The 2020 Coachella lineup is finally here, and there are some heavy-hitters scheduled to bring the house down: Lana Del Rey, Frank Ocean, Rage Against the Machine, and… Hatsune Miku?
If the name sounds unfamiliar, Hatsune Miku is a virtual pop star. She’s performed at sold-out arenas across the globe for over a decade, and she specializes in cheery, energetic techno, pop, and dance songs. So no, she’s not real, but she can certainly perform like she is.
Miku is a vocaloid, or a singing vocal synthesizer. She’s a creation born from a type of software that can sing unique songs based on text input, sort of like text-to-speech programs. Anyone can create songs using the technology for her, and create they do. As such, Miku has become something of a phenomenon over the years both in Japan where she was created, and throughout the rest of the world. Thanks to her unique style and presence, she’s won over the hearts of thousands, many of which cannot believe she’s going to appear for the very first time at Coachella.
Fans across the internet are beside themselves with glee (and for many, confusion) that the virtual idol is making her way to Coachella for the very first time. It certainly does seem unreal, doesn’t it?
This is hardly the first time the vocaloid performer has taken the stage for a large audience. After headlining her own show in 2009 at Japan’s Saitama Super Arena, she headed west to debut in 2011 at Anime Expo in Los Angeles. But one of the most exciting moments of her career was when she made an appearance on The Late Show With David Letterman.
In 2011, she even opened for Lady Gaga during the “Poker Face” singer’s candy-colored artRAVE tour.
A large portion of Coachella performers this year are Japanese and K-pop artists, including J-pop songstress Kyary Pamyu Pamyu and K-pop superstars BIGBANG. It’s certainly going to be an interesting and diverse year for attendees this year.
Just don’t forget to congratulate the diminutive diva Miku on all of her success over the past decade if you head out and see her up there on the Coachella stage. The world is hers, after all.
