of resisting that, helium leans into it. Technology present plays a relation successful that transportation arsenic well.

How Donny Osmond brought his younger aforesaid backmost to the stage

Osmond explained the thought erstwhile helium sat down with maine for my "Beyond Connected" podcast. The conception really began decades agone erstwhile helium started imagining what aboriginal exertion mightiness marque possible. "Even erstwhile I was a teenager, I thought someday there's going to beryllium exertion wherever John Wayne could beryllium Obi-Wan Kenobi. And I was right!" Osmond said.

That long-held fascination yet led him to a elemental question. "Why can't I sing 'Puppy Love' with my 14-year-old aforesaid connected stage?" Osmond said. The reply progressive combining respective forms of integer production, AI modeling and signifier design.

"The look is really my 14-year-old look taken from pictures, the dependable is my dependable from interviews erstwhile I was 14, and the assemblage is my 14-year-old grandson," Osmond said. The effect is simply a show wherever 2 versions of Donny Osmond look to stock the signifier astatine the aforesaid time.

It is not a hologram, it is thing called a hollow box

Many radical presume the younger Donny is simply a hologram. Osmond said that is not the case. "It's not a projection, similar a laser projection. It's not similar a hologram. It's a wholly antithetic technology," Osmond explained.

Instead, the illusion relies connected a portion of signifier exertion known arsenic a hollow box. The operation is built into the acceptable and designed to look similar a vintage signaling booth connected stage. Inside that space, precocious ocular systems harvester CGI, AI modeling and signifier lighting to make the integer representation of the younger Donny truthful it appears full-size and three-dimensional.

The effect blends archived photos, computer-generated animation and dependable samples from Osmond's aboriginal interviews to recreate his teenage likeness. His grandson provides the carnal assemblage question utilized to animate the performance. Standing conscionable inches distant from the illusion, Osmond tin look straight astatine his younger aforesaid portion singing. From the audience's perspective, it appears arsenic if the 2 performers are sharing the signifier face-to-face successful existent time.

Even aft performing the series nighttime aft night, Osmond said the acquisition inactive surprises him. "I bash it each night, and it ne'er gets old. It's similar looking successful the reflector 54 years ago," Osmond said. For longtime fans, the infinitesimal connects the teenage prima they retrieve with the seasoned performer helium is today. The ocular opposition tells the communicative of a vocation that has spanned generations.

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Behind the scenes, Osmond’s grandson performs the assemblage movements utilized to animate the integer mentation of the teenage Donny seen successful the Las Vegas show. (Donny Osmond)

Donny Osmond has ever been fascinated with technology

One of the astir astonishing parts of my speech with Donny is that helium does not dependable similar a personage who was dragged into modern tech. He sounds similar the kid who would person loved being dropped into a shaper lab. "Ever since I was a teenager, I've ever been benignant of a geek oregon nerd astir method things," Osmond said.

That curiosity inactive drives him today. He studies the tools down his signifier accumulation and experiments with caller ways to support the amusement fresh. In galore ways, exertion has go different originative instrument.

Donny Osmond's favourite app mightiness astonishment you

When I asked Donny which apps helium uses the most, the reply revealed a antithetic broadside of the performer. "I'd person to say, uh, Google Sheets because, uh, I've created algorithms," Osmond said.

He enjoys gathering elaborate spreadsheets and analyzing data. His telephone of prime is simply a foldable instrumentality that allows him to presumption larger spreadsheets easily. Osmond besides embraces connected information technology. He said helium uses cameras and astute alarm systems to show his homes, dressing country and different properties truthful helium ever knows what is happening astir him.

For idiosyncratic known astir the satellite arsenic a vocalist and performer, it is an unexpectedly method hobby.

Donny Osmond sees some the committedness and risks of AI

Artificial quality has sparked statement crossed music, movie and media. Some artists interest astir misuse oregon losing power of their dependable and likeness. Osmond takes a balanced view. "Any exertion enactment successful the incorrect hands tin crook into nefarious things, but look astatine the bully it tin do," Osmond said.

From medicine to entertainment, helium believes AI has the imaginable to thrust large advances. "What a large clip to beryllium live with today's technology. It's astonishing to ticker it each hap successful existent time," Osmond said. At the aforesaid time, helium believes nine indispensable enactment engaged with technological advancement alternatively than fearfulness it. "If we tally distant from technology, different countries and different radical are going to beryllium mode up of us," Osmond said.

Speaking of technology, Osmond says his euphony whitethorn already person made it into space. During our conversation, helium said 1 of his songs was reportedly utilized to trial the dependable strategy connected a spacecraft capsule. "They really utilized my opus 'Start Again' from my latest medium to trial the dependable strategy connected 1 of the capsules," Osmond said.

He past mentioned different communicative helium has heard galore times implicit the years. "When they went to the satellite successful the Apollo missions, and we did spell to the moon, by the way, they took a portion of euphony with them. And connected that euphony is Andy Williams singing 'Aquarius.' I'm singing inheritance vocals connected that song. They near the portion connected the moon. My dependable is sitting connected the moon."

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Donny Osmond headlines his long-running residency astatine Harrah's Las Vegas, wherever the amusement present features an AI-powered duet with his teenage self. (Donny Osmond)

Social media would person changed the aboriginal Donny Osmond years

Osmond besides reflected connected however today's integer platforms mightiness person changed his aboriginal career. "Can you ideate what I could person done during the 'Puppy Love' years with societal media?" Osmond said.

At the tallness of his teen idol fame, fans lined up extracurricular tv studios and concerts hoping to drawback a glimpse of him. Today, that benignant of transportation often happens done societal platforms and integer communities. It is 1 much illustration of however exertion has reshaped the amusement industry.

A vocation that continues to evolve

Donny Osmond archetypal roseate to fame performing with his brothers arsenic portion of the Osmonds. The household radical became a tv sensation successful the precocious 1960s and aboriginal 1970s with appearances connected shows similar "The Andy Williams Show." Soon after, his sister Marie stepped into the spotlight, and the 2 became household names with their deed assortment bid "Donny & Marie." Decades later, the siblings reunited for a highly palmy Las Vegas residency that ran for much than a decade.

Over the years, Osmond has released dozens of albums, starred successful tv shows, performed connected Broadway and built a long-running Las Vegas career. Today, helium headlines his ain residency astatine Harrah's Las Vegas, wherever helium performs respective nights a week. The amusement has been extended done May 2026, a testament to its continued popularity with audiences. Many younger fans present observe Osmond done societal media clips, streaming platforms and unrecorded performances successful Las Vegas.

Technology present plays a relation successful however helium connects with fans arsenic well. Osmond keeps fans connected done the Donny app (donnyosmondapp.com), which brings unneurotic news, videos, circuit updates and a timeline of his vocation successful 1 place. Fans tin besides find tickets, amusement accusation and updates astatine Donny.com, the authoritative website helium referenced during our interview. By blending nostalgia with modern technology, Osmond continues to scope fans crossed generations portion pushing his amusement into caller territory.

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Kurt's cardinal takeaways

Donny Osmond's vocation is impervious that curiosity tin support an creator moving forward. Instead of resisting change, helium continues exploring the exertion that's shaping our satellite today. From AI signifier performances to data-driven apps and astute location systems, Osmond approaches exertion with the aforesaid enthusiasm helium brings to performing. Be definite to perceive to oregon ticker the "Beyond Connected" speech with Donny Osmond to perceive much astir however helium blends amusement and technology.

If you could usage AI to conscionable a younger mentation of yourself, what would you inquire them? Let america cognize by penning to america astatine Cyberguy.com.

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