Miku

Miku most commonly refers to Hatsune Miku, a fictional character and voicebank from Crypton Future Media’s Vocaloid software. Introduced in 2007 for the Vocaloid 2 engine, Hatsune Miku is the flagship product of Crypton’s Character Vocal Series. The voicebank was provided by Japanese voice actress Saki Fujita, and the character was designed by KEI. The software enables users to synthesize singing by inputting lyrics and melody, producing audio in various languages, with Japanese as the primary focus.

Beyond its use as a singing voice, Hatsune Miku has become a multimedia phenomenon. She is widely represented as a virtual performer, with holographic concerts that began in the late 2000s and have continued through global tours and events. The character appears in a variety of media, including video games, animation, and merchandise. Her visual design features turquoise twin-tailed hair and a futuristic outfit, which has become a recognizable symbol associated with the Vocaloid ecosystem.

Miku’s impact on digital music culture is substantial, fostering a global community of producers who create original songs and videos using her voicebank. The Project DIVA series by Sega is among the most notable licensed games featuring her character. As a virtual performer, Hatsune Miku exists as a collective product of Crypton and the user community, with licensing and usage tied to Crypton’s distribution channels and related platforms for works created with her voicebank.