wowaka death miku composer

Hitorie/YouTube

Wowaka, beloved Hatsune Miku composer, dead at 31

The producer and singer received many tributes on Twitter.

 

Joseph Knoop

Internet Culture

Posted on Apr 8, 2019   Updated on May 20, 2021, 3:22 pm CDT

“Wowaka,” the musician most known for his work as a composer for digital pop star Hatsune Miku, died at the age of 31 due to heart failure on April 5.

The news comes via a post from the band Hitorie, whom Wowaka performed as a vocalist for since 2012. A funeral has already been conducted by relatives, according to Crunchyroll.

Wowaka began his Vocaloid production career by posting his first song “Grey Zone” onto Nico Nico Douga, a Japanese video sharing site, in 2009. Some of his most popular songs include “Ura-Omote Lovers,” “Rolling Girl,” and “Unhappy Refrain.” The future of Hitorie is unclear, but the remaining three members say they will continue on with their music in some form.

Wowaka’s last tweet was at the end of March, calling Rei (the name of Japan’s newly announced era) “beautiful.”

On Twitter, reactions from fans and Hatsune Miku lovers has been expectedly sad and thankful for Wowaka’s work, a large number of these tweets contain custom fan art of Miku and Wowaka. Some fans praised Wowaka for his humble roots, which in turn inspired Vocaloid fans to pursue their own dreams.

In a 2017 interview with natalie.mu (according to a translation on vgperson.com), Wowaka claimed that he owed Hatsune Miku for getting him into making music.

“I heard the theme for [the Miku 30th anniversary] compilation is ‘gratitude,’ but personally, I made a song themed around love,” Wowaka said. “It’s a bit embarrassing to say, but this is the first song I’ve ever made in my life themed around love. I never gave it a second of thought 10 years ago as I posted songs, but no matter how you look at it, Hatsune Miku is the one who got me to start music. Miku is sort of like a mother figure to me.”

https://twitter.com/shubsicles/status/1115279847444451328

https://twitter.com/moonprincett/status/1115264217765031938

https://twitter.com/KrimsonGray/status/1115088667691737090

It goes without saying that Hatsune Miku as a brand and “performer” will continue. The beauty of Miku is that she’s software that practically anyone can use to create songs, and she has plenty of other famous songs by other composers. But don’t be surprised if future composers take inspiration from Wowaka.

Correction 1:47pm CT: An earlier version of this article mistakenly credited the natalie.mu interview to a translation site. The article has been corrected and clarified.

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*First Published: Apr 8, 2019, 11:46 am CDT