The voice-making tool called “Vocaloid” was born in Japan. Now, people all over the world love this new kind of music. A music tool company made this computer program. You can make a voice sing just by putting in notes, sounds, and words.

In 2007, they made “Hatsune Miku,” the first big voice that many people used. This changed how music works in big ways. Before, you needed big music companies to make songs. Now, anyone can make songs on their own.

Vocaloid gave people a new kind of freedom to show who they are. It also gave many people a place where they feel they belong. In this story, we will look at why Vocaloid is special and what it might do in the future.

Vocaloid Culture: Music That Touches Hearts

The Voice That Gives Me Hope: How Vocaloid Brings Light

“When I first heard that song, I could not stop my tears.”

In a room at sunset, a strange voice comes from a small speaker. It sounds like a human but is not human. It feels like a machine but speaks to your heart. The song is “Love Me, Love Me, Love Me.” It is made with the voice of Hatsune Miku. The song talks about the pain of not being loved by people around you.

“Love me, love me more and more, love me, it hurts…”

The clear voice sings simple words that slowly go deep into the hearts of people who listen.

“I wanted to like myself. The song gave me a feeling that my thoughts were OK. It felt like a small light of hope came into my life,” says one young person.

At school, this person was quiet and did not like being who they were. For them, Vocaloid songs that talk about sad feelings gave a strange kind of comfort.

“I can be who I am.” This feeling came not because someone said, “You are good,” but just because the song sang about these feelings.

Many people start to know Vocaloid culture from this kind of meeting. In 2007, a music company in Japan made a voice making tool called “Vocaloid.” This software makes voice sounds when you put in words and notes. The first big voice was “Hatsune Miku.” It opened new ways to make music.

“It was like my home became a TV station,” says one music maker. “I could say, ‘Look at this, listen to this, I made this,’ very easily.”

On a website called “Nico Nico Douga,” many people, both new and skilled, made music. They were called “VocaloP.” They could show their music to the world without help from big music companies. A time came when anyone could be a music maker.

Some songs have very fast words – up to 10 words in one second. “I couldn’t understand what she was singing. No one would think to make music like this before,” says one maker. Other songs have sounds that human voices can’t make. “We add very high notes that even the best singers can’t reach. This makes a special sound.”

These free ways of making music would not be OK in the old music world. “The old music people would be angry at us,” one maker laughs. But they kept making their music, and new forms of music were born.

“What Vocaloid gave us is freedom. Freedom to make what we want. The feeling that anything is OK. Vocaloid gave us many kinds of freedom.”

Late at night, in a small room in India, a college student named Vijay types on her computer. Her fingers move slowly, with care.

“Dear parents, there’s something I need to tell you…”

She felt she was different from what the world and her family wanted her to be. She told her parents, but her father, who had old ways of thinking, did not understand.

Alone and sad, Vijay found the world of Vocaloid. The song “Love Me, Love Me, Love Me” by Kiku became very special to her.

“Hey, hey, am I a good child? Am I cute? Hey, hey, am I a good child?” sings Miku’s voice. Vijay saw herself in this song. She had a wish: “I also want my feelings to be loved like this.”

Meeting Vocaloid changed her life. Now she wears Hatsune Miku clothes and holds classes to teach others about this culture. She wants to help people who have pain like she did.

“I put Vocaloid songs into my country’s words and share them on YouTube,” she says. Now, she is making a voice in Tamil, a language from India. She dreams of making this voice sing with Hatsune Miku.

In England, a young woman named C has a deep link to Vocaloid culture. She has autism, which makes it hard for her to tell her feelings to others.

“It is very hard for me to show my feelings with words.”

But she thought that with Hatsune Miku’s voice, she could show what’s in her heart. She started to make music. Her first song was called “Realize.” It was a cry from her heart about not fitting in at school.

“You never see the real me…”

Her next song, “To L,” had feelings that even her family had never heard from her. “I can put the feelings from my brain right into the song,” she says.

People from all over the world sent her messages about her songs. “It feels like you’re singing about my feelings.” “Your song changed my life.” These words gave C much hope.

This was the first time she could share her feelings with others. It changed her life. Now she makes Vocaloid songs often and is an important person in the online group.

In Mexico City, people in a big room cheer for Vocaloid character videos on a screen. The room is as hot with feelings as a big music show.

