YOASOBI was a hitherto completely unknown act that rose to prominence in the year when the COVID-19 pandemic transformed society as a whole, and the pair’s success greatly influenced the state of J-pop since. ayase, the composer of the breakout duo, was originally a vocalist in a rock band when he was 16 years old and later began creating music using Vocaloid software. Then in 2019, YOASOBI made its major label debut with “Yoru ni kakeru” (“Into The Night”), which went on to rule the year-end Billboard Japan Hot 100 list the following year. Other bands that formed in the mid-2010s whose central members have Vocalo-P backgrounds include Penguin Research, Cider Girl and more. These artists include n-buna - the composer of the group Yorushika - and Balloon aka singer-songwriter Suda Keina. The trend continued as numerous creators who became famous in the Vocaloid scene debuted in the mainstream as solo singer-songwriters, bands and groups, expanding their fields beyond cyberspace. wowaka formed the band Hitorie in 2012, which debuted from a major label in 2014 and expanded its reach beyond the Internet music scene to fans of live rock music through nightclub tours and festival appearances. Hachi crossed over into the mainstream as a solo singer-songwriter in 2012 under his real name, Yonezu Kenshi, and made his major label debut with “Santamaria” in 2013. These music producers gained popularity for their original styles, with Hachi and wowaka as leading examples. This song became a hit as the ending theme of the anime series Bakemonogatari and is the first example of a commercially successful collaborative unit formed by a music producer who started out as a Vocalo-P and a non-virtual singer.Īlso around this time, creators with musical roots in J-rock who grew up aspiring to form their own bands began sharing music online as Vocalo-Ps. In August, the group released its first single called “Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari” (“The Story You Don’t Know”) featuring guest vocalist nagi (Yanagi Nagi), a so-called “utaite” singer who had been releasing cover videos of Vocaloid tracks online. supercell, the band led by the music producer who wrote one of the biggest early Vocaloid hits called “Melt” - made its major label debut this year. The first turning point that led to the current environment for Vocalo-P creators to segue into the J-pop mainstream was in 2009. The Japanese Vocaloid scene and the J-rock scene have been influencing each other since the end of the aughts. Why have so many gifted artists emerged from the Vocaloid scene? What are some of the factors that led to Vocalo-P creators becoming solo singer-songwriters or forming groups with other artists to find success in the realm of mainstream J-pop?

List of important vocaloids