The world is… Hatsune Miku’s? What to know about Vocaloid

If you’ve ever lurked in the digital swamp that was the Internet during the 2000s to early 2010s, chances are, you have encountered, in some form, Vocaloids and Vocaloid music. The ever-present, blue-pigtailed Hatsune Miku in particular, was a famous denizen of that era. She was almost everywhere depending on which sphere of the web you occupied at the time, especially as Japanese pop culture rose in popularity internationally. Miku is equally renowned today, even performing at Coachella. But who (or what) even is Miku, and why are so many people attracted to her, almost-alien sound?

Vocaloid is essentially a computer program– a type of synthesizer created to resemble the human voice in a strange, robotic way. In my opinion, the most accurate way to describe it would be an instrument of sorts. It is something that anyone can use, provided they have the right programs, to create music.

However, when people say Vocaloid, they are oftentimes not referring to the actual synthesizer, but to the characters associated with them, the most famous of these being Hatsune Miku. Different characters have different voices, even their own personalities, despite the fact that they are meant to be blank tools for people to make music with. It can be argued though, that this is something that adds, not detracts, to the charm and appeal of Vocaloid. The characters themselves are more well-known than most of the music or its producers, including of course, Miku, the Kagamine twins, Rin and Len, Luka Megurine, Gumi, and Kaito.

This brings us the culture that grew around Vocaloid. The music was an essential part of the culture, with some producers such as Kenshi Yonezu, Kikuo, and Mafumafu rising to musical fame originating from their work in Vocaloid. The characters, however, were undeniably one of the largest contributors to the growth of Vocaloid culture and fandom.

Vocaloid was created right as the Age of the Internet came into full swing. Online communities formed, fandoms were increasingly common, and the future with all its technological possibilities seemed imminent, if not current. Naturally, Vocaloid, with its uniquely captivating sound and its array of loveable, well-designed, digital characters, was the ideal phenomenon for Internet-dwellers and electro-music-connoisseurs to latch onto. As the popularity of these Vocaloids grew from niche Internet subcultures into greater public awareness, so did content about them. Media ranging from fan-made videos to art to memes, and even to cosplays began to flood the Vocaloid fanspace. Some of these pieces even slipped their way through the cracks of Vocaloid fandom and into the “outside world,” adding to its rise in notoriety.

But what is it about the Vocaloid sound that draws people in? I’ve known people who disdain it for its lack of warmth, its robotic sound, but I’ve also met people who love it because of its non-human nature. I can’t help but agree. The roboticism of the Vocaloid sound is where the medium can be best defined as an art form. When tuned correctly, when put in the hands of the right people, Vocaloid is not only expressive, but personable. When created carefully, there is a sense that the Vocaloid has known what it is like to have lived, loved, and been human. It leaps out of the hands of its producers and into the world, as a living thing with a real voice, despite never having lived at all.

Vocaloid also drew people in as a peek into the future. It offered a glimpse into what music could eventually be. Vocaloid and Vocaloid performances were introduced during a time when smartphones were still a futuristic concept, so the idea of a robot that could not only sing, but perform on a stage like a real performer does via hologram was mind-blowing, to say the least. There was novelty to be found in a rising digital age. As we enter the post-post digital age, this interest in Vocaloid and Miku has not subsided; however, there is less focus on what Vocaloid could be as a piece of technology, and more about what it is growing into as a form of art.

Hatsune Miku’s recent performance at Coachella, as well as her insanely popular North American tour, Miku Expo 2024, shows us that Vocaloid is not going away anytime soon. Vocaloid is a culture of music that is kept alive, not by any one artist, but by a community of people who dedicate time, care, and love into the art, the music, and culture. Vocaloid, as a genre of music, illustrates not only the complexity and potential of voice synthesizers in music, but also the ways that music brings people together to create a colorful, creative, and passionate community. It is without a doubt that as long as these communities remain, so will Vocaloid.

Written by Gwen Tam, Photo by Alani Angeles