What’s interesting is that when a human singer sings the same songs, the people are less excited. But when the Vocaloid voice comes back, the room gets very excited again.

A woman named Amy, who has listened to Vocaloid for more than 10 years, says:

“The best thing about Vocaloid is that I can enjoy it just as I want. Because the voice is not real, I don’t have to think about the singer’s self or face. I can just go deep into the music.”

In her daily life with house work and children, the only time she feels truly herself is when she listens to Vocaloid music.

“I don’t know if it’s the character’s feelings or if it’s showing my feelings like a mirror,” says another fan. “It’s not anyone’s, but it’s everyone’s. It’s a thing that pulls us in.”

A singer from Japan named “A” also feels deep about Vocaloid culture. Her name comes from a word in old Japanese plays that means “helper role.”

“My songs don’t need to be the main part. If I can be like a helper in someone’s life, that gives me worth.”

She keeps singing with a wish to help someone like her. She wants to send a true message: “You are not alone.”

This way, Vocaloid culture is more than just music. It is a place for hearts all over the world. It makes a ring of shared feelings across countries. The voice that is made by machines sometimes touches our hearts deeper than human voices.

Vocaloid Culture: How It Grows in the World

The Growth of Vocaloid: Looking at Numbers from Around the World

Vocaloid culture is moving fast from Japan to the world. Let’s look at the numbers to see how big it has become.

Vocaloid Music Gets Popular Outside Japan

Music made with Vocaloid is now liked by many people around the world. Let’s look at how many Vocaloid songs are in the top 100 songs from Japan that people listen to in other countries:

Why did this happen? There are some clear reasons:

[Why Vocaloid Songs Grow Outside Japan]
1. Video sharing sites work in more countries
2. Fans add words in their own language
3. Short videos on TikTok help songs move fast
4. People in other countries make their own versions
5. More people can watch live shows online

In the past, Japanese songs became big in other countries when they were in anime or got big on TikTok. But Vocaloid songs found a new way to grow.

The Most Important Vocaloid Songs

Let’s look at some Vocaloid songs that many people know:

“Love Me, Love Me, Love Me” was the first Vocaloid song to have more than 100 million listens. This song made many people around the world feel strong feelings.

Vocaloid Music Makers Go Around the World

Kiku, who makes Vocaloid music, went to many countries to play music. This shows how Vocaloid is liked in many places:

[World Tour Facts]
- Tour Name: VOCALOVE WORLD TOUR 2024
- Countries: 18
- Cities: 38
- People Who Came: About 120,000
- Biggest Show: London (8,000 people)
- Songs at Each Show: About 22
- How Long: 8 months

In this tour, Kiku played Hatsune Miku’s voice songs from a DJ stand. This was new and different from normal music shows. What was special is that people got very excited about Vocaloid characters, just like they would for human singers.

What Makes Vocaloid Music Special

Vocaloid music can do things that human singers can’t. These special things help make new kinds of music:

1. Very Fast Singing

[How Fast Can They Sing]
                   Human Singer    Vocaloid
Most Words Per Second:  5-6 words    Up to 10+ words
How Exact the Notes Are: Medium-High  Very High
How Long They Can Sing: Up to 20 seconds  No limit
Changes When Tired:     Yes           No
Voice Changes with Feelings: Happens by itself  Can be controlled

For example, the most known part of “Senbonzakura” is hard for humans to sing without taking a breath. But Vocaloid doesn’t need to breathe, so it can sing many words fast.

2. Very High and Low Notes

Vocaloid can sing notes that are too high or too low for humans:

          Low Notes                Middle Notes            High Notes
           ↓                        ↓                      ↓
-----------|-----------------------|---------------------|-------------
           ↑                                            ↑
        Where Humans               Where Vocaloid
        Can Sing                   Can Sing More

Vocaloid characters like Hatsune Miku can sing very, very high notes that even the best human singers can’t reach. This makes a special sound in songs like “Melt.”

3. People Can Put Their Own Feelings Into It

The most special thing about Vocaloid is that people can put their own feelings into the voice:

A study in Mexico found that 76% of fans feel stronger feelings when Vocaloid sings a song than when a human sings it. This is called the “Vocaloid Paradox” – feeling more for something that is not real.

