Miquela

Last updated

Miquela
Personal information
Born
Los Angeles, California, United States
NationalityBrazilian-American (fictional)
Occupation(s)Social Media Personality, Singer, Digital Art Model
Instagram information
Years active2016–present
Genre(s)Pop, R&B, Electronic
Followers1 million+ (as of 2018). [1]


Miquela Sousa, also called Lil Miquela, or known mononymously by the stage name Miquela, is a fictional American character, singer and social media personality created by Trevor McFedries and Sara DeCou. [2] The character was created as a 20-year-old girl of Brazilian-American heritage. The character began in 2016 as an Instagram profile that details a fictional narrative which presents Miquela as a CGI character and model in conflict with other digital projects while marketing a variety of brands, primarily in fashion. [3] Miquela has been featured in product endorsements for streetwear and luxury brands such as Calvin Klein and Prada. The account gained more than a million followers within its first two years. [1]

Contents

Origins and career

The fictional character is a teenage Instagram model from Downey, California. [4] Her first Instagram post was made on April 23, 2016. British model Emily Bador was rumored to be Miquela; Bador has denied managing the account but openly acknowledged the physical similarity between herself and the character. [5] In April 2018, a second, similar character known as Bermuda "hacked" into the Miquela account, deleted all photos of Miquela and replaced them with photos of the Bermuda character. Miquela and Bermuda were then revealed to both be characters created by Brud, a Los Angeles-based startup led by McFedries and Decou. [6]

The character has been pictured with a number of celebrities including Diplo, [7] Molly Soda, [8] Millie Bobby Brown, [9] Nile Rodgers, [10] Samantha Urbani, [11] 50 Cent, Tracee Ellis Ross and Pabllo Vittar. [12] She has been interviewed in a number of publications including Refinery29, [13] Vogue , [14] BuzzFeed , [15] Nylon , [16] The Guardian , [17] Business of Fashion, [18] and The Cut . [2] She appeared on the cover of Highsnobiety in April 2018. [19] She has also been featured in the magazines Paper and V . [20] [21] During 2019 Coachella, Miquela interviewed Colombian singer J Balvin, and took a picture with Spanish singer Rosalía. [22] [23]

In 2020, Miquela "consciously uncoupled" from her "human" boyfriend as a part of the storyline. [2]

Fashion collaborations

In February 2018, the character did an Instagram takeover for Prada as part of Milan Fashion Week. [24] On May 16, she did a Calvin Klein ad with Bella Hadid, in which both were animated, in addition to a collaboration with Samsung. [25] [26] That year, Miquela was hired as a contributing arts editor to the magazine Dazed . [27] In 2020, Miquela became the first digital avatar to sign with a talent agency when a contract was signed with CAA—becoming its first virtual client. [28] [29] It was discovered at the time that Miquela had previously been represented by WME. [28]

Controversies

After Miquela appeared on a Calvin Klein commercial kissing the real celebrity Bella Hadid in May 2019, they received backlash after kissing in the video, being accused of using their sexuality to artificially increase their views. [25] In December 2019, the fictional character described "her" sexual assault on YouTube. [30] [31] American singer Kehlani called out Miquela on Twitter for being "ignorantly offensive". [32] This aspect of her backstory positioned the Miquela character as a social justice activist, which generated criticism given her use as a marketing tool. [33]

Discography

Singles

TitleYearAlbum
"Not Mine"2017Non-album singles
"Over You"
"You Should Be Alone"2018
"Hate Me (with Baauer)"
"Right Back"2019
"Sleeping In"
"Money"
"Wasted"
"Automatic"
"Speak Up"2020
"Machine (featuring. Teyana Taylor)"
"#MiquelaCovers"
"Hard Feelings"
"Masterpiece"2022

Guest appearances

TitleArtistYearAlbum
"Sims (Miquela Remix)" Lauv 2019 How I'm Feeling (The Extras)

Music career

Trevor McFedries, a cofounder of Brud, is a music producer and DJed known as Yung Skeeter. [2] The use of Miquela as a virtual musician has been compared to Gorillaz and Hatsune Miku. [4] In August 2017, Miquela released its first single, "Not Mine". [34] The Miquela character has released several singles since its debut with "Not Mine", including "You Should be Alone", "Over You", "Right Back", and a collaboration with Baauer titled "Hate Me". It released two new singles on July 31 called "Money" and "Sleeping In".

Social impact

In June 2018, Miquela was named one of Time’s 25 Most Influential People on the Internet along with fellow fashion peers DietPrada (duo composed of Lindsey Schuyler and Tony Liu) and celebrated musicians Rihanna and BTS. [35]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amber Valletta</span> American supermodel and actress (born 1974)

Amber Evangeline Valletta is an American model and actress. She began her career as a fashion model, landing her first of 17 American Vogue covers in February 1993. During the 1990s, Valletta reached the status of supermodel, working as the face of Giorgio Armani, Chanel, Escada, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Valentino, Gucci and Versace, and signing multimillion-dollar cosmetics contracts with Calvin Klein and Elizabeth Arden. From 1995 to 1996, Valletta and her friend and fellow model Shalom Harlow hosted the MTV show House of Style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jenny Shimizu</span> American model and actress (born 1967)

Jenny Lynn Shimizu is an American model and actress.

