I LOVE… VTuber Music

You read that title correctly: I, Dominik Böhmer of Everything Is Noise, love VTubers, and by extension their music. Now, before you cringe yourself into the nth dimension here, let‘s approach the subject of today’s article as objectively as we can, because not all of us gathered here today are a) aware of what the hell a VTuber even is or b) unnecessarily sceptical of anything that involves cute and whimsical content. For category a), let’s break this down right away.

A VTuber, short for virtual Youtuber, is somebody who makes online video content using an avatar, opting for more anonymity and a certain anime aesthetic as opposed to the regular forms of what we in the business call ‘fleshtubers’ aka normal streamers. These avatars come in all shapes, forms, and sizes: from relatively normal-looking humans (often with… *ahem* exaggerated features) over your garden-variety animal girls to more niche subjects like bug/monster girls and so on, there’s basically a lot of ground to cover with your chosen appearance as a VTuber. There are pirates, androids, literal satan, horse sergeants, the manifestations of the concepts of time, hope, and chaos, zombies, dragons, raccoons, moths… you get it, right? You can be whatever the heck you damn please when you become a VTuber.

This includes the character’s backstory, too. Most corporate VTubers come with at least a quantum of lore, which helps with the overall presentation and worldbuilding of their early streaming career. While some VTubers use this lore as a glorified conversation starter only to gradually phase it out in favor of a more personal approach, others are extremely diligent at keeping up their image – verbal tics and all. Usada Pekora is probably amongst those who are most dedicated to their built-in characterisation, never abandoning her iconic ‘peko’ tic (which made her famous enough to appear in the latest instalment of Death Stranding, for what it’s worth) throughout her 7 years of VTubing thus far.

Before anyone says anything – I fully acknowledge that while the scene is dominated by female creators, there absolutely are male VTubers as well, with varying degrees of success; it’s just that I personally can’t talk about them much because I know maybe 4 of them by name. So this article will inevitably cater to my specific perspective on the scene. This includes the agencies I’m willing to cover (pun intended) here as well, because I definitely won’t vouch for any black companies that drive their employees to desperate measures. Thus I’ll stick to what I know and wholeheartedly approve of: Hololive, indie VTubers, and the odd Phase Connect mention. Cool? Cool.

Moving on, the VTubing trend began taking root in 2016 with the advent of Kizuna Ai, the first fully realized VTuber in history. Anime and image-based voice programs like Vocaloid are obvious reference points for the concept; some even go as far as to argue that classic puppeteering could be viewed as a precursor as well (whether this is done in jest or in earnest is its own separate debate). Either driven by solo entrepreneurs or backed by start-up tech companies, the first handful of VTubers were basically exploring new possibilities in technology, which paved the way for a unique way of – more or less anonymous – audience interaction.

For a few years, VTubers were a very niche phenomenon, especially in the West, where anime and other Japanese pop culture exports traditionally had to take their sweet time arriving in the mainstream, but even on its home turf in Japan, VTubing struggled for relevancy at first – even respected industry veterans like Tokino Sora started their journey with a viewership of what, 50 people, 37 of which were family and friends? This would change incrementally, with the proliferation of English-speaking indie VTubers and the establishment of a handful of non-Japanese agencies making the trend available to new markets, but the real kickstarter for VTubing to become a global entertainment powerhouse was… Covid-19.

Yes, the main growth and perceived golden age of the art form came only with the quarantine and associated free time that came with a global pandemic. Hololive – who started out as a developer of AR/VR software and recently gained notoriety outside of the VTuber sphere for the addition of one of their streamers to Fortnite – in particular became a big player during that time, partly thanks to the introduction of their first official wave of English talents: a group of five VTuber under the unifying name of Myth. While the Japanese (and Indonesian) market had been booming well beforehand, this marks the moment where the rest of the world finally began to catch up.

The rest is, as they say, history. From there, we got tons of streamers onto the bandwagon, live shows, hella merch, drama, and everything else a subculture could wish for. My main focus will be one of the main pillars of VTubing content: music. For the sake of clarity, this article will be split into three main portions from here on out, each tackling one type of music a VTuber might produce in their career: original songs, cover songs, and live events. All of these categories come with their very own subdivisions as well, but for your general orientation, those three should ideally suffice. Afterwards, I’m going to go into greater depth about my own connection to this form of content creation and why it’s compelling enough to me to warrant all of *gestures at article* this.

