Wowaka

Wowaka was born in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan on November 4, 1987.[1] He was interested in joining rock bands since his middle school, starting as a guitarist, he joined bands in his high school and college. He was an alumnus of University of Tokyo, and was the leader of the music club "Toudai Onkan" (東大音感).[4] In college, he began composing original music for his band.[5]

Wowaka's first contact with Vocaloid music was in December 2008, when he listened to livetune's song Last Night, Good Night. Taking a liking to the song, he was shocked to learn that this song was one-man's work. He then quit his band, and began creating Vocaloid music using Hatsune Miku in April 2009.[6][7] Wowaka began his musical career in May 2009, by uploading his original Vocaloid music titled In the Gray Zone. (グレーゾーンにて。) to the Japanese video-sharing website Niconico Douga. In the video of In the Gray Zone, trying to convey the image of the song without using illustrations of Vocaloid characters, wowaka used his own drawing instead, and, for consistency, he kept this style in all his later Vocaloid works.[5]

Wowaka's songs published on Niconico are characterized by obscure lyrics depicting thoughts of young women in fast-paced melodies.[6] He has said that although he initially wanted to make music that can only be made using Vocaloid, he later realized the advantages of Vocaloid music.[8] He became known under the name "Genjitsu Touhi P" after writing in music descriptions the phrase "Escaping from reality, how nice!" (Japanese: 現実逃避って、いいよね！)[5] His works gained particularly large popularity on Niconico Douga. After releasing his self-published album, he helped found Balloom, an independent record label, along with other musicians popular on Niconico Douga.

In May 2011, Wowaka released his debut studio album Unhappy Refrain (アンハッピーリフレイン) under the Balloom label.[9][10] The album opened to critical acclaim. It is considered a classic in the Vocaloid music industry, and is often considered Wowaka's signature work. The tracks, including "Two-faced Lovers", "World's End Dancehall", "Rolling Girl", and "Unhappy Refrain", all attained a cult following.[11] Following this, Wowaka was the composer and lyricist of the single And I'm Home, which was used as one of the ending theme songs in the 2011 anime series Puella Magi Madoka Magica.[12] In the same year, he joined the rock band Hitorie as the primary vocalist and guitarist,[1] and shifted his focus towards the band. Hitorie released their debut album Room Sick Girls Escape (ルームシック・ガールズエスケープ) in 2012.[13]

In August 2017, Wowaka released his final Vocaloid song entitled Unknown Mother Goose (アンノウン・マザーグース) following six years since his previous works in Vocaloid. The song was created for Hatsune Miku's 10-year anniversary compilation album Re:Start.[14] In October of the same year, he released his own vocal cover version of the song under Hitorie.[15] In an interview, Wowaka credited Hatsune Miku for getting him into making music. He stated: "I never gave it a second of thought 10 years ago as I posted songs, but no matter how you look at it, Hatsune Miku is the one who got me to start music. Miku is sort of like a mother figure to me."[16][17]

Wowaka died in his sleep on April 5, 2019, due to heart failure, at the age of 31. The death was announced on Hitorie's website on April 8, 2019.[18] After his death, the band announced the cancellation of planned concert tours, and that it had not yet decided its future activities.[19] A private funeral was held by his family members.[1] On June 1, 2019, Hitorie held a remembrance concert. On Hatsune Miku's Magical Mirai 2019 and Miku Expo Europe 2020 concerts, tributes were held to honor him.

Various Vocaloid artists have made music with Wowaka as an inspiration.[16] His songs like "Rolling Girl" and "World's End Dancehall" are considered widely influential, and, along with other songs of his, inspired others to make covers and derivative works.[2] Following his death, fans of Wowaka paid tribute to him on various social media to commemorate his musical and vocal capabilities.[3]

Musician Kenshi Yonezu, also known by his stage name Hachi when creating Vocaloid music, was a close friend of wowaka. After wowaka's death, Yonezu praised wowaka for having a deep impact on the concept of "Vocaloid-esque" music among Vocaloid creators, and that since his own music was also influenced by wowaka, he held his greatest respect for him.[20]

Aiden Strawhun wrote on Kotaku that "For those who've been part of the Vocaloid community since Hatsune Miku's early days, Wowaka's name carries more than just the weight of nostalgia. It carries a teenage-angsty resonance thanks to songs such as the turbulent, cacophonic 'Rolling Girl.' [...] Where there is Hatsune Miku, there is Wowaka. [...] With his passing, we've not only lost a huge, immensely influential part of the community but a monumental part of our history. His work, though, will live on. Wowaka did more than create music for a generation. He created magic."[2]

• Vocaloid
• Hatsune Miku
• Megurine Luka
• Kenshi Yonezu

• wowaka
• balloom.net | ARTIST WOWAKA
• Wowaka on Twitter