Raf Jan Simons is a Belgian fashion designer. Beginning in furniture design, Simons launched his own menswear label in 1995. He was creative director at Jil Sander (2005–2012), Christian Dior (2012–2015), and Calvin Klein (2016–2018). As of 1 April 2020, he is the co-creative director of Prada, in partnership with Miuccia Prada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iselin Steiro</span> Norwegian model

Iselin Vollen Steiro is a Norwegian model.

Alison F. Stephens is an American model.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toni Garrn</span> German fashion model (born 1992)

Antonia Garrn is a German model. She rose to prominence in the fashion industry after signing an exclusive contract with Calvin Klein in 2008. She is the wife of British actor Alex Pettyfer, with whom she has a daughter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kendall Jenner</span> American model and media personality (born 1995)

Kendall Nicole Jenner is an American model, media personality, and socialite. She rose to fame in the reality television show Keeping Up with the Kardashians, in which she starred for 20 seasons and nearly 15 years from 2007 to 2021. The success of the show led to the creation of multiple spin-off series including Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami (2009), Kourtney and Kim Take New York (2011), Khloé & Lamar (2011), Rob & Chyna (2016) and Life of Kylie (2017). Following the decision to end their reality show, in 2022 she and her family starred in the reality television series The Kardashians on Hulu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trevor McFedries</span> American musician

Trevor McFedries, is a musician who worked as a DJ, producer, and director for acts including Ke$ha, Azealia Banks, Katy Perry, Chris Brown, Steve Aoki, and others. He toured alongside Katy Perry on her 2011 California Dreams Tour. McFedries has also performed at music festivals Lollapalooza and Coachella, served as an entrepreneur-in-residence at Bad Robot, and was an early employee at Spotify. He is the co-founder and CEO of technology startup Brud and the creator of virtual pop star Lil Miquela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vanessa Axente</span> Hungarian fashion model

Vanessa Axente is a Hungarian fashion model.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gigi Hadid</span> American model (born 1995)

Jelena Noura "Gigi" Hadid is an American fashion model and television personality. In 2016, she was named International Model of the Year by the British Fashion Council. Throughout her career, Hadid has made at least 50 appearances in international Vogue. Models.com ranks her as one of the "New Supers." Since 2017, Hadid has been one of the highest-paid models in the world, earning $20 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bella Hadid</span> American fashion model (born 1996)

Isabella Khair Hadid is an American fashion model. Throughout her career, Hadid, has made 35 appearances on international Vogue covers. In 2022, she was named Model of the Year by the British Fashion Council. Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world on its annual list in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tommy Genesis</span> Canadian rapper

Genesis Yasmine Mohanraj, known by her stage name Tommy Genesis, is a Canadian rapper and model. In 2016, Dazed magazine described her as "the internet's most rebellious underground rap queen". Her music incorporates experimental style and often sexual verses. Her debut album titled Tommy Genesis was released in November 2018. Her second album Goldilocks X was released in September 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adut Akech</span> South Sudanese-Australian model (born 1999)

Adut Akech Bior is a South Sudanese-Australian model. Akech made her fashion week runway debut as an exclusive in the Saint Laurent S/S 17 show and went on to close both their F/W 17 and S/S 18 shows as an exclusive. In 2018, she was chosen as "Model of the Year" by models.com, an honour which was repeated the next year. Models.com includes Akech in its list of the "New Supers."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anok Yai</span> American fashion model

Anok Yai is an American fashion model. She is the first model of South Sudanese descent and the second black supermodel after Naomi Campbell to open a Prada show. She has made several appearances on i-D and international Vogue covers, including American Vogue three times. Models.com ranks her as one of the "New Supers" of this generation, and since 2023, she was chosen by both the industry and fans as "Model of the Year" and USA Top Model 2024.

Roos Jasmijn Abels is a Dutch fashion model. She debuted as a Prada exclusive. At a young age, 14 years old, she courted controversy as to whether models under 16 should be allowed on the runway. She is ranked as a "Money Girl" on models.com. Vogue has compared her to top models Caroline Trentini, Natalia Vodianova, Gemma Ward, and Jessica Stam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laith Ashley</span> Model, actor, activist, singer-songwriter and entertainer

Laith Ashley De La Cruz is an American model, actor, activist, singer-songwriter and entertainer of Dominican descent.

Shudu Gram is a computer generated social media personality and model, a "virtual influencer". The character is considered the world's first digital supermodel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rebecca Leigh Longendyke</span> American fashion model from Hurley, New York

Rebecca Leigh Longendyke is an American fashion model. She has appeared on the cover of Vogue Italia three times and on the cover of Vogue Paris once.

Alyssa Fatou Traoré is a Dutch fashion model. She was one of the first people discovered via IMG Models' "We Love Your Genes" initiative.

Cato van Ee is a Dutch-American fashion model.

