On August 28-29, 2021, a birthday live show for Masaki Kanon took place on ZAIKO. This event, held exclusively online, was a great success, and she presents a new artist image that travels between the real and virtual worlds, showcasing what comes after the metaverse.

She has been lively in the current music scene with her "singing covers" and releases of cover songs. The cover album "Makanon Songs ~ Anime Songs ~", announced in June 2021, ranked third in Amazon's new album chart. In September of the same year, she released her second cover album "Makanon Songs ~ J-Pop ~", which is currently receiving a lot of attention.

She performed a total of 24 songs over two days, including two original songs. The setlist order was significantly altered between the first and second days, so the audience who experienced the live with a full ticket must have felt completely different impressions on both days. It was a lavish streaming event worthy of celebrating her milestone. This article is an interview that examines the outlook for future virtual lives, based on the aftermath of this event. Moreover, a live report that is a sequel to this article is scheduled to be released soon.

Interviewed by: Tomoki Kawasaki

Before the second day's performance, the live show opened with a wonderful announcement. "Thank you very much for coming to the 'Masaki Kanon Summer & Birthday Live 2021.' Before we begin, we would like to ask the guests for your cooperation. Unauthorized photography, recording, and videotaping are strictly prohibited. If you absolutely want to watch it repeatedly, please purchase a ticket with an archive. You are free to enjoy food and drinks in the audience area. Also, there are no restrictions such as no smoking throughout the venue. Please relax and enjoy in your preferred style. Mobile phones, alarm watches, etc., do not particularly disturb other customers, so please turn them off at your own risk. Customers who do not feel well or have a temperature of 37.5°C or higher may also enjoy it within their physical limits. If you have small children with you, please enjoy watching together. Feel free to express yourselves or ride along with the sound in front of the screen. We kindly ask for your understanding and cooperation... This was Masaki Kanon!"

- Thank you for a fun weekend! I especially enjoyed the second day even before the live started. I logged in about 15 minutes before the start, and the announcement really got me hyped. Was that idea conceived by Kanon?

Thank you for your kind words. I'm glad I made the announcement! (laughs). During the live rehearsal, the staff showed me the completed lobby, and at that moment, I thought to myself, "Since they made something so wonderful, I have to do something!" I felt that it would be a waste not to say anything on the first day, so I decided to make that announcement. I realized that the excitement before the main event is something irreplaceable.

- Looking at the virtual scene, especially the live situations of VTubers, it seems that day-long performances are more common than two-day events. Can you tell us about how this live transformed into a two-day event?

During this year's Valentine's live, it was so much fun that we talked among the performers about how one day wouldn’t be enough. I thought it was just a joke on a whim, but it actually became a reality (laughs). About a month before August, I was told, "We’re doing two days!" So, I was surprised (laughs). What I thought was just the mood at the time really became a reality.

- As for the reason why one-day performances are more common in the virtual scene, I assumed it was a matter of "numbers." It seems that metrics like view counts and social media engagement are emphasized in the virtual world, for better or worse. Did you disregard the risk of numbers being dispersed due to the two-day event this time?

Yes. We didn’t think about that this time. What we’re aiming for is a "real live feeling," so we want to do the same thing in the virtual world as physical artists do. For example, real artists travel around the country for tours and perform multiple times. Even if the audience changes each time, what happens at that moment can be shared in real-time. Therefore, I believe the more opportunities we have to exchange that sort of passion, the better it is. Well, it can be tough for the staff and the band, though...

- Using AR in live performances also seems to entail a high technical hurdle. As you mentioned, there must have been many technical difficulties, but could you share any interesting points or struggles you felt as a performer, Kanon?

There were technical troubles during the live, but thanks to the other members, we came up with more ideas to resolve those troubles. Personally, I was very happy to feel that sort of teamwork. I watched the staff handling things in a rush, and it was really reassuring.

- Is it really that different from singing alone with an accompaniment track?

For me, and I think for everyone, the intensity of the comments is completely different. For instance, if a "singing cover" video receives comments like "Whoa!" and the exact same comment appears during a live, the perception is entirely different. It's really a matter of feeling, but it raises my excitement as well.

- I've been wanting to ask this for a while, but do you feel the audience's energy? With text-based communication, there’s often a time lag, and I frequently wonder, "Is my enthusiasm reaching beyond the screen?" This was the case even before the pandemic.

For me, during the live, I keep the comments visible at all times. Although there is indeed a slight lag, I can see them in real-time. So, I can feel everyone's enthusiasm.

Also, in a real live setting, it’s concentrated into the exactly "Whoa!" cheers, right? Even if someone is typing something in written form, it often gets drowned out by those cheers. I think the great thing about comments is that we can understand what each individual is saying. That’s a “new goodness” in live streaming, isn’t it? It allows us to know more about what everyone is thinking, which is valuable to the performers as well.