Ah yes, the holy grail for many a VTuber out there: an original song. Hell, some of them have signed to record labels and released entire albums! Most of those examples would be Hololive affiliates like Mori Calliope or Hoshimachi Suisei, but it’s definitely not unheard of for a VTuber to branch out into the larger music industry. Not that it’s necessary to have major label backing to go viral with your music, as Shigure Ui might be able to attest to. Originally an illustrator who only came to VTubing through one of her ‘daughters’ (aka a streamer whose avatar she designed), one of her first original songs catapulted her to massive international recognition, far beyond the scope of her extremely entertaining streams, where she charms people with her art skills and brutal comebacks to audience banter.

Be that as it may, these originals (‘orisongs’ for short) come in a variety of flavors. There are identifiable lyrical tropes at play, which can be categorized as such:

• songs that are used as a platform to further the character’s lore – these can still make reference to real-life emotions or grievances of the person behind the VTuber, just filtered through the lens of their fictional backstory; in her song “Unison”, Houshou Marine expresses a desire to be chosen and cherished by her audience, expressing these feelings by making them into a fictional contest between her different models
• songs that are written to directly engage the streamer’s fanbase – most VTubers have a dedicated name and/or mascot for their audience and often make direct reference to them either through the song itself or the accompanying music video; in the case of the linked video, the song is dedicated to the fans of Shiranui Flare, whom she calls Elfriends
• songs that are treated like the output of a ‘regular’ musician and thus aren’t necessarily a tie-in to their overarching online personality
• songs that are meant to play into certain in-jokes and memes that arise from the creator’s day-to-day streaming activity or present a reaction to events within the VTuber sphere/world at large

Musically, they range from your typical idol fare over Kpop-style bangers, Eurobeat, emo rock numbers, metal, and rap to… more unique forms of expression. What connects all of them is the direct involvement of the talent and the overall guidance of outside songwriters/producers/etc. in the creation of these tracks. While the actual input – compositionally or lyrically – from the streamers themselves can vary, there’s usually at least a certain expected minimum of originality to them.

This usually boils down to the level of commitment from the VTuber in question: are the fully invested in this path, or is it just a side branch to give back to their audience? After all, not every VTuber has a strict focus on music as their chosen outlet; hell, even trained opera singers like Ironmouse don’t commit to the level of output one might expect from a talent of their renown. It’s all up to the talent themselves to see how music impacts their branding – where a dedicates Vsinger like IRyS would spend big chunks of their energy on their songs and performances, a variety streamer would only implement an original song as a way to further connect with their viewership.

Not to mention the fact the lengths some VTubers go to in order to have the best music video to go with their originals! We’re talking studio-quality anime in extreme cases, all financed by the streamers themselves, in an effort to reward the patience and adoration of their viewers. The aforementioned Houshou Marine is notorious for this, having spent insane amounts of her personal money on her music videos. Other Hololive talent like Sakura Miko or Hakos Baelz are no slouches either, but the pirate captain truly takes the booty (pun intended) in that regard. Indies usually can’t go quite that far due to budget restraints – unless they themselves can provide the illustrations/animation, that is.

One very interesting example for an original song that falls a bit outside of the usual parameters is “Boom” by AI VTuber Evil Neuro. Yes, that’s right: there are AI vtubers. In this case, Evil and her twin sister Neuro-sama are programmed and handled by one alcoholic British femboy turtle (the lore goes wild) called Vedal. “Boom” was written for this AI by professional songwriters and then interpreted/performed through her code and language model. It’s an interesting subversion of the AI versus human creativity debate, proving that both can be employed in harmony without sacrificing integrity or sincerity.

If the orisong is the holy grail, the humble cover is the bread and butter of a music-savvy VTuber. Cheaper to produce and easier to achieve, these songs and videos are a surefire way to interact with current trends and memes, while delivering a fun experience for the viewers. Even a small independent streamer can garner some strong interactions through clever choice of songs to cover; sometimes, that’s all it takes to become a household name, especially if it’s a meme song other (preferably bigger) streamers have been covering as well.

Anything goes in terms of what a vtuber chooses to cover – from Vocaloid songs over city pop classics, the odd Western hit, or even recent metal crossover sensations, no band or artist is safe from being covered by a VTuber, that’s for sure. Which is a good thing! The balance of predictability and unpredictability is delicate but tantalizing, because as much as you know that your streamer will inevitably jump on one bandwagon or the other if the clicks are too enticing, there’s always the possibility of a complete left-field choice as well, depending on the person’s own tastes and sensibilities. If the VTuber is especially open to entertaining their audience’s wishes – or at least somewhat skilled at gauging their reactions at karaoke streams – there’s even a chance for you, the humble viewer, to influence what song might be covered next!