References

  1. 1 2 "Instagram's Latest 'It' Model Is Confusing The Hell Out Of Everyone". The Huffington Post. 2 September 2016. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Petrarca, Emilia (11 May 2018). "Lil Miquela's Body Con Job". The Cut. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  3. ↑ Koh, Yoree; Wells, Georgia (13 December 2018). "The Making of a Computer-Generated Influencer". WSJ. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  4. 1 2 "Virtual It-Singer Miquela Says 'Controversy Doesn't Mean Anything': Interview". Billboard. 13 September 2017. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  5. ↑ Foiret, Cyril (23 January 2019). "The New Trend of 3D Avatars are taking over Instagram". Trendland. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  6. ↑ Shieber, Jonathan (24 April 2018). "The makers of the virtual influencer, Lil Miquela, snag real money from Silicon Valley". TechCrunch. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  7. ↑ Kulp, Patrick (5 October 2018). "Computer-Generated Influencer Calls Out Her Haters in New Music Video". www.adweek.com. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  8. ↑ "Lil Miquela: Confusing the hell out of everyone". HS Insider. 8 May 2018. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  9. ↑ Phillips, Hedy (10 December 2020). "Miquela". Euphoria. Magazine. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  10. ↑ Staff, Wonderland (27 June 2018). "Lil Miquela | Wonderland Magazine". Wonderland. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  11. ↑ JONES, DAISY (5 April 2018). "Meet Miquela: An Instagram Model With 800k Followers – & No Soul". www.refinery29.com. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  12. ↑ "Pabllo Vittar posa com influencer virtual Miquela Sousa". Glamour (in Brazilian Portuguese). 29 October 2020. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  13. ↑ Jones, Daisy (10 April 2018). "Why We Follow Lil Miquela, The Instagram Model With 900K Followers & No Soul". Refinery29.
  14. ↑ Chang, Eric (17 August 2017). "@lilmiquela Is a Social Media Superstar With a Brand New Single—She's Also a Digital Simulation". Vogue.
  15. ↑ Widdoes, Adriana (27 April 2018). "Is Virtual Instagram Star Lil Miquela Magic, Or Just Marketing?". BuzzFeed News.
  16. ↑ Yashari, Leora (29 January 2018). "Lil Miquela Is a Virtual Artist Who Is Blurring the Boundaries of Identity". Nylon.
  17. ↑ Marriott, Hannah (27 February 2018). "Miquela the 'cyborg' and handbag drones – Milan fashion week's weird vision of the future". The Guardian.
  18. ↑ Morency, Christopher (5 February 2018). "Meet Fashion's First Computer-Generated Influencer". The Business of Fashion.
  19. ↑ Eror, Aleks (2 May 2018). "Lil Miquela: the AI Star on the Cover of Highsnobiety Issue 16". Highsnobiety. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  20. ↑ Weiss, Alex (5 December 2017). "Lil Miquela: (Cyber) Girl of the 21st Century". PAPER.
  21. ↑ Mischianti, Lisa (8 March 2018). "Lil Miquela Is the Face of New Age Logomania". V Magazine.
  22. ↑ "CGI Influencer Lil Miquela Just Interviewed J Balvin at Coachella". Hypebae. 15 April 2019. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  23. ↑ "Rosalía hace una nueva amiga en Coachella: Lil Miquela". Harper's BAZAAR (in European Spanish). 17 April 2019. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  24. ↑ Marriott, Hannah (27 February 2018). "Miquela the 'cyborg' and handbag drones – Milan fashion week's weird vision of the future". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  25. 1 2 Petrarca, Emilia (20 May 2019). "Calvin Klein Apologizes for Bella Hadid and Lil Miquela Campaign". The Cut. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  26. ↑ Pantaleon, Katerin (16 July 2019). "Lil Miquela Joins Steve Aoki, Millie Bobby Brown and Ninja in New Samsung Global Campaign". Branding in Asia. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  27. ↑ Singh-Kurtz, Sangeeta (16 October 2018). "A hip online magazine hired a CGI "it girl" as its contributing arts editor". Quartz. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  28. 1 2 Spangler, Todd (6 May 2020). "Miquela, the Uncanny CGI Virtual Influencer, Signs With CAA (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  29. ↑ "Lil Miquela Becomes First CGI Influencer to Sign With CAA". Hypebae. 11 May 2020. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  30. ↑ "Virtual influencer Lil Miquela criticised for "ignorant" sexual assault vlog". PopBuzz. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  31. ↑ Wakefield, Lily (16 December 2019). "A CGI and completely fake influencer claims she was 'sexually assaulted' and people are well and truly p****d". PinkNews. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  32. ↑ Song, Sandra (14 December 2019). "Lil Miquela Criticized For 'Sexual Assault' Vlog". Paper Magazine. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  33. ↑ Clein, Emmeline (28 June 2019). "Branding Fake Justice for Generation Z". The Nation. Archived from the original on 10 November 2019. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  34. ↑ Stutz, Colin (11 August 2017). "Virtual Singer & Internet Star Miquela Shares Debut Single 'Not Mine'". Billboard. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
  35. ↑ "Meet This Year's 25 Most Influential People on the Internet". Time. 28 June 2018. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.