Interestingly, it’s quite possible to see comments while singing. Of course, I want to feel cheers too (laughs). Emoji applause or emotionally charged texts with lots of exclamation marks and energetic comments reach me properly. Interestingly, the comments tend to slow down during ballads, and I like how it changes based on the song. It makes me feel like they are truly listening.

- Do these audience voices influence your singing style? For instance, I feel that your "ganari" is one of your characteristics, but it seems that the audience often expects that as well.

I believe so. I receive quite a few comments regarding "ganari" too, so that makes me feel good and want to sing it (laughs). The audience's reactions are definitely motivating. I think performers and spectators can get each other fired up in the virtual space.

- I’m personally delighted to make this discovery, so I will emphasize it in this interview (laughs). Changing the subject, is there any specific feature you feel should be preserved as ZAIKO continues to update its system?

Being able to differentiate ticket types is appreciated. This time, we sold multiple tickets corresponding to the content, but I think it’s common on other platforms to choose between paid or free. Being able to provide multiple options even within the paid tickets connects to our idea conception. Therefore, I would like to see the variety of ticket options remaining in the future.

The reason we were able to sell a full ticket for this two-day event is also based on applying such options. Although there was only one stage this time, it seems we could increase the number of stages, so I think we can create something even more interesting next time. I want to try things like additional audio feeds (laughs).

- Additional audio feeds sound interesting. I feel like you could implement that quickly, Kanon. After the live, you uploaded an after-talk video on YouTube, and that content felt quite like supplemental audio.

Normally, it’s streamed exclusively for members, but this time I made it public as well. Looking at the VTuber scene, I feel like not just the live performer, but the relationships with others are also becoming content. It seems that fans are quite attentive to that aspect. Therefore, I think we need to convey how safe and comfortable that space is for the performers. In fact, I am very grateful for the current environment, so for me, it feels more like "Please watch everything" (laughs).

- To be more precise, Kanon, you are not in the category of "VTuber." What is your most comfortable interpretation regarding this?

I'm still figuring it out, but rather than just being a fictional existence, I feel like the virtual aspect serves as one expression medium for the real person "Masaki Kanon." In other words, it’s as though she is there as an avatar. When I performed a live on ZAIKO in May this year, I mainly sang anime songs, and it felt right as an avatar. On the other hand, I sometimes wonder if the real person would be better when setting up a cool set. It’s not completely fixed yet, so there’s the chance of a significant change in the future. To begin with, my true self is so boisterous that I might not even differentiate between characters (laughs).

- It is interesting to switch between real and virtual in musical mode. Currently, it seems there are not many artists in the virtual scene who adhere to specific genres. I felt that in the recent live, the cool aspect was strongly showcased, but does that mean you might approach it with your real self in cases like this?

Indeed, precisely. However, I don’t intend to focus on a specific genre. I just want to use real and virtual as a switch of "modes (atmosphere)." How should I put it, I aim for something like "consistency without consistency." While there's a way I currently want to sing, I also wish to expand that in the future. I’d like to try various kinds of music.

- I can’t think of any artists in a position like yours, so it must be difficult to be a pioneer in that sense.

Well, I think I’m quite a difficult entity to comprehend (laughs). I feel that the virtual world will continue to grow larger and that more options will increase. I hope to establish my position when that happens. That's one of my goals. I also want to further increase the number of original songs, so with that, new ideas may emerge as well.

- The original song "Missing Heart" showcased on the second day is a great song. Earlier, I mentioned that the cool aspect came through in this live, but I feel this song exemplified that mode.

Thank you! You can keep that understanding entirely (laughs). I’d love for you to think of me as a fashionable and mature woman (laughs). Actually, "Missing Heart" was performed on the first day as well. When we had that technical glitch, Kazune Tanaka, who plays the keyboard, played a rearranged version of this song in place of the BGM. That happened during the costume change. Such events that happen in live streaming are unique, but I forgot to mention it during the MC on the day itself... It was a troublesome occurrence that you wouldn’t usually encounter in a music track distribution, so it’s a strange thing to say, but I found it moving. I thought, "I’m really doing a live right now!"

- Finally, I’d like to hear about your outlook for the future regarding virtual lives and more.

I believe the evolution of technology will continue to increase what we can do, so I want to keep up with that. As mentioned earlier, ZAIKO’s system allows for high creative freedom of stage design, so I want to utilize that more going forward.

STICKITS (stamps, like on YouTube) also has a wide range of customization, so I want to come up with more ideas. Only STICKITS allows for detailed materials like emojis to be arranged, so I’d like to pay attention to those details. Additionally, my 2nd cover album "Makanon Songs ~ J-Pop ~" release party will be held on ZAIKO's platform on October 9th (Saturday), so please come check it out if you'd like!

https://open-mic.zaiko.io/_item/343139