Coachella 2024: Hatsune Miku - the virtual diva with no personality and yet an overwhelming fandom

Her name is Hatsune Miku, and this isn’t her first festival appearance either. She became the mascot of Crypton Future and the Vocaloid movement; her personification based on many anime tropes meant that she was ripe for Western curiosity. Veering dangerously close to the realm of hyper-manic pixie girl territory, Miku's creators decided not to provide information about her personality and instead would allow those using her to create works to decide themselves on those characteristics.

Weirdly, that aspect of Miku is a conversation I've not seen too much about; no one has batted an eyelid because she is, after all, software developed and algorithms grouped to create a singing voice. It is interesting though the cult of personality that has surrounded the character; I'm still, midway through writing this, referring to what is essentially a computer program as a gendered individual.

Maybe that is why she is revered among some musicians. The catalogue of music that features Hatsune refer to her as a featured artist rather than a musical instrument - Japanoise pioneers Hijokaidan have released two albums worth of music under the moniker "Hatsune-Kaidan" (although Hijokaidan are no strangers to unusual collaborations - they also released works with idol band BiS under the name "BiS-Kaidan") and she performed on the Late Show with David Letterman back in 2014.

She's become iconic through virtue of innovation in a market that seldom gets respect for originality - an adaptable singer who traverses different styles and never complains about her involvement in musical output that errs on the left field with regards to her original usage. There's nothing seedy about her usage - she's transcended her standing of being merely for otaku into a burgeoning national treasure in her homeland. Compared to the practices of other idol artists in Japan, everything seems very respectful - almost chivalrous.

The fandom of Miku has led to her officially being terms as a "virtual diva", and now part of the Japanese idol cannon. Though she is not the first virtual star, the popularity Miku has found has led to many believing she was the first Vocaloid in existence due to the ubiquity of her image. Many firsts for that matter which have been attributed to Miku are just not true - which just goes to demonstrate further how big of an impact the software has had on the general public.

But it's that overriding respect that she has received within the industry (both in terms of technological advancement and just sheer popularity as a pop musician) that is both the strangest and perhaps greatest accolade of them all.

What time is Hatsune Miku performing at Coachella Festival 2024?

Hatsune Miku is scheduled to perform at weekend one of Coachella 2024 on the Mojave stage at 21:40 to 22:50 PDT.