VOCALOID P, Pinocchio P, has been active since he released his first VOCALOID song on Nico Nico Douga in 2009. In 2024, the year that marks the 15th anniversary of his activity, he will hold the largest national tour "Monstro" in his career to date. Looking back on their past activities, what kind of content will this tour have? We asked them to talk about their current state of mind.

Nico Nico Douga was warmly welcomed from its first posting

Pinocchio P

--You have reached the 15th anniversary of your activities! How are you feeling now?

I never thought I would be able to continue my activities for such a long time. I used to play guitar and record at home when I was in high school, but I didn't really have a grasp of music theory when I first started working as a vocaloid P. I didn't know anything about compressors or equalizers. I had no idea about compressors or equalizers. I learned by communicating with other contributors who were active in the culture of the time, asking questions and learning how to use them.

--What was it like in the early days?

When I posted my first video, I was worried that people would write terrible things about it, but I received only warm comments. Because the thumbnail of my video at the time was Hatsune Miku with an elongated nose, I was given the name "Pinocchio P" (......). Until then, I had never had the experience of having something I created praised by an unspecified number of people, so it really cheered me up. That made me happy, so I posted my second and third songs. I received warm comments each time, and it became a driving force for me to keep going.

--When was the turning point in your activities so far?

The turning point was April 2009. The number of My List subscribers for my early songs was in the double digits, but for the 10th song, "eight hundred," the number reached four digits. At that time, I thought that I might be able to deliver something that could move people's hearts.

When I was in high school, I made it my hobby to write songs and play them for my friends. At first, they enjoyed listening to my songs, but I was so persistent that they got annoyed (laughs). I had never had the experience of having my songs appreciated. Posting on Nico Nico Douga gave me the feeling that my songs were reaching a range I had never imagined. Until then, I had only written songs for myself, but now I am more conscious of conveying my songs to people who are listening to them.

Eight hundred feat. Hatsune Miku

The message behind the song and the moment I became aware of the live performance

--Last year you released the album "META". How was the reaction of the people around you?

Pinocchioopy 6th Album "META

The theme of that album was "to be something I am not and write songs about it. I hoped that the songs would convey that I was at the root of the songs, even though they were "imitations" of something that was not me. The songs "Egoist" and "META" in particular had a strong theme, and I was happy that the fans who came to the sales event were exposed to those two songs. I was happy that the fans who came to the sales event were exposed to these two songs.

--I think that the song "Egoist" (released in 2021) also became a topic of conversation when Ado covered it.

Some people thought that I was criticizing Ado's song "Woosh, woosh, woosh" in the lyrics, but I originally intended it to be about people who imitated that song. The theme of "God-like" was to portray various points of view, but I thought it was hard to convey. However, when I saw the video of Ado's cover, it was exactly "something like that. He sings in different tones for each part and section, and I felt that "he sings in a way that sounds like him. It was very interesting and made me happy that he sang the song after understanding the message of the song.

God-like feat. Hatsune Miku

--You have been releasing songs consistently for 15 years. What motivates you to keep writing songs using vocaloids?

I have been working with Miku for 15 years now, and I have a strong feeling that my songs would not have reached the public if it were not for her. I feel that lyrics that would be harsh if sung by a human vocalist are made possible by Miku's voice. I have done solo projects where I sing, but I feel that I can make better songs with Vocaloids, and I think that making music with Vocaloids is better suited for me.

--Your live performance is in the style of a duet between Hatsune Miku and Pinocchioopy, but was that your original plan?

I started performing in 2015, but at first I wondered how it would be like to perform live using vocaloids. At first, I was worried about how live performances with vocaloids would turn out. In the beginning, I would play a track and not go out in front of the stage. I would have a friend of mine in gold tights dance for me to "distract me from myself. But I felt that was insincere.

Then one day, I stepped forward and sang, and when I saw the expressions on the audience's faces, I finally realized that I could do it live. I finally felt like I was performing live. Since then, I have been performing in my current style and writing songs with live performances in mind. The theme of your album "HUMAN" (2016) was "the fusion of humans and vocaloids," which was also influenced by your live performances.

Live video of "Goson Rokkun" (Japanese only)