The “Niconico VOCALOID SONGS” mid-year ranking for 2025 was recently announced. This chart, which was launched on Dec. 7, 2022, tracks the top 20 songs on Niconico created using voice synthesis software. The ranking is based on metrics developed by Billboard JAPAN, including the number of plays, the number of videos that use the songs, the number of comments, the number of likes, and more. In the recently released chart, the number one position went to Hiiragi Magnetite’s “Tetoris,” followed closely by DECO*27’s “Monitoring.”
The video for “Tetoris,” which was released in November 2024, shows Kasane Teto spinning over a yellow background. The lyrics drip with self-deprecation: “I’m so busy with depression and Mania / That I can’t even get some sleep / Yet again.” The song is anchored by the melody to “Korobeiniki,” the Russian folk song famous as the background music of the Tetris video game, and uses rhythmical phrases that place heavy emphasis on the feel of the lyrics, combining “Teto” and “Tetris.” The lyrics are ultra-fresh, with lines like “Jinsei Cancel Cancel Kaiwai” (“Around the ‘Cancel Cancel Life’ Neck of the Woods”) that play on the online slang from late 2024, “Furo Cancel Kaiwai” (“Around the ‘Cancel the Bath’ Neck of the Woods”).
It’s also worth noting the dramatic success being enjoyed by DECO*27, a veteran Vocaloid producer who will be celebrating the 17th anniversary of their debut this October but who remains on the frontlines of the Vocaloid scene. DECO*27 has been distinguishing himself since the 2010s, when songs like “Mosaic Roll” and “Streaming Heart” were covered by huge numbers of utaite. Even now, 16 years later, his popularity remains sky high. His works are about change, which has had a tremendous impact on his evolution as an artist. For example, on his album TRANSFORM, released on November 27, 2024, he used the new Miku voicebank. Since May 2023, DECO*27 has been using a Hatsune Miku 3D model he created himself (Deco Miku) primarily to promote his music on YouTube and TikTok. This approach ties in closely to his movement on the chart.
The mid-year chart also has many songs related to the film Kowareta Sekai To Utaenai Miku (“Colorful Stage! The Movie: A Miku Who Can’t Sing”), an offshoot of the smartphone rhythm and adventure game Project Sekai Colorful Stage! Feat. Hatsune Miku, that began airing in theaters nationwide in January 17. There’s DECO*27’s song “Hello, SEKAI feat. Hatsune Miku,” which is featured in the movie, and six songs written by musical units and virtual singers and then arranged by six Vocaloid producers such as kemu, Iyowa, and Nilfruits. VocaColle, the world’s largest user submission-focused event in the Vocaloid scene, had a higher number of submissions than ever before. Like Proseka, it has become the perfect place to discover new talent. In VocaColle 2025 Winter, which was held in February, Avaraya, a Vocaloid producer with previous experience competing in the event’s rookie bracket, took the number one position in the Top 100 with “The Sound About Petals.”
One constant throughout the mid-year ranking of 2025 was the use of music video thumbnails featuring virtual singers, primarily Hatsune Miku and Kasane Teto. The tide of songs featuring Kasane Teto, which began in 2024, has carried on this year, but we’re now also seeing a rise in songs with both Hatsune Miku and Kasane Teto, a trend launched by 32ki’s “Mesmerizer.” For songs by Vocaloid producers who are gaining support overseas, the visuals of the virtual singers often serve as symbols of the songs themselves. Just as each Vocaloid producer tweaks the vocals, giving their virtual singers a unique sound, it appears now that each producer’s virtual singer has established their own distinct visual look.
One of the powerful boosters of the buzz in the scene is the recent influx of overseas listeners. For example, Vocaloid producer Nunununununununununununununununu debuted in 2022 and has already established a global fan base. The music video for his song “Mimukauwa Nice Try,” which ranked 4th on the chart, has both English and Japanese subtitles, and on the Chinese video streaming site Bilibili, the song has Chinese subtitles. One of the notable things about “CandyCookieChocolate,” by Hallo Cel, who debuted in 2021, is that it has subtitles in 13 different languages, including Japanese. Artists are looking at the potential for global expansion and are planting the seeds for creating connections with overseas listeners in the future. Global strategies such as the use of multilingual subtitles and captions are likely to accelerate in the future. This will be facilitated by Asia Creators Cross, a creator coordination program run by Dwango which provides opportunities for Japanese creators to thrive worldwide and for global creators to thrive in Japan. As part of this program, in May of this year, the Strawberry Music Festival, one of China’s biggest music festivals, featured a performance by four DJs with many Chinese fans: Minami no Minami, namigroove, Natsuyama Yotsugi, and TeddyLoid.
Vocaloid songs are often mirrors that reflect the real societal problems being faced by Gen Z. This may fly under the radar because of the recent trend for upbeat-sounding music, but underneath that music are songs about some of the dark recesses of modern life, such as LSD. “Monitoring,” with its delusions spinning out from hallucinations, and “Mesmerizer,” in which Hatsune Miku undergoes a menacing transformation in the second half of the music video, are prime examples. In that sense, Ura Amala’s “Daidaidaidaidaikirai” shares something in common with them, as the moment the song breaks into the chorus, the sound production becomes intensely psychedelic. Hallo Cel later revealed that the look of “CandyCookieChocolate” was an homage to the style of the artist named “channel” (who now goes by the name “CAST”), the creator of the music video for “Mesmerizer.” The animation in the video draws one’s consciousness in like a vortex, and the three sweets that make up the name are suggestive of some sort of code word.
Something to note, given this increase in trippily-themed songs, is the looping track structure of many of the songs. This looping lodges the lyrics to the songs in the listener’s brain. “Mimukauwa Nice Try” repeats the refrain “Zako♡, zako♡” (“Loser♡, loser♡”). The song “Daidaidaidaidaikirai” has the repeated rhyming of “Daidaidaidaidaikirai, OMG nasakenai, mohaya bye bye bye bye bye shitai” (“I hate hate hate hate hate you, OMG, how pathetic, I just wanna say bye bye bye bye bye already”). The intro to “CandyCookieChocolate” boldly draws on the song’s name, with the lyrics “CANDY CANDY CANDY COOKIE CANDY CANDY CHOCOLATE”. In other words, one of the big trends in today’s Vocaloid scene is using the music as an “electronic drug” that doesn’t place too much of a burden on the mind. It’s an SOS signal from those in the scene, especially zoomers. The recent popularity of up-beat songs is likely because of how well they fit with short video platforms like TikTok, but behind the fast melodies are dark lyrics. This is where the true value of Vocaloid songs lives on, casting a keen eye on the reality around us. That’s why we can never get enough Vocaloid.
—This article by Mio Komachi first appeared on Billboard Japan
