History of Hatsune Miku in Timeline

Hatsune Miku is a Vocaloid software voicebank and mascot character created by Crypton Future Media. Represented as a 16-year-old girl with turquoise twintails, she's marketed as a virtual idol. Miku is known for her virtual concerts, where she performs as a holographic projection. She has gained popularity worldwide as a unique form of entertainment.

August 31, 2007: Hatsune Miku First Release

On August 31, 2007, Hatsune Miku was initially released as the third commercially available Vocaloid library, marketed as an "android diva in the near-future world where songs are lost."

September 12, 2007: Amazon.co.jp Reports High Sales

On September 12, 2007, Amazon.co.jp reported Hatsune Miku sales totaling 57,500,000 yen, making her the number-one-selling software at the time and highlighting her instant success.

July 2008: Hatsune Miku Sales Reach 40,000 Units

By July 2008, Hatsune Miku had sold 40,000 units, averaging 300 units per week, demonstrating her sustained popularity and impact on the Vocaloid market.

2008: Good Smile Racing Begins Licensing Hatsune Miku

In 2008, Good Smile Racing began licensing Hatsune Miku, with Studie participating in racing seasons using a BMW Z4 E86 painted in official Hatsune Miku art, marking her entry into the world of motorsport sponsorship.

August 22, 2009: Hatsune Miku's First "Live" Virtual Concert

On August 22, 2009, Hatsune Miku first featured in a "live" virtual concert during Animelo Summer Live at the Saitama Super Arena.

September 2009: Hachune Miku Figurines Launched in Rocket

In September 2009, three Hachune Miku figurines were launched in a rocket from Nevada's Black Rock Desert, but did not reach outer space.

November 2009: Petition to Send Hatsune Miku Plate to Space

In late November 2009, a petition began to get a custom-made Hatsune Miku aluminum plate used as a balancing weight for the Japanese Venus spacecraft explorer Akatsuki.

November 21, 2009: Hatsune Miku's First Overseas Live Appearance

On November 21, 2009, Miku made her first overseas live appearance at a concert during Anime Festival Asia (AFA) in Singapore.

December 22, 2009: Petition for Hatsune Miku Plate Reaches Goal

On December 22, 2009, the petition to send a custom-made Hatsune Miku aluminum plate to space exceeded the required 10,000 signatures.

2009: Studie Continues Racing Season with Hatsune Miku

In the 2009 season, Studie continued to feature Hatsune Miku in some races, introducing fan-derivative versions of Hatsune Miku and showcasing her widespread appeal.

January 6, 2010: Petition Deadline Extended for Hatsune Miku Space Plate

By the new deadline of January 6, 2010, over 14,000 signatures had been received for the petition to send a Hatsune Miku plate to space.

March 9, 2010: Miku's First Solo Live Performance

On March 9, 2010, Miku's first solo live performance titled "Miku no Hi Kanshasai 39's Giving Day" was opened at the Zepp Tokyo in Odaiba, Tokyo.

April 30, 2010: Hatsune Miku Append Release

On April 30, 2010, Hatsune Miku Append, a new add-on for Vocaloid 2, was released with six different voice timbres, expanding Miku's voice library and marking the first release of its kind for a Vocaloid.

May 21, 2010: Akatsuki Spacecraft Launches with Hatsune Miku Plates

On May 21, 2010, the Akatsuki spacecraft was launched carrying three plates depicting Hatsune Miku and Hachune Miku with messages from the petition.

May 31, 2010: Exit Tunes Presents Vocalogenesis Debuts at Number One

On May 31, 2010, Exit Tunes Presents Vocalogenesis feat. Hatsune Miku debuted at number one on the Japanese weekly Oricon album charts.

August 2010: Over 22,000 Original Hatsune Miku Songs

By August 2010, over 22,000 original songs had been written under the name Hatsune Miku.

August 31, 2010: Black Rock Shooter OVA Streamed

From June 25 to August 31, 2010, the original video animation of Black Rock Shooter, a character who looks like Hatsune Miku but is not related to her, was streamed for free as a promotional campaign.

2010: Team COX Uses Racing Miku as Image

In the 2010 season, Team COX used Racing Miku as their image, with the first official derivative design of Hatsune Miku wearing an orange racing queen suit, setting the standard for future Racing Miku designs.

2010: Sapporo Sponsorship Begins

Since 2010, Sapporo has been a major sponsorship target, with Crypton Future Media sponsoring winter festivals and featuring Hatsune Miku's image on public transportation, marking her significant presence in the city.

January 2011: Hatsune Miku Sales Reach 60,000 Units

By January 2011, Hatsune Miku had sold 60,000 units, further solidifying her position as a leading Vocaloid and demonstrating her continued success in the market.

July 2, 2011: Hatsune Miku Performs in the United States

On July 2, 2011, Hatsune Miku performed in the United States at the Nokia Theater at L.A. Live during the 2011 Anime Expo in Los Angeles.