It doesn’t have to be a solo cover, either; oftentimes, this is a prime opportunity for a VTuber to cross over to another streamer’s fanbase or tighten their bonds with their peers/coworkers. Or, in FuwaMoco’s case, sing a cute song about calling the listener a ‘small fry’ with your sister. I’d call that a regular Tuesday myself, but I digress. Group covers can be a fun shared experience, too. Company-wide events or holidays are the obvious occasions to consider for an easy thematic tie-in. For last year’s Halloween, Canada-based agency Phase Connect put together many of its affiliated talents to cover Michael Jackson’s ‘80s megahit “Thriller”. Another example would be when the now-defunct PRISM Project gathered their talents for a group cover of the iconic Idolmaster song “Snow Halation” as a Christmas surprise.

I’m especially fond of something Hololive did for New Year’s in 2022 and 2023. As part of their New Year countdown stream, they made a medley of various talents covering each other’s songs while swapping outfits as well. In recent years, these swap covers have been replaced by a more conventional concert every year, but I remember vividly the feeling of surprise and excitement when I first saw the medley happening without knowing what to expect, so these two videos hit the nostalgia glands in my brain with immense force.

As you can probably gather from the above, cover songs are a big cultural touchstone for the VTuber scene, driving audience engagement without having to break the bank as much. These tend to come with (animated) music videos as well, just not to the extent that you’d expect from an original song release.

Here’s where things become a bit harder to categorize, because there’s a handful of approaches to these when it comes to VTubers. From pre-recorded performances to actual ticketed events, there are a lot of ways for virtual idols and musicians to connect with a live audience. For a big agency like Hololive, these are a relatively common occurrence; hell, they’ve been running their own festival for years now. Anniversaries and birthdays were usually the times an agency streamer would break out the big guns and present a meticulously prepared live(-esque) event, learning songs and choreographies before putting on their motion-capture suit to dance and sing their hearts out.

For years these were mostly pre-recorded (with few exceptions), using the medium to either present a normal concert experience  often modelled after Japanese idol concerts, or do something more cinematic with the format; in recent times, however, there’s been an increase in actual live performances, where the talent would be in the same building as the audience, capturing their voice and movements which would then be broadcasted onto a screen in the auditorium. Live bands and back-up dancers are to be expected with higher-budget productions, but they’re not a must. It all depends on the occasion, the venue, and the perceived importance of the talent.

Depending on their standing, a successful (corporate) VTuber might even receive the biggest honor currently available to them: the coveted solo live. This basically means they get to perform entirely on their own, as opposed to the usual concerts where they would invite other talents to participate in the whole song and dance. These have become more frequent as the medium grew in popularity, with people like Suisei being able to do short stadium tours on the back of their growing popularity. Another recent example would be the Drawn To Dawn performance by Takanashi Kiara and Ninomae Ina’nis, who got two evenings in Los Angeles to perform in varying solo and duo configurations.

Indie VTubers and smaller corporations have also been able to stage events like these, but much more infrequently and often less sophisticated due to the high costs involved with such endeavors. After all, you’re paying not only for the normal sound and stage crew, but also for people handling the digital end of things as well. A common workaround for indies is to appear on stage themselves, masked of course, to deliver a more intimate version of what agency VTubers can bring to the table. People like Bao, Cottontail, Numi, and obkatiekat (amongst others) have taken to the stage either at their own concerts or as part of a con setting, delivering original songs and covers either as a karaoke-style performance or backed by a full band.

Whether it’s as part of a company-run festival, a ticketed event, or a regular con appearance: these live events are a great way for VTuber fans to gather and show off their dedication to their respective streamers. It’s a melting pot of idol culture and Western concert etiquette, where ita-bags, lightsticks, and wotagei meet moshing and massive singalongs. Merch drops can (and usually do) accompany these occasions, but that’s to be expected – most bands and artists outside of the VTuber sphere act the same way, after all.

There’s obviously a lot more to be said about both the medium of VTubing and the music that stems from it, but as a general primer, this should do nicely. Now, let’s finally address the elephant in the room: why do I care so damn much about this topic?

To start with the obvious answer, I love anime. It really is that simple on the surface. The overarching aesthetic that makes VTubing so appealing to many is exactly why I first fell in love with it, too. Cute girls doing cute things is one of my favorite subtropes of anime, and how else could you describe VTubers if not as cute girls doing cute (and silly, and weird, and out-of-pocket, and…) things? This combination of visually appealing models and endearing real-life personalities proved to be prime Dom catnip.

My journey into the rabbit hole started when in 2020, clips of people like Juniper Actias and Snuffy started popping up in my YouTube feed. Previously, I had only ever seen VTuber fanart and wondered ‘what the hell is this supposed to be?’ Those two essentially sowed the seeds of what would become a long-lasting obsession; the moment that cemented this budding connection came in early 2021, though, when I decided on a whim to watch an ongoing livestream by Takanashi Kiara. Initially, it was her visually pleasing model that drew me in, but her commentary and fun personality kept me watching despite my initial reservations. And when she positively reacted to a message of mine in chat, I was hooked.

From there, I learned more about her and other Hololive streamers, while keeping an eye on the flourishing indie scene that opened the door for me to enter this entirely new realm of online entertainment. What I found was a growing community that gave a lot of genuinely lovely and talented people a chance to connect with an audience outside of more traditional avenues in the entertainment industry.

It was the deeply human side of VTubing that resonated with me the most. I have alluded to this a few times across different articles on this page, but back when I first discovered VTubers, I was struggling with mental health issues and unemployment. At that point in my life, I felt like my hopes and dreams had been thoroughly dashed; I was depressed, burnt out, lying in bed all day without any semblance of the energy needed to get up and try again. Lost in my own head and numb to the things that I previously held dear (even listening to music felt like a chore), I had essentially given up – finding a way to move on and live a better life proved to be an impossible task.

In this state, VTubers gave me something to look forward to, to hold on to when my own condition became overwhelming. This might sound pathetic, but the content gave me a reason not to completely check out of reality. Yes, I was watching people playing pretend behind cute avatars, but the humanity behind it all felt real – because it is.

So many of the content creators I found had real-life backstories that mirrored my own struggles in a way I never assumed. For example, Oozora Subaru, one of the most iconic Japanese VTubers, only came into the scene in search of a job after her family home burned down. Despite being born with a heart condition and having no connection to the nerdy topics she’d be confronted with in her new position, she persisted to become a beacon of light and joy, earning her the nickname of ‘The Sun of Hololive’. It was her 3^rd anniversary live show, which she had to fight tooth and nail to realize, that showed me the true passion and dedication that lies beneath the adorable surface of vtubing and idol culture.

Himemori Luna was mercilessly bullied at a former workplace, and instead of giving up, she changed agencies to find the fiends and adoring fans she always hoped for. The aforementioned Takanashi Kiara, one of my personal oshis, toiled away in various idol groups trying to make a name for herself before stumbling across VTubing during an ill-fated stay in Japan. I could go on and on here – especially in the early days, these kinds of stories were extremely common amongst VTubers. Nowadays, you even get former professional idols, art curators, essentially people from more ‘normal’ walks of life as aspiring idol streamers; back then, the scene was full of passionate people clawing their way towards any kind of recognition, at times out of sheer necessity.

Learning how all of these girls turned their struggles, failures, and shortcomings – all of which they openly shared with their audience – into the very energy that would fuel their future successes provided me with a moment to reflect upon my own situation. Here were people who, like me, had been handed crushing defeats in life; unlike me, though, they persevered, coming out of their darkest times as better, happier people. ‘Who says I can’t get there, too?’, I thought to myself.

I won’t say that this was the only (or even the most important) turning point in my journey, but it was enough of a push to get me going again. I went from bedrotting and doomscrolling to finding a job that fulfils me, which in turn afforded me friends and a beautiful apartment full of things I love. And when the work and stress began piling up, when I finally managed to pull myself out of the mental hole that seemed so inescapable before, it was the same VTubers who kept me company.

So yeah, that’s the story of how I came across this form of content, and how it helped me conquer a part of my life that I would rather not revisit any time soon. For some, it might be cringe content for weebs; to me, VTubing is one of the most human and exciting forms of entertainment out there. Obviously, my love for music plays into this. There’s such a diverse palette of voices, so many styles and genres that VTubers cater to that it would be hard not to find something that grabs your attention; more often than not, even the most blatant pop songs produced in this sphere are absolute bangers. Knowing about the people behind the tracks only adds to the enjoyment, because you know exactly where they’re coming from and why they chose to go for that specific sound.

To finish this off, I encourage you to embrace your inner weeb and dive into the rabbit hole so many of us have fallen in to over the past few years. There’s a nonzero chance that you will encounter a streamer that does it for you, given the sheer number of different personalities, styles, and avatars are in the game right now. The music alone is worth exploring! Personally, I’d say it’s a pretty safe gamble to start with Hololive, as they’ve got loads of endearing streamers, but then again, I was brought into the scene by a handful of indies, so forge your own path as you see fit. I’ll see you in chat!