The Relationship Between VTuber Music Activities and Streaming Popularity

VTubers are expanding their platforms beyond YouTube to virtual social networks like VRChat and cluster, increasingly delivering their music. Recently, many have been making significant strides by releasing original songs and cover performances.
So, are VTubers who are gaining attention with their original songs also popular in streaming? In this article, we will explore the connection between VTubers’ activities as artists and their activities as streamers.

Popular Songs and the Activities of Singing VTubers

Recently, original songs by VTubers have frequently become a hot topic. This time, we will focus on VTubers who have multiple original song music videos with over 10 million views on YouTube. We will explore what kind of activities they engage in as streamers and how popular they are!

If you want to know more about the view counts of VTuber songs, please check this out.

Related Article: Ranking of VTuber Original Songs[ja]
If you want to learn about the basic activities of VTubers, please take a look here.

Related Article: What are the Main Activity Styles of VTubers?[ja]

Hoshimachi Suisei

Among her original solo songs, seven have surpassed 10 million views, with an average of approximately 34 million views. Let’s take a look at Hoshimachi Suisei, a member of the major VTuber agency Hololive, whose main focus has become her music career as an artist.

Suisei’s YouTube channel boasts 2.51 million subscribers. In the subscriber rankings for individual VTuber channels, she ranks 8th, and in total views, she ranks 3rd. Her video uploads, which have made her one of the most renowned artists in the VTuber world, primarily consist of music videos and song covers. However, during live broadcasts, she often streams games. Notably, Suisei is famous for her exceptional Tetris skills, showcasing her love for gaming.
Even so, when you sort her live stream archives by view count, the top spots are mostly occupied by music live streams. It seems that many of Suisei’s fans are eager to hear her singing voice.

Houshou Marine

Next, we introduce Houshou Marine, a member of Hololive, who has achieved an unprecedented milestone as a VTuber. Four of her original solo songs have surpassed 10 million views, and her collaboration songs have also exceeded 10 million views. In 2023 (Reiwa 5), she made history by appearing on a television music program.
Marine’s YouTube channel boasts 3.6 million subscribers. In the ranking of individual VTuber channels, she holds the second position in terms of subscribers and ranks first in total views.
Her activities primarily focus on streaming, with many of her uploaded videos being music-related. However, due to her exceptional conversational skills and communication abilities, her top-viewed stream archives include not only music projects but also game streams and collaboration projects with other VTubers from Hololive, showcasing a variety of genres.
Her YouTube channel has 3.53 million subscribers, placing her second in the ranking of individual VTuber channels. It seems that Marine’s fans have diverse needs, and she appears to deliver a wide range of activities to satisfy all of them.

Mori Calliope

Next, we will look at Mori Calliope, a member of Hololive EN, which is a group within Hololive aimed at English-speaking audiences.
Mori Calliope’s YouTube channel has 2.47 million subscribers. In the overall ranking of VTuber individual channels, she ranks 9th in subscribers and 6th in total views.
Among her original songs and raps, seven have surpassed 10 million views, making her the most viewed VTuber from overseas agencies, including those outside of Hololive. Her average view count is approximately 21.55 million. In 2021 (Reiwa 3), her second EP, “Your Mori.,” reached number one on the hip-hop/rap album charts on iTunes in both Japan and the United States, showcasing her talent not only in singing but also in rap.
Her streaming style is predominantly game streaming, but when ranked by view count, collaborations with other Hololive EN members and ASMR content by Mori Calliope herself frequently appear. Fans may find her voice particularly captivating, as she is popular not only for her singing but also for her rap.

Shigure Ui

Finally, we introduce Shigure Ui, an independent VTuber not affiliated with any agency, whose primary profession is an illustrator.
Ui’s YouTube channel boasts 2.01 million subscribers. In the ranking of individual VTuber channels, she holds the 14th position. However, as mentioned earlier, her main occupation is an illustrator, and she considers her VTuber activities a hobby, resulting in fewer streams compared to the three individuals mentioned above. Despite this, two of her original songs have surpassed 10 million views. Both songs have garnered significant attention due to Ui’s charming singing and dancing, with “Shukusei!! Loli God Requiem☆” exceeding 100 million views, making it the most viewed original VTuber song as of November 2024. “Ui Mugibatake de Tsukamaete” has also achieved over 20 million views, showcasing explosive popularity.
Ui’s streaming style includes not only game streams but also chat streams where she draws illustrations, leveraging her skills as an illustrator, and answers questions from viewers. She also collaborates with agency-affiliated VTubers, often delivering easy-to-watch streams that last about an hour.
Ui is known for her concise, precise, and well-paced conversations, making her chat streams particularly popular. However, she personally does not consider singing her strong suit, resulting in only a few live singing sessions. Nevertheless, as evidenced by the massive view counts, it is clear that fans find her singing voice captivating.

If you found this article intriguing, please check out the following links!

Related Article: VTuber Subscriber Rankings[ja]

Related Article: VTuber Original Song Rankings[ja]

Related Article: What are the Strengths of VTubers from Total View Counts?[ja]

Summary: VTubers with Popular Songs Also See Growing Popularity in Streaming, with a Steadily Increasing Fan Base

Japanese VTubers who focus on music activities seem to maintain a certain level of popularity as streamers as well. However, considering the high number of song plays, it appears that there are many people who know only the songs or new viewers who become interested through the music. In other words, the songs are contributing to an increase in viewers for their streaming activities.