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Over two decades have passed since the Vocaloid software’s commercial release. Since then, it’s become an enormous part of Japan’s pop culture, inspiring merchandise, games, and most importantly music. While Hatsune Miku is the most recognizable face of the Vocaloid industry, a number of Japanese musicians credit their beginnings to Vocaloid alongside streaming platform NicoNicoDouga where they fostered their musical interests and launched their careers. Whether you’re a longtime Vocaloid fan or a newbie to the scene (or to J-Pop/J-Rock/Japanese music in general), we’re here to give you a breakdown of well-known artists who began with Vocaloid and up-coming talents and longtime industry names to keep an eye on.
Contrary to its popularity now, Vocaloid wasn’t an overnight sensation. It’s thanks to Vocaloid producers like Ryo of supercell whose song “Melt” became an instant hit on the internet. While the early days of Miku spawned several memes made with Vocaloid, “Melt” served as a shining example of how the Vocaloid software could be used for making more serious music. And that was just the first step. Several aspiring musicians and NicoNicoDouga viewers saw the potential of this new program and began making their own works with it, becoming creators known as Vocaloid producers or vocalo-P for short.
Now we can’t talk about prolific Vocaloid producers without mentioning Wowaka, who passed away in 2019. His album Unhappy Refrain was a gateway to Vocaloid music for many and his work influenced several other producers who later got into Vocaloid. He eventually stopped making Vocaloid music and started his band Hitorie, but prior to his death, he released one last Vocaloid song titled “Unknown Mother-Goose” to be part of Miku’s 10th year anniversary album.
While Wowaka was still making Vocaloid music, he befriended another producer who went by the name Hachi. But most people who don’t know Vocaloid would probably recognize him by another name in J-Pop and anime fandoms: Yonezu Kenshi.
Non-Vocaloid fans might recognize Yonezu’s name from his hit single “Lemon” or “Kick Back” from the anime Chainsaw Man, as well as the two songs he made for Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc. But even before he released his first album Diorama in 2012 under his real name, Yonezu already had self-produced Vocaloid albums under his belt as Hachi: Hanataba to Suisou and Official Orange.
Along with Yonezu, several other Vocaloid producers eventually shifted into creating music as artists in their own right like Kamiyama You, Suda Keina, and Kitani Tatsuya, known as Vocaloid producers Yukisan, balloon, and Konnichiwa Tanita-san respectively. Anime fans may recognize these names from their theme songs for shows like Horimiya, Skip and Loafer, and Jujutsu Kaisen. However, not all producers work alone when they pursue a non-Vocaloid path. Kitani, for example, has done solo work but was also part of the three-person unit sajou no hana until 2024.
And then there are the yakousei (夜好性) bands–a title given by the internet due to all their names having some relation to the Japanese character for “night.” YOASOBI, Yorushika, and Zutto Mayonaka de ii Noni (commonly known as Zutomayo) have amassed thousands of fans over the years, both in Japan and overseas. And while they each have their own unique sound, each group has members who started out with Vocaloid music. YOASOBI’s Ayase and Yorushika’s n-buna were both Vocaloid producers prior to becoming songwriters for their groups. In Zutomayo’s case, though, singer and songwriter ACAne has worked with a number of Vocaloid producers who are often credited with arrangement and composition. Looking at today’s popular singers and groups, there’s often a Vocaloid producer working in the background, often doing composition, songwriting, or arrangement. Many times, they juggle multiple projects like collaborations with other producers.
In the case of producer Tsumiki, his work covers creating music for other musicians, composing songs for his band NOMELON NOLEMON, and playing the drums for Japanese rock band Aooo where fellow Vocaloid producer Surii plays the guitar.
Vocaloid producers have collaborated with other singers, often in the form of utaite. The term refers to people who post covers of songs on sites like NicoNicoDouga and YouTube, with their cover choices often being Vocaloid songs. And the most popular utaite to come from Vocaloid culture? Well you’ve probably heard of her.
Ado made her major debut in 2020 with Usseewa but had been active on the internet posting Vocaloid covers since she was 14. The anonymous singer has consistently cited Vocaloid being an inspiration to her music. And she continues to stay involved within the Vocaloid community, often working with big names like Hatsune Miku herself in “Sakura Biyori and Time Machine.” Ado’s discography also contains several major producers such as syudo, kikuo, Pinocchio-P, GigaP, Deco*27, Mitchie M, jon-YAKITORY, and many, many more.
While Ado is arguably the most well-known utaite, having claimed the top spot as Japanese artist with the most global streams in 2025 according to Spotify Japan, only a handful of utaite have achieved mainstream recognition compared to Vocaloid producers turned singer-songwriters or band members. But a search of popular songs by Vocaloid producers will show numerous amateur singers who challenge themselves with the technical demand of Vocaloid songs. And they’re slowly but surely being recognized for their talent and technique. The next time you watch anime, you might recognize a few names as utaite:
9Lana has millions of views on her cover of “Propose” by Naisho no Pierced and sang the ending song “Let Me Battle” from Pokemon Horizons.
Yoshino’s recent release “Nie” opens for horror-yuri anime This Monster Wants to Eat Me, but she’s also covered dozens of Vocaloid and a few of Ado’s songs on her channel, most notably syudo’s “Cute na Kanojo.”
Ito Kashitarou has done songs for a few series, the most recent being My Happy Marriage, but if that’s not enough, his channel has even more songs that he’s covered over the years.
Chogakusei’s impressive library of covers includes Vocaloid and anime theme songs, and he’s also done original theme songs for shows like Tougen Anki, Failure Frame, and Kamen Rider Black Sun.
With the growing fame of utaite and Vocaloid producers, it shouldn’t be a surprise that more and more people influenced by Vocaloid culture are becoming bigger players in the Japanese music industry. In some cases, utaite weren’t just posting covers but also took on the role of producing songs. These have led to people like Eve and Mafumafu who, like Yonezu, have released their own original songs written, composed, and sung by themselves.
As vast as Vocaloid culture is, there’s so much more to explore and discover out there. And the growing library of Vocaloid songs continues to inspire a new generation of musical creatives. Viral musician Natori didn’t start making Vocaloid music or posting covers, but he has often cited the influence Vocaloid had on him. Who knows what’s in store as this phenomenon continues to evolve!
If you want to learn more about Vocaloid, be sure to check out TOM’s Otapedia to start. Leave a comment if you’ve discovered a new artist to listen to and tag us on social with your favorite Vocaloid songs or creators!
