She is cute, stylish and has had a number one chart-topping single. But Japan’s newest and biggest pop star differs from most of her peers in one crucial aspect: she is a hologram.

Hatsune Miku has taken the music scene by storm in her native Japan where her concerts are always sold out and are full of screaming, adoring fans. Now, like something out of a science fiction film, videos have emerged which show Miku on tour in Japan, singing a selection of hits.

Miku is a digital avatar created by Japanese technology firm Crypton Future Media that customers can purchase and then program to perform any song on their computer. She is supposed to be 16 years old and five foot two inches tall but her makers have given little away about her personality. Crypton uses voices recorded by actors and then puts them through Yamaha’s Vocaloid software to create its characters.

Miku’s voice was created by taking vocal samples from the voice actress Saki Fujita. All of the samples contained a single Japanese sound which when strung together would create full words and phrases.