First virtual reality (VR) music video

WeMakeVR (Netherlands) pioneered the first virtual reality (VR) music video, featuring hip-hop artist Brainpower (Netherlands, b. Belgium, aka Gertjan Mulder) performing his single "Troubled Soul". Introducing editing and visual effects techniques not previously seen in VR, the groundbreaking video takes viewers on a journey to the top of a church and inside Amsterdam's Ziggo Dome and Brainpower's home recording studio. "Troubled Soul" was uploaded to YouTube360 on 14 March 2015 when the video-sharing website launched its new service.

The video for Brainpower's "Troubled Soul" was shot in October 2014 and finished on 11 November. On 27 November 2014, it was discussed in public for the first time on a Dutch radio show, with a video of that interview uploaded to YouTube on 11 December 2014.

"Troubled Soul" was used by YouTube360 as a test video for their new service, and WeMakeVR uploaded it to the platform as soon as it launched, in March 2015.

Mart Maes, Head of Communications at WeMakeVR, said: "Our founder, Avinash Changa, went to L.A. in January 2015 and talked with YouTube about the release of YouTube360, a service they were working on that would allow 360 videos to be viewed on their platform. They used our music video as one of the test videos for that service. Once that was ready and they released YouTube360, we immediately put our video online on 14 March 2015. We believe that made it the first virtual reality music video."

WeMakeVR statement: "The music video goes beyond "just being able to look around" and introduces editing and visual effects techniques not seen prior in VR. The project also explores narrative structures and the concept of 'duality', which is one of the track's themes."

Other acts who followed suit by uploading VR videos to YouTube360 in 2015 included Avicii ("Waiting for Love"), Duran Duran ("Pressure Off"), The Weeknd feat. Eminem ("The Hills" remix) and Luke Bryan ("Home Alone Tonight"). Noa Neal's "Graffiti" was uploaded to YouTube360 on 24 March 2015 - 10 days after WeMakeVR/Brainpower's effort.

Brainpower is a bilingual (Dutch and English) rapper, songwriter and producer from Amsterdam who has been making music since the mid-1980s. He has worked with the likes of Eminem, Run-DMC, The Black Eyed Peas and Candy Dulfer, and he won Best Dutch Act at the 2002 MTV Europe Music Awards.

"Troubled Soul" was taken from Brainpower's sixth studio album Determination (2015).

YouTube360 is dedicated to the "most popular and compelling" 360-degree VR videos.

Other VR developments in music:

Dawn Richard's "Not Above That" was reportedly the first VR music video set in space. The former Danity Kane member's video was unveiled in June 2016.

Also in June 2016, Icelandic singer Björk staged what was claimed to be the world's first VR and 360-degree livestream, performing "Quicksand" - the final track on her 2015 album Vulnicura - at Tokyo's National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation. Björk had previously released a 360-degree music video for the Vulnicura single "Stonemilker".

In August 2016, Scottish band Biffy Clyro became the first UK act to release a VR music video. Their track "Flammable" was shown as part of the "Samsung Hypercube VR Experience" at three festivals across the UK, placing fans wearing the Samsung Gear VR headset alongside the band as they performed.

In another first for the music industry, Ball Park Music (Australia) released the first music video made entirely with the HTC Vive VR application Tilt Brush in August 2016. The tool was used to produce the video to accompany their track "Whipping Boy".