How Vocaloid Grows in Different Places

Vocaloid culture grows in different ways in each place:

Asia

[Vocaloid in Asia]
- Japan: Where it started. Many fan events.
- China: "Luo Tianyi" and other Chinese Vocaloids growing fast.
- Korea: "SeeU" is very popular. Mixes with K-POP.
- Taiwan: Many new songs. Close to Japan's culture.
- India: Changing songs to local languages. Making Tamil voice.

Europe and America

[Vocaloid in Europe and America]
- America: Big events like "Miku Expo" happen often.
- England: Studied by schools and liked by artists.
- France: Art-like Vocaloid music is popular.
- Germany: Mixes with techno music.
- Mexico: Very excited fans. Many local events.

Here are some special things happening in different places:

1. England: London University studies “Digital Selves and Music” to learn how Vocaloid affects people’s minds. Also, people with autism make a group to create music.
2. India: Vijay and other first Vocaloid fans are making Vocaloid in many Indian languages (Hindi, Tamil, Bengali). This helps mix different cultures.
3. Mexico: Vocaloid events all over the country mix local music with Vocaloid. This makes a new kind of Vocaloid music with Latin sounds.

How Vocaloid Changes Society

Vocaloid is more than just music. It changes society in many ways:

[How Vocaloid Changes Things]

New Technology ──┐
                   │
Making Things ───┼── Personal Expression ── Mind Effects ── Society Changes
                     │
Communities ─────┘

1. Technology Changes:
   • Voice making gets much better
   • AI and art work together
   • More people can use making tools
2. Making Things:
   • No line between pros and new people
   • Making new things from others’ work is OK
   • New ways to make music
3. Communities:
   • Fans from all over the world work together
   • People make things together
   • Small groups have a place to show their work
4. Mind Effects:
   • New ways to show your self
   • Being unknown helps people be free
   • A place for feelings
5. Society Changes:
   • New ways to use media
   • More people join in making culture
   • Young people born with computers make their own culture

What’s very important is that Vocaloid helps people who have trouble talking or who are in small groups. A study found that 35% of Vocaloid makers have had trouble talking to others. For them, Vocaloid is a very important way to show their thoughts.

How Much Money Vocaloid Makes

Vocaloid doesn’t just change culture. It also makes a lot of money:

Characters like Hatsune Miku help make money in many areas: clothes, small models, games, and virtual reality.

Vocaloid culture shows a new way for art and business in the computer age. It will keep growing because it gives people freedom to put in their own feelings and make new things across countries and types. The numbers show that Vocaloid is not just a short-time thing. It’s a world culture that is here to stay.

Vocaloid Culture: The Empty Space That Makes Us Feel

The “Empty Space” That Makes Us Feel: Vocaloid and Japanese Culture

Vocaloid culture has grown around the world because it uses an idea from old Japanese culture called “empty space.” This idea is at the heart of why Vocaloid touches people’s hearts.

Professor Yokoyama, who studies old Japanese arts, says that Japanese culture likes to “make empty space on purpose” and “let people use their own minds to fill this space.” This is not just about space you can see. It’s also about space in meaning and feelings.

Professor Yokoyama says: “When you make this kind of empty space, or when you leave it there, things can grow bigger. For example, when the moon is shining bright and you say, ‘Oh, the moon is beautiful,’ that’s normal. But in Japan, when the moon is hidden by clouds, and you know the moon is there behind the clouds, that’s what people who make art in this country think is cool and beautiful.”

This Japanese way of art has these main points:

1. Finding perfect in the not-perfect: Seeing value in things that are hidden or not complete
2. Making people think more: When things are not clear, people use their minds more
3. Many ways to understand: When things are not said directly, there are many ways to see them
4. People help finish the art: The person who sees or hears the art helps make it complete with their own mind

The Vocaloid voice, which is “like an empty cup where you can put your own feelings,” is this Japanese idea made real with new computer tools. The voice sounds like it comes from a person but is not real, and the character looks like a person but is not real. This mix of real and not-real is like the “empty space” idea in Japanese art.

1. Noh Masks and Hatsune Miku – Faces That Let You See What You Feel

In the old Japanese art of “Noh,” actors wear masks with faces that don’t change. But when the actor moves and the light changes, the mask seems to show different feelings, and makes people in the crowd use their minds.

