What is Vocaloid?
Vocaloid are voice synthesizers that can be used to create music. The most well known by far is Hatsune Miku but there are many other Vocaloids that have been created. Though Vocaloid refers to a specific program, there are other kinds of synthesizers (such as Utau) that serve the same function. Vocaloid has grown significantly since the programs and voice banks were first released to the public. Vocaloids exist for multiple languages and have expanded to be known worldwide. As important as the software is, this popularity is only possible thanks to a massive community of producers who work hard to create new music.
Playlists
Most links are currently unavailable. They will be added soon.
Click the icons to be taken to playlists of songs by that specific singer!
Classic Vocaloid Songs
Vocaloid Songs to Dance to
I'm so normal. I am so normal. [Mental health mix]
Vocaloid Master Playlist
Underrated Vocaloid Songs [Under 50k views]
Favorite Producers
Kashii Moimi
Ren Suimin
PinocchioP
John
Niru Kajitsu
Nuyuri
Inabakumori
Azari
Glue
Hitsujida
Shikiura
More coming soon! Producers are only added if I have listened to their entire discography.
I have a bunch in my backlog.
What is Vocaloid to me?
I began listening to Vocaloid music in 2013 when I was 12 years old. I remember quite vividly how I found my first Vocaloid song. At that time I was really into Minecraft and just starting to understand social media and the internet. I browsed around for a bit on Twitter, just checking out random Minecraft related accounts. It so happened that one of the accounts I came across tweeted out a link to Triple Baka. I clicked out of curiosity. At first I didn't understand what Vocaloid was but I was nonetheless instantly hooked.
From there, googoo888 was pretty vital to my further understanding of Vocaloid. I learnt about the Project Diva games, though I didn't play them myself for many years. Songs such as Meltdown, World's End Dancehall, Luka Luka Night Fever, and (obviously) World is Mine took over my brain. I feel honestly very lucky I got into Vocaloid when I did because I've been able to enjoy the experience of being in one fandom for so long.
Vocaloid has always been a source of comfort for me. There's many songs addressing suicide and difficult emotions. Many of the songs I'd consider Vocaloid classics, ones that are iconic and known by pretty much everyone, deal with serious subject matter. Stuff like Lost One's Weeping, Tokyo Teddy Bear, and Rolling Girl were important to me as a kid and they've remained that way as an adult. I still listen to those songs pretty regularly. Aside from the pure lyrics themselves, the language barrier is actually something that's made Vocaloid an additional safety net for me. My entire household is English speaking. Being able to sing songs about difficult subject matter, express pain through my voice, but still have it be understandable only to me is a feeling that is hard to describe. I definitely have songs in English I love that express difficult feelings. However, I always have to stifle my voice and avoid getting too into it when I sing. With Vocaloid, I've never had to do that.
Nowadays I spend time scouring for producers without many views or subscribers. Because I listen to so many Vocaloid songs and have began intentionally clicking on videos with low views (as well as been directed to videos from the Vocaloid lyrics wiki), Youtube recommends me videos regularly with only a couple hundred views. I started listening to John, Niru Kajitsu, and to a lesser extent Syudou before they started blowing up. I don't say this as a sort of "I liked it before it was cool" hipster attitude. Rather, it's another part of Vocaloid I love. Thanks to the internet, it's easier to find niche artists than ever before. Vocaloid has an additional layer of such a massive fan community. Love for Hatsune Miku and Flower can extend into love for individual producers. Searching for Miku not only gets me super well known songs. It also gets me unknown artists and producers who are creating with her. In other words, Vocaloid itself is brought together not just for the producers but for the synthesizers themselves. It leads to a really unique and easy process of discovery that I haven't seen quite replicated in other fandoms.
That is all to say, Vocaloid occupies a large part of my brain space. I have been a fan of it for 10 years at this point. It's been fun, a haven, just good entertainment, and a way of finding something brand new. As it expands beyond the medium of music and into art, animation, dance, and more, Vocaloid is an evergreen community full of a lot of amazing creatives. I'll continue to enjoy it for 10 years more!