Who is metaverse singer and influencer Polar and how did she get so many followers?

The metaverse has welcomed virtual singer and influencer Polar with open arms – and she's already become an internet sensation.

For the blissfully unaware, the metaverse is an immersive virtual world accessed by VR headsets. It offers multisensory experiences such as shopping, property investment, gaming and live concerts.

Created by media company TheSoul Publishing, Polar is an avatar that recently headlined a festival in the metaverse. She is characterised by emphasised Bratz-doll style eyes, long turquoise locks and a face mask covering the bottom half of her face.

The new cyber celebrity has since become a talking point on social media, with her ambitions to perform in a real-life setting.

Inspired by ABBA, Polar's career took off when her debut single 'Close To You' was featured in the video game 'Avakin Life'. She has since acquired an impressive 1.6 million followers on TikTok and over 600,000 subscribers on YouTube.

Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

Polar – Close To You (Official video)www.youtube.com

During the game's annual Solar Sounds Festival that attracted over 4 million attendees last year, Polar fans were able to interact with the star.

Answering a question submitted by Reuters, Polar said: "I want to perform a live show in a real venue in front of my real world fans. It may not be as far away as people think".

Victor Potrel, TheSoul Publishing's Vice President of Platform Partnerships, told the outlet, "ABBA is doing a series of concerts where they are a hologram on stage, and we think that that's a type possible - to also bring Polar to the real world in this way,"

"So definitely we are looking at design possibilities and potential."

There has been a mixed response to the new metaverse star, with an overwhelming comparison to Miku Hatsune. The backlash from social media accused the metaverse of the inability to create something original, with one saying "Calling [Polar] a Walmart Hatsune Miku would be a compliment".

World is mine - live HD - Hatsune Mikuwww.youtube.com

Miku Hatsune, meaning "The first Sound from the Future", is a singing voice synthesiser developed by Crypton Future Media.

The 16-year-old anthropomorphism with long, turquoise pigtails has featured in over 100,000 songs released worldwide. She has even performed at sold-out 3D concerts worldwide with performances in LA, Taipei, Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo.

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.