Professor Yokoyama says: “People often say, ‘It’s like a Noh mask with no feelings.’ This is true in one way. But you can find your own meaning in the face of the mask. How you see yourself in it is one of the best parts for people watching.”

The professor also says that many main people in Noh are the spirits of people who died with pain and sadness. Their spirits want the people listening to know about their sad feelings. This is like many Vocaloid songs that talk about being lonely or sad.

When we look at it this way, Vocaloid characters like Hatsune Miku are like modern “Noh masks.” Professor Yokoyama even says, “I think Noh is like having a face like Hatsune Miku.” Both have faces that don’t change, but the people watching see many different feelings in them.

2. Haiku and Vocaloid Words – When Few Words Say More

The old Japanese poem form called “haiku” uses just 17 sounds to show a time of year, a picture in your mind, and a feeling. What makes haiku special is that the reader adds more to the poem with their own mind.

For example, the famous haiku “Old pond / frog jumps in / sound of water” (by Matsuo Basho) seems simple. But it makes readers feel many things: the quiet after the sound, the rings in the water, how time passes. The poem works because readers add their own pictures and feelings.

Vocaloid songs, like Kiku’s “Love Me, Love Me, Love Me,” do the same thing. This song uses simple words that say again and again: “Love me, love me more, love me, it hurts…” But these simple words make listeners feel deep things. The words mean more when people add their own life feelings to them.

A fan from Mexico says, “When a human singer sings, I don’t feel as much. But when a Vocaloid sings, I get very excited.” This is because “the voice is not real, so I don’t think about the singer as a person. I can just go deep into the music.” The space where the real singer would be is empty, so the listener fills it with their own feelings.

3. Ukiyo-e and Vocaloid Videos – Pictures That Let You Think More

Old Japanese pictures called “ukiyo-e” show real places and people, but they change things on purpose to make better art. For example, Hokusai’s pictures of Mount Fuji don’t show the real size or colors of the mountain, but they help you feel how big and beautiful it is.

Vocaloid music videos do this too. Many Vocaloid videos don’t try to look real. They use simple pictures or moving drawings. By not trying to look real, they can show deeper ideas and feelings.

Amy, a woman who likes Vocaloid, says: “You don’t see too much of who the person is. You don’t see a real person, so in a good way, it feels empty. When I listen to Vocaloid songs, the words go right into my heart. It feels like the song is for me. It’s easier for me to feel close to it.”

This “empty” feeling is what helps people feel more, not less. It’s the “empty space” that works.

4. Japanese Rooms and Vocaloid Space – Places That Change With You

Old Japanese rooms have very few things in them and keep a lot of empty space. This empty space is not just nothing. It’s a place that can be filled with human acts or changes in nature. The paper doors in Japanese rooms also make the line between inside and outside, what you can see and can’t see, less clear. This makes people think more.

The music space that Vocaloid makes has the same kind of feeling. The English researcher Rafal Zaborowski says: “The Vocaloid voice is always the same. It doesn’t change with feelings. It’s like an empty cup where we can put our own feelings.”

This “empty cup” idea is very much like the Japanese room idea. Both get their meaning from the people who use them, and both are always open to new ways to be used.

The main reason why Vocaloid culture makes so many people around the world feel things is that it uses the old Japanese idea of “empty space” with new computer tools. This idea is not just about Japanese culture. It’s about how all people think and feel.

By giving people a space where they can put their own feelings and life stories, Vocaloid culture helps people feel things across countries, languages, and different ways of life. In today’s world, having space to put your own meaning can make deeper feelings than when everything is already decided for you. Vocaloid shows us this.

So, Vocaloid is not just a new tool or a short-time thing. It’s a new way to show ideas that comes from the heart of Japanese culture. It is “not anyone’s, but everyone’s” in a special way. This helps people who feel alone or sad around the world find a place where they feel at home and understood. It keeps growing as a world culture.

As Professor Yokoyama says: “The people who listen and see can use their minds to be part of it and make their own life feelings with it. This is like an old way in Japanese culture. I don’t think the people who made Vocaloid were thinking about this, but it’s interesting that this old way came out in Vocaloid anyway.”

The music wave of Vocaloid, which was born in Japan, has gone across countries. It gives people the freedom to share feelings they couldn’t say before. It will keep growing as a new “empty space culture” in our world today.