VOCALOID
Hatsune Miku is a singing voice synthesizer who has been featured in over 100,000 songs released worldwide. Codenamed CV01, she was one of the first Vocaloids to be both developed and distributed by Crypton Future Media, INC. A 16-year-old girl with turquoise hair, she was released on August 31, 2006. The name Hatsune Miku means "The First Sound From the Future". The primary differentiation between Miku and other singers is that she is not technically a real person, and her music is created by the fanbase who are not necessarily professional but want to improve their abilities and expand their reach. Her voice is provided by the Japanese voice actress Saki Fujita, and Miku is considered the most popular and well known Vocaloid.
Developer
Crypton Future Media, INC. is a music technology company based in Sapporo, Japan, and is the official licensor of Hatsune Miku and other Vocaloid members. It develops and sells products related to music including, but not limited to, sound generation software. The company provides services for online shopping of their software as well as the digital distribution of music using their Vocaloid software under the KARENT record label.
Voice Actress
Born October 19, 1984, Saki Fujita is a voice actress and narrator who hails from Tokyo, Japan. Having her debut in voice acting in 2001, she became a household name when, in 2016, she provided the voice for Hatsune Miku. Other high-profile projects that Fujita has performed in include Angel Beats!, Pokemon, Attack on Titan, Kantai Collection, and Sword Art Online.
Character Designer
Kei Garou (stylized as KEI) is a Japanese illustrator who was born in Chitose, Hokkaido, Japan. He started drawing fan works as a student and made his debut as an illustrator for the novel Kiseki no Hyougen. In 2007, he was commissioned by Crypton Future Media to draw an illustration for their first Character Vocal Series product, Hatsune Miku. Although he was provided with detailed concepts, KEI took over a month to complete the illustration due to his lack of understanding of what Vocaloid was, as the concept was still quite new at the time. His style is defined as watercolor-like moe.
MikuMikuDance
MikuMikuDance (MMD, for short) is a freeware animation program that allows users to create and animate 3D movies. It was originally produced for fans of Hatsune Miku to allow them to create and produce music videos without the need to buy high-end expensive animation software. Nowadays, innumerable characters and designs can be created using MMD and its flexibility has allowed for amazing videos to be created and uploaded to Nico Nico Douga and YouTube, resulting in a newfound appreciation for 3D animation, the world over.
History
Since her creation in 2006, Hatsune Miku has partaken in various collaborations and events, including but not limited to:
Since 2010, Racing Miku has represented Goodsmile Racing for the Super GT.
Since 2011, Snow Miku (event) has played a prominent role in Sapporo’s annual Snow Festival held in late January-early February for several weeks.
From 2012 till 2015, Family Mart held special seasonal campaigns featuring Hatsune Miku where customers could purchase limited-edition foods and beverages, as well as have the chance to win various prizes from each convenience store’s lottery.
In 2013, Domino's Pizza Japan teamed with Hatsune Miku for a special campaign lasting approximately 2 months.
Mikupa. An annual event in Japan that lasted from 2009 to 2011.
Hatsune Miku Magical Mirai. An annual event in Japan that started in 2013 and has continued to this day.
HATSUNE MIKU EXPO. A global world tour organized by Crypton Future Media. It began in 2014 in Indonesia and has since extended its reach to the Americas, other areas of Asia, and Europe.
THE END (opera). An ambitious opera that debuted in 2013 comprised entirely of 3D computer-generated graphics, no human performers, and no orchestra. It was the brainchild of writer Toshiki Okada and music producer Keiichiro Shibuya, with costumes designed by Louis Vuitton.
Miku Symphony. A 2-day live concert from Crypton Future Media that is performed in Japan. It is the sequel to the Miku Symphony 2016 concert and is the very first official concert to feature all Crypton-based Vocaloid members.
Merchandise
On top of being a voicebank software, Hatsune Miku takes many forms, including merchandise, CDs, figurines, apparel, and decor, as well as food and drinks. In most cases, these items are officially licensed by Crypton Future Media, though due to the success of the brand, Hatsune Miku also has unofficial manga, music, games, and figurines.
Cosplay
With the massive success of Hatsune Miku, she and the other Vocaloids have been cosplayed numerous times for leisure or specifically for events, especially by many professional cosplayers. In many cases, all clothing is handmade, but there are also stores dedicated to selling clothes and attachments for anyone to buy around the world.
Legacy
In the over a decade that Hatsune Miku and Vocaloid have appeared, her influence is felt around the world. For fans overseas, interest in Japanese music as well as Japan and its culture has increased dramatically, which aides the Japanese economy. For fans in Japan, the incredibly large variety of music has created some professional musicians.
For a strong example, Hachi now produces music professionally under his real name, Kenshi Yonezu, and at one point in 2019, had 10 singles in the Oricon Top 100 at the same time. He still maintains a strong fanbase post-Vocaloid music production, with any new song almost always breaking into the top 3 of the Oricon charts.
Vocaloid, and Hatsune Miku in particular, has started to break down the language barriers around the world and has begun to unite everyone through the power of music.