Vocaloid is a singing software that has been going strong for over a decade, and it is something I hold near and dear to my heart. I’ve already written an article explaining what Vocaloid is for those who don’t know, so you can read it if you need a quick briefing. Nevertheless, the creativity and independence that producers take advantage of when using Vocaloid have always drawn me to the medium, as it has done for many others. Hundreds of millions of people around the world are fans of Vocaloid, and I want to pay respects to something that has helped me through some of the roughest parts of my life. So in this series, I will be counting down my top 10 favorite Vocaloid songs of all time, which I will be splitting into multiple parts. ‌

10 – “Glow” by Keeno

“Glow” captures an emotion not felt in many other songs: one of longing, hurt, and the series of complex emotions that one feels while grieving. The song is mainly carried by its instrumentals and the slow, beautiful melody that flows seamlessly from one note to the next. The guitar is both somber and powerful, and it perfectly shows the capability that music has of portraying an emotion solely through sound. Give this a listen if you’re feeling up to it. 

9 – “I’m Glad You’re Evil, Too” by PinocchioP

“I’m Glad You’re Evil”, Too is one of the most self-evidently excellent pieces of music that I’ve ever heard. Analyzing it would be like trying to describe what love is, but I’ll try my best. The instrumentals feature a series of melodies layered over each other expertly in a way that feels natural and doesn’t take you out of the immersion at any point. The story follows the story of two “evil” people and conveys the idea that simply having somebody else who cares about you can make life worth living, despite the doubts you may have about yourself. This song shows how these two people are able to find comfort and belief in each other despite what they think of themselves, expressing the idea that anybody can be loved and cared for, even if they’re “evil”. What can I say except that “I’m Glad You’re Evil, Too” is beautiful, tasteful, and powerful?

8 – “Odds and Ends” by Ryo

The Vocaloid scene wouldn’t exist today if Ryo never decided to pick up the medium. “Melt” and “The World is Mine” were game-changers in the community that inspired the rest of the producers we know today to start using Vocaloid. Ryo proved that as a medium, Vocaloid was here to stay and the swan song he released before he left the community to focus on his band is his best, by far. Odds and Ends captures everything magical about not only Vocaloid but music in general. The song works as an autobiography for Ryo, talking about what Vocaloid did for him in the dark times of his life and how he felt about it. In the end, he thanks Vocaloid with Odds and Ends, using the song as a love letter to the medium. Even though the song is years old, the bridge and final chorus of Odds and Ends still has more emotion packed into the vocals and composition than almost any other song I’ve heard. You only need one listen to understand why Vocaloid and music are so important to people, and for that, I can’t thank Ryo enough. 

7 – “Sayoko” by MikitoP

While Sayako’s composition is a bright, soft rock piece, the lyrics portray a character with depression in a completely different light than most mainstream media would. Unique to Sayako, the protagonist does not have anything particularly making their life worse but instead focuses on the lack of things making it good. The song paints a complex narrative of their conflicting emotions: not feeling happy but not feeling like there’s any reason to not be happy. Sayako is a song that isn’t content to fall to common cliches writers make when portraying depression and uses its four minutes to speak to those struggling in a simple, yet eloquent manner.

(Part 2 Coming Soon!)