picco interview: The virtual and human halves of ‘Kaleidoscope’

picco has spent the better part of a decade turning the internet’s brightest, busiest corners into dance music. Since posting ‘Flash’ to Nico Nico Douga in 2017, the Tokyo trackmaker, Vocaloid producer, and DJ has honed a sound she calls “Hyper Kawaii Music”, where future bass, electro and hard house all come wrapped in cute aesthetics.

Released on June 30th, picco’s new album ‘Kaleidoscope’ is her most ambitious record yet. Spread across two discs, its eight songs each appear in two versions, one sung by virtual singers and one by human singers. It’s the first time picco has put human vocals across a whole record. Some of her guests are Vocaloid veterans like Hachioji-P and D.watt, others newer producers such as VOLTA and Dopam!ne, plus voice actors, VTubers and singers she’s met across the scenes she works in.

picco has also spent this year pushing further overseas. She played the niconico LIVE Stage and AFA NEXT Stage at Anime Festival Asia Thailand in Bangkok in May, part of Dwango’s Asia Creators Cross initiative, then appeared at JAPAN MUSIC VOCALOID at Anime Expo in Los Angeles in July, alongside kz (livetune), SatapanP, TeddyLoid and Hachioji-P. Away from her own releases, her credits take in Sanrio’s Cogimyun, Bandai Namco’s DEN-ON-BU, SEGA and Colorful Palette’s Project SEKAI, and Hololive talents including Usada Pekora and Kazama Iroha.

We spoke to picco about what “Hyper Kawaii Music” really means, the mirrored structure of ‘Kaleidoscope’, the surprises her collaborators handed her, and why she stopped worrying about whether a song would fit a DJ set.

For readers discovering you for the first time, how would you describe “Hyper Kawaii Music”?

The word Hyper is used in the same way as Super or Ultra, it simply means “really” or “extremely.” So, “Hyper Kawaii Music” basically means “extremely cute music”. The term Hyperpop became popular later, but it isn’t directly related to what I mean. I create all kinds of music that I want to express under the umbrella of “Hyper Kawaii Music”.

You first discovered Hatsune Miku because a friend was drawing her, back when you were focused on drawing rather than making music. What was the moment you realised you could create your own songs with digital tools?

When I was a student, I bought a MacBook, and it came with the free software GarageBand. The first time I tried using it, I realized, “Maybe this is how you can actually make music”.

Your debut song ‘Flash’ went up on Nico Nico Douga in 2017. Looking back now, what do you remember about making and releasing your first Vocaloid track?

I received advice from a lot of different people while making it, so I didn’t really feel like I had created it entirely on my own. More than anything, I remember thinking, “If there are people willing to listen to this song, then I want to keep trying and work even harder”.

Early club nights like Violently Cute and GAL+ have shaped your style, and you’ve said DJing hands you ideas you’d never reach producing alone, right down to BPM choices and rhythm. What’s an example of a track or a part of one that only exists because of something you noticed on the dance floor?

‘Tokyo Future Girl’ and ‘Koubou Paranoia’ are both four-on-the-floor tracks, but they’re structured like future bounce or future house with a faster BPM.

I noticed that four-on-the-floor pop songs work incredibly well when people already know them, they become anthems, but brand-new songs tend to get a weaker reaction. So I decided to turn what would normally be the vocal chorus backing track into a build-up, followed by a drop after the chorus. Thanks to that approach, I feel both ‘Tokyo Future Girl’ and ‘Koubou Paranoia’ became songs that really get the crowd excited on the dance floor.

While much of your catalogue is bright and energetic, songs like ‘VISI0N’ and ‘Look Back’ are more introspective, written as a kind of antithesis to the sparkling side of club music. Why was it important to you to explore those themes?

One major reason is simply that I originally loved songs like ‘VISI0N’ and ‘Look Back’. Before I started thinking seriously about making music myself, introspective songs were what I enjoyed listening to most.

That said, in the beginning, many of my fans preferred my brighter songs, so I focused on creating those. After making music for many years, my production skills gradually improved, and I reached a point where I could create introspective songs while still maintaining a sound that feels uniquely like me.

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“Both sides of me are equally important, picco as a Vocaloid producer, and picco as a track maker.”

– picco

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Your album ‘Kaleidoscope’ arrived on June 30th, built as two discs of the same eight songs, one set sung by virtual singers and the other by human singers. Most artists would commit to one version of a track and move on, so what made you want to release both rather than choose between them?

Because both sides of me are equally important, picco as a Vocaloid producer, and picco as a track maker.

You’ve said a human voice can take a single line somewhere rough or strained in a way that’s harder to coax from a synthetic one. Was there a track where the human version went somewhere that caught you off guard?

‘Dirty Look’ surprised me the most. The nuances that La+ Darknesss brought to the performance were unexpected, in a very good way. I think songs that include rap sections or spoken dialogue naturally tend to evolve in interesting directions.

The guest list pulls together voice actors, VTubers, virtual singers, and producers ranging from veterans like Hachioji-P and D.watt to newer names like VOLTA and Dopam!ne. What was it like assembling a lineup from so many different corners of the scene?

They may seem like artists from very different backgrounds, but to me it feels like I’m booking my favorite artists for a “picco Festival”. Since I’m active across a variety of different scenes, I think this kind of lineup is something unique to me. I’m really happy that fans have responded so positively to it.

You’ve compared putting ‘Kaleidoscope’ together to booking an event, where the lineup can look scattered person by person but clicks into focus once everyone’s in the same room. What’s the thread that ties the album together for you?

When making music in the past, I was always conscious of whether a song would be easy to include in a DJ set. This time, I avoided thinking that way.

Of course, I hope these songs work well in clubs, but more than that, I’d be happy if they’re songs people want to listen to in their everyday lives.

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“To me it feels like I’m booking my favorite artists for a ‘picco Festival.'”

– picco

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You like the phrase “餅は餅屋” (“leave mochi to the mochi maker”), and you put that into practice by handing the rap on ‘TRYNA’ to nyankobrq & yaca and leaning on 429 for lines in ‘violence♡love’ that you’ve said you couldn’t have written yourself. What is the most surprising thing a collaborator brought out of you, or taught you, while making this album?

While working on ‘Welcome Kourin☆Debut the World’, D.watt and I talked a lot about what kind of message we wanted to convey through such a bright and energetic song.

He also shared many ideas about how to build excitement throughout the track, and I learned a lot from him.

Beyond your solo work, you’ve created music for projects such as Sanrio’s Cogimyun, Bandai Namco’s DEN-ON-BU, SEGA and Colorful Palette’s Project SEKAI, and Hololive talents including Usada Pekora and Kazama Iroha. Of all the commissioned work you’ve done, is there one you’re proudest of, and has writing for other people’s characters changed anything about how you make your own music?

I’m proud of every project I’ve worked on.

Sometimes, the sounds or sound effects I choose to better express a character’s world end up becoming ideas that I carry into my own music afterward.

picco
Kaleidoscope

Release Date: 30/06/26
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