He’s been gone for 36 years, yet this October, Zohar Argov – the “King of Mizrahi” – will come back to life as an avatar, joining the popular Israeli cover band the Revivo Project for a round of concerts. This was the news shared with media at Tel Aviv’s Hangar 11 on Tuesday, where attendees were treated to a sneak peek of what would await ticket holders.
“Dear friends, I am excited and happy to be here, I want to invite my partners on this journey, The Revivo Project. Applause,” Argov the avatar says as he takes the stage to whistles and woo-hoos from the audience. Dressed in a grey suit with an open-necked, white button-down shirt, he makes small talk before beginning to sing the lyrics to “Like a Drunk” (K’mo Shikor) with his musical “partners.”
For those who have followed the world of AI and its intersection with music, Argov as an avatar is probably not much of a surprise. The ABBA Voyage Tour, in which the band appears as avatars, has been pulling in audiences and getting positive reviews since 2022, Elvis and KISS projects are coming, Tupac performed at Coachella in 2015, and Michael Jackson was already an avatar in 2013. But for Israel, this is close to being a first.
Argov the avatar actually had a short, one-off run previously, at the 2023 wedding of Israeli songwriter and composer Ron Biton. There, Argov sang the Ran Danker song (written by Biton) “Madhouse” (Beit Meshugaim). And this wedding performance was what kick-started the idea for the Argov – Revivo 2024 concert series.
BEHIND THE technological development of the avatar used in Biton’s wedding, and behind that of the Argov-Revivo concert, are BY Productions, which specializes in creative video and media, and Session-42, a music-tech label. Zohar Rabinovich is the head of content at BY Productions and the director of the Argov-Revivo show. “When Zohar went on the stage [at the wedding] we saw thousands of phones get pulled out, we saw the audience respond,” he says. “We saw this thing happening just like a real concert, and we looked at each other and didn’t need to speak. We knew that the audience wanted this.”
BY Productions had gained extensive experience in building AI-based visual models of people and characters. By joining forces with Session-42, which had the knowledge and experience to create voice models, Rabinovich says they were able to bring Argov to life.
The Argov avatar currently appearing on stage is the seventh generation model. Says Rabinovich, “We’ve worked many hours on this. Now we’re at a stage where we think the model is almost ready to carry an entire show.” In the weeks before the October show, Argov will be going through additional fine-tuning.
The Revivo Project
Raviv Ben Menachem of the Revivo Project (made up of Ben Menachem, his brother Nir and Eliran Zur) says that the Argov 2024 concert is in line with the innovation that the band tries to embrace. “The Revivo project took off 13 years ago as a result of YouTube,” Ben Menachem said, noting that at the time the platform was considered to be innovative in its own right. “To do this sort of thing that is the first of its kind is to achieve another goal that didn’t exist before.”
THE PROCESS of building the Argov avatar has taken nearly two years, with the goal of achieving an audience experience as close as possible to that of a live, authentic show. In order to train the AI with which the avatar was created, the development team uploaded almost every piece of video of Argov that exists, so that the system could learn him. “In the beginning, as is always with AI, it looked a little strange, a little cringy – like for example, Zohar Argov with six fingers,” says Rabinovich. “But slowly… it got close to the real thing.”
The process also utilized a live actor who would go through movements that the team wanted the avatar to carry out, before the AI placed it on top of the movements. But the true challenge lies in getting the avatar to go on stage without filters and live in the real world. “We wanted the connection,” says Rabinovich, “musicians and live singers with the virtual singer.”
Argov may be an avatar, but the band members say that they feel a great responsibility to protect the legacy of the late singer – both as artists who have been singing his songs, and now, as performers sharing the stage with his likeness. “We always tried to make sure from our side to protect the musical legacy of the late Zohar… From our point of view, we have the honor – me and Nir and Eliran – to be a part of this project,” said Ben Menachem.
This idea of protecting Argov’s legacy is a sentiment that is shared by members of the production team. Tal Forer is a musical arranger and co-founder of Sessions-42. He says part of respecting the legacy of Argov meant first getting the family on board. “If the immediate family approves, only then do we begin to work.” And, he adds, in everything they did, “We tried to be as close as possible to what he was.”
Seeing his brother’s avatar perform in front of him was close enough to the real thing that it left Amnon Argov feeling “cultural and emotional shock. It is a dream to suddenly see my brother standing on the stage and singing,” he said. “Now this dream became a reality.”
What does he think his brother would say if he could see his 2024 avatar alter-ego? “He would give a kiss to the entire audience, as was his way,” Argov laughs. “And he would say, ‘Good for you. I didn’t live to see the days of the media, so I came to say to you, thank you.’”
Zohar Argov and the Revivo Project 2024 show will be at Hangar 11 in Tel Aviv on October 28. For tickets: https://tickets.leaan.net/seller/by--9lo4
