The Healing Voyage of hololive Artist Ookami Mio’s Second Solo Album: Interview

Ookami Mio, a hololive VTuber, has released her second solo album, My Sparkle. It’s been roughly a year and a half since her first solo album, Night walk, whose theme was “night.” Now, on her new album, whose theme is “voyage,” she creates a soundscape that vividly embodies the worldview of her unique songs, like taking journeys to far-flung lands.

Ookami made her debut as a VTuber in December 2018. In August 2021, she released her first original songs, “Howling” and “Bowwow Ahwoooooo,” and then in December 2023 she came out with her first album, Night walk. Since then, she has been engaged in a wide range of musical activities, including being a member of units such as hololive GAMERS and AyaFubuMi. Billboard JAPAN recently had the opportunity to interview her, and she talked about topics like her approach to music over the past four years and how her motivations have changed.

“When I made my first album, my focus was on making the kinds of songs I like and writing songs that would be fun to sing. Of course, I still love singing, but looking at the fans’ reactions, I realized that really it all began with singing because I want people to hear me. Ever since then, when I write music, I’ve been thinking a lot about how the music will reach listeners and how they’ll react. I’ll google what people are saying about my music, and I’ve seen that there’s a lot of variety in people’s favorite songs. Some people interpret my music in the way that I intended, while others take it in totally different ways. I think that has kind of changed the direction I take when making music.”

Ookami also checks fan reactions on social media. She says she has seen some fresh, novel reactions there. “When I was working on my first album, I thought that people were looking for stylish songs like ‘Howling,” but there were a lot of people saying that they liked the ballads like ‘Camellia’ and ‘Insoluble Crystal.’ I cover a lot of Nana Mizuki songs when I stream, and I thought of myself as being good at singing that kind of stylish song, but the reality is that my fans also really like ballads.”

Her new album is stylistically more wide-ranging than her previous album, with many softer songs like “Dandelion” and “Shoushin Ryokou.” “When I was working on the second album, I thought about what listeners wanted from Ookami Mio. I decided I should try making more laid-back music that would be soothing to listen to. Also, personally, I love travelling, and I go on lots of trips with other hololive members. When on the Shinkansen or traveling by plane, I usually listen to beautiful, relaxing music. I wanted to make the kind of music people want to listen to when they’re traveling, or when they’re feeling anxious.”

“Dotta Batta Chindochu!” (meaning “crazy, slapstick journey”) includes memories from her own private travels. Last year, while visiting Las Vegas with fellow hololive artists Oozora Subaru and Sakura Miko, she encountered a spot of trouble. “It was my first time getting a passport on my own and traveling overseas. Sakura Miko and I don’t speak any English, and Oozora Subaru can communicate just a little, mainly through enthusiasm and vibes, so the three of us going on our own to America was just begging for trouble (laughs). Oozora Subaru’s energy is something to see, so even when the language barrier was in the way, she was great at looking people in the eye and expressing herself, driven by this powerful desire to communicate. The song “Dotta Batta Chindochu!” from the new album was inspired by that trip. I talked to BOTCHI BOROMARU about our experiences in Las Vegas, and that led to the creation of the song. The lyrics include the line ‘Don’t forget your wallet and your passport!’ That’s because I actually lost my passport in Las Vegas (laughs). Someone delivered it to the Lost and Found, and they were like ‘You girls have been blessed by a miracle.’”

“Whenever I travel with someone else, it tends to turn into a ‘dotta batta chindochu’-like trip, but I also travel by myself. Those trips tend to be more soothing, peaceful journeys, like my song ‘Shoushin Ryokou.’ There’s a lot to say about that song. After my first album came out, my manager and my music producer, who had helped me out so much, left my team. They had worked so hard with me on the first album, I’d just assumed we’d make the second album together, too. So their departure came as a shock. Of course, I took a really positive approach in working with the new team on the new album, but there were times when I missed the old team, and it was a little hard-going. That’s when I wrote ‘Shoushin Ryokou.’ I changed the kanji for writing ‘shoushin’ from kanji that mean ‘heartbreak’ to kanji that mean ‘timid.’ (Translator’s note: Normally, ‘shoushin ryokou’ means ‘a trip you take to relieve heartbreak,’ but this song’s name is written using different kanji.) It’s not like I dislike my new team, and now, having finished the album, I’m glad that I worked on it with them. I truly feel like I’ve been blessed by being able to work with wonderful people.”

When asked about what was behind the title of the album, My Sparkle. “The first song I ever posted was a vocal cover of was RADWIMPS’ ‘Sparkle.’ The song had a lot of personal significance to me, and my fans listened to it a lot, so I wanted to use the word ‘sparkle’ somewhere in the story of Ookami Mio. That’s why I named the album My Sparkle. When I released the album, I already had my first solo live show lined up, so I linked the album and the live show by titling the show [Our Sparkle]. Partly, this was inspired by the sparkle of the penlights people hold up at the show, and partly it represented the sparkling emotions of the audience,” she replied.

“I feel like my skills are improving with every song I write,” said Ookami. There are more soaring vocal songs on this album than the last, and you can get a real sense of how her vocal abilities and expressivity are evolving. “On the new album, ‘Lady of KEMONOHEN’ was particularly hard. Also, the album includes ‘Howling (Rearrange ver.).’ On both the last album and this album, ‘Howling’ has been the hardest song, and I’m still exploring ways of performing it. My vocal coach told me that when I perform ‘Howling,’ I get this deep furrow in my brow, so I need to try singing it with an expressionless face. I tried that out, and I really did get better at singing it. Until now, I found even singing the chorus difficult, but thanks to that advice, I can now sing it much more smoothly, and I feel like I’ve grown a lot.”

“On ‘Until spring comes,’ I wanted to give a bit of a feeling of the spring school graduation season, like saying your goodbyes to some and also meeting new people. With ‘Natsuyadori,’ I like this feeling of going back into your memories of the summers of long ago, and time just stopping. I included it on the album because it’s like taking a journey through your memories. I wanted it to conjure up the image of a bright, starry sky, so I didn’t put too much passion into my singing but instead tried to keep it feeling light. I think I managed to create a summery vibe. With Night walk, I used a lot of power to drive the album, but this time I worked on highlighting the different aspects of my voice. I hope that comes across to listeners.”

Her first solo live show, which will be in September, has been long awaited by both Ookami and her fans. “I’ve really been looking forward to this solo show, and I think the listeners who support me have been, too. I’m getting ready, making sure the show lives up to everyone’s expectations. I hope to put on a performance that will leave a sparkle in everyone’s hearts.”

—This interview by Takuto Ueda first appeared on Billboard Japan