October 2011: Crypton Receives Letter from Minister of Economy

In October 2011, Crypton received a letter from the Japanese Minister of Economy for "contributing to the furtherance of the informatization by minister of economy."

2011: Crypton Focuses on Marketing Miku to the United States

In 2011, Crypton began to focus on marketing Miku to United States audiences. On May 7, Amazon placed a preview of Supercell's hit song, "World is Mine", as a single. When the song went on sale, it ranked at No. 7 in the top 10 world singles list on iTunes in its first week of sales.

2011: GSR and Studie with TeamUKYO Sponsor Racing Miku

In 2011, GSR and Studie with TeamUKYO sponsored Racing Miku, with a derivative design illustrated by Yuichi Murakami, and Ayami returning as a Racing Queen for the third time, alongside Tachibana Saki and Haruka Aoi.

2011: Unique Snow Miku Designs Begin

Since 2011, unique "Snow Miku" designs have occurred every year, evolving from a simple recoloring to distinct annual designs with corresponding figurines, highlighting her cultural impact in Sapporo.

February 7, 2012: Snow Miku Sculpture Collapses

On February 7, 2012, a Snow Miku ice sculpture collapsed and had to be rebuilt, hitting a woman. She sustained no serious injuries.

February 2012: Black Rock Shooter Anime Series Aired

In February 2012, a televised anime series based on Black Rock Shooter, a character visually similar to Hatsune Miku, aired.

March 2012: Nomura Research Institute Estimates High Sales

In March 2012, the Nomura Research Institute estimated that the sales of all Hatsune Miku brand goods had reached approximately ¥10 billion since her release in 2007, showcasing the broad economic impact of the Hatsune Miku brand.

December 2012: Hatsune Miku Collaboration with Louis Vuitton for Opera

In December 2012, Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs and Hatsune Miku collaborated in promotion of the opera "The End", which debuted at the Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media.

2012: GSR and Studie with TeamUKYO Continue Sponsorship

In 2012, GSR and Studie with TeamUKYO continued as sponsors, with a Racing Miku design illustrated by Gan, and Racing Queens Tachibana Saki, Aoi Haruka, Sena Kougami, and Ayana Sato participating.

2012: "Fluffy Coat Snow Miku" Design

In 2012, the "Fluffy Coat Snow Miku" design was chosen via a contest, adding a unique winter-themed variation to Hatsune Miku's image.

August 10, 2013: Hatsune Miku Performs at Summer Sonic 2013

On August 10, 2013, Hatsune Miku performed in Japanese rock festival Summer Sonic 2013.

August 31, 2013: Hatsune Miku Vocaloid 3 Release

On August 31, 2013, Hatsune Miku was released for Vocaloid 3, which included an English vocal library, expanding her capabilities to a new language.

September 26, 2013: Hatsune Miku Vocaloid 3 Japanese Vocal Library Release

On September 26, 2013, the Hatsune Miku Vocaloid 3 Japanese vocal library was released, updating previous Vocaloid 2 vocals and allowing for use of the Cross-Synthesis system in Vocaloid 4.

2013: Saki Fujita Voices Fei-Yen HD in Super Robot Wars UX

In 2013, Saki Fujita voiced Fei-Yen HD, a character based on one of Hatsune Miku's modules, in Super Robot Wars UX, though not using Miku's vocal library.

2013: Studie with TeamUKYO Continues Sponsorship

In 2013, Studie with TeamUKYO's sponsorship continued, with a Racing Miku design by Mari Shimazaki and official art by Saitom. A team in the Isle of Man TT, called Team Mirai, with a Racing Miku-designed bike also debuted.

2013: "Strawberry Daifuku Shiromuku Miku" Design

In 2013, the "Strawberry Daifuku Shiromuku Miku" design was introduced, offering another distinctive Snow Miku appearance for that year.

March 12, 2014: Hatsune Miku and Bump of Chicken Music Video

On March 12, 2014, Hatsune Miku and Bump of Chicken released a music video for the song "Ray", featuring Hatsune Miku performing in real-time alongside the band using new technology from Crypton.

March 2014: Collaboration with Bump of Chicken

In March 2014, Hatsune Miku collaborated with the Japanese band Bump of Chicken to create a real-time music video. This collaboration showcased Crypton's advanced technology, allowing Hatsune Miku to perform seamlessly with the band.

April 3, 2014: Pocket Miku Release

On April 3, 2014, Hatsune Miku's voice was imported into a device called Pocket Miku, making her voice accessible in a new portable format.

June 3, 2014: Hatsune Miku Concludes Opening for Lady Gaga's Artpop Ball Tour

On June 3, 2014, Hatsune Miku finished performing throughout the first month of Gaga's tour from May 6 to June 3, 2014 as the opening act for Lady Gaga's world tour ArtRave: The Artpop Ball.

October 8, 2014: Hatsune Miku's American Television Debut

On October 8, 2014, Hatsