Teflon Sega DIGITAL REVOLUTIONARY

Created as a means of outsmarting the music industry, this 2D anime singer is pushing the boundaries of artistry in the metaverse.

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Teflon Sega isn't like other R&B musicians. This much is obvious from his gravity-defying black-and-pink hair and his purple skin. But there's another, bigger difference: He can only be seen in the metaverse. The 2D anime singer, who has almost half a million monthly listeners on Spotify, more than 21 million YouTube views and 5.6 million SoundCloud streams, is a real artist with a digital visage.

The invention of an anonymous musician and visual artist, Sega's music and online presence show how the lines between the virtual and physical art worlds are no longer clearly defined. Sega, who achieved viral success in 2016 with his breakout single "Beretta Lake," interacts with fans through online videos set in a purple-hued dystopian world, as well as on social media and in virtual concerts. "My dream is to have a fully touring holographic augmented-reality live show," he says. "That's what I imagine when I close my eyes."

THE RED BULLETIN: You just released your debut album, Welcome to the Mourning Show. How was the creative experience?

TEFLON SEGA: I've been releasing singles since 2016, but I hadn't thought about doing a whole album until the past year. The experience is so different. With singles you can easily tell one story in a few minutes, whereas an album lets you show different sides to a story. This was a chance to explore and show my brighter and more uptempo sides.