Tag - vocaloid

 
 

VOCALOID

The Tokyo leg of Magical Mirai 2024, a gathering centered on a concert starring the aqua-haired Hatsune Miku and other avatars created by Sapporo-based company Crypton Future Media, kicked off on Aug. 30.
CULTURE / Music
Sep 9, 2024
Magical Mirai 2024 shows that the future is bright for Hatsune Miku
Thousands of visitors helped kick off the Tokyo leg of the gathering, which offers an immersive dive into every part of the aqua-haired anime avatar's world.
Over the first six months of 2024, a handful of songs using Vocaloid singer Hatsune Miku’s voice have enjoyed widespread attention, underlining a global interest in the character and the technology she represents.
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Jul 15, 2024
Who needs AI when you have Hatsune Miku?
Vocaloid creators’ recent cacophonous approach to using Miku’s voice sounds like nothing in mainstream pop right now — and people love that.
Four-piece Atarashii Gakko! and Okinawan rapper Awich (center) shared the Mojave Stage at 88Risings’s “Futures” showcase at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival last weekend.
CULTURE / Music
Apr 19, 2024
Japanese acts seize Coachella's spotlight — and this ain't your typical J-pop
Yoasobi, Awich and Atarashii Gakko! shine at the California festival, proving just how much J-pop has made strides in reaching international audiences.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 30, 2023
With ‘Idol,’ Yoasobi pens a new chapter in J-pop's story
In creating the theme song to the popular anime 'Oshi no Ko,' one of Japan’s most interesting groups wins new fans overseas.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 11, 2022
Ado brings a flair for the dramatic to ‘Kyogen’
The rebellious teenage J-pop singer brings the sonic palette of the Japanese Vocaloid community to the mainstream and shows off her vocal versatility on her debut album, “Kyogen.”
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 24, 2021
Hikari makes soft-power moves with anime and Vocaloid covers
In 2021, the performer launched Singing Cosplayer Hikari, a multiplatform project anchored by her YouTube channel, to harness the booming popularity of anime and Japanese music.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 27, 2021
Ado's defiant hit is a coming-of-age moment for Japan's Vocaloid culture
Ado caused a moral panic in Japan with her catchy and rebellious track 'Usseewa,' a track influenced by the cultural conventions of Vocaloid that are taking Japanese music by storm.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / ON: TECH
Sep 17, 2017
New ways to find your voice
Sing on key with Yamaha
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Aug 24, 2017
Animated pop star Hatsune Miku is only 10, but she has had a huge impact on music
People rarely geek out over the 10-year anniversary of a specific instrument, but Hatsune Miku isn't your usual music store purchase.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 5, 2016
Sharp's singing vacuum aims to tug users' heart strings
The Sharp Corp. robot vacuum cleaner on display at the ongoing CEATEC trade show is no mere machine.
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Dec 19, 2015
Hatsune Miku: the 'nonexistent' pop star
My 2015 kicked off with a January concert by Hatsune Miku, Japan's digital pop star, in Las Vegas. It is winding down with a visit to Miku's creator, Hiroyuki Itoh, at his company's head office in Sapporo, Hokkaido.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 2, 2014
Taking vocal software beyond Miku
Tokyo-based electronic musician mus.hiba has worked with a handful of vocalists during his short stint as a producer. However, many of them haven't been human.
Japan Times
JAPAN / GENERATIONAL CHANGE
Mar 2, 2014
Composer Shibuya tests limits of music
One November evening in Paris, Theatre du Chatelet was packed with people who came to see the French premiere of a new opera by a Japanese composer.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 3, 2013
Roppongi Hills gets love on its 10th anniversary
Roppongi Hills was unlike anything Tokyo had ever seen before. Until it opened 10 years ago, Roppongi was more often seen as a 'High Touch Town,' where businessmen partied with foreign hostesses and off-duty soldiers packed the nightclubs.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 21, 2012
Hatsune Miku goes highbrow
On her own, Japanese pop superstar Hatsune Miku can't sing. Nor can she rap, dance or DJ. She is drug- and alcohol-free because she can't indulge in either, and she can't have affairs or engage in offstage shenanigans fit for YouTube scandals or tabloid headlines. Now entering her sixth year as a beloved...

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Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?