A Whitney Houston Hologram Tour, New Album And Possible Broadway Show Is On The Way
After years of turning down deals, Whitney Houston's estate has signed an agreement with New York-based music publishing company Primary Wave last week to continue the late singer's legacy.
Whitney's sister-in-law and former manager, Pat Houston, spoke with The New York Times on Tuesday (May 20) about what fans can expect from this new partnership.
There will be a hologram tour
The first project fans can expect from this new deal is a hologram tour, which is already in development.
“The hologram has taken precedence over everything,” said Houston, who is currently in charge of the estate.
Pat has pushed for a hologram appearance of the pop diva for some time now. In 2015, the estate had planned a special hologram performance featuring the "I Will Always Love You" songstress singing a duet with Christina Aguilera on The Voice that got nixed after leaked footage drew criticism.
This time around, the affair is being handled with a lot of care. So far, the tour will include iconic hits like “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” and “The Greatest Love of All” with the original band and backup singers.
BASE Hologram CEO Brian Becker told Rolling Stone that the tour has tentatively been titled An Evening With Whitney: The Whitney Houston Hologram Tour.
There might also be a broadway musical in the works
In addition to rolling out a hologram tour, the estate is currently considering a possible Broadway musical. There have been talks with producers but nothing solid has been established yet.
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Unreleased tracks might be turned into a new album
Through the new partnership, Primary Wave and the estate are looking into dropping unreleased tracks from Whitney's debut album, Whitney Houston, that have never been heard before.
“Before she passed, there was so much negativity around the name; it wasn’t about the music anymore,” Pat Houston said during the interview. “People had forgotten how great she was. They let all the personal things about her life outweigh why they fell in love with her in the first place.”
In her prime, Whitney was a pop culture phenomenon who hit career highs that few artists have ever accomplished.
More exclusive content is in the works
The deal gives Primary Wave ownership over half of the estate's assets from royalties, merchandising, and Houston's name and likeness, which the company plans to leverage for more content.
In addition to new music and the tour, the estate and music publishing company have a lot of plans in store for branding deals and other opportunities. Primary Wave founder Larry Mestel noted they are aiming for a "Vegas-style spectacle" that shows off the full glamour Whitney was known for in her prime.“Everything is about timing for me,” Pat Houston said in regards to all the plans she has for Whitney Houston's estate. “It’s been quite emotional for the past seven years. But now it’s about being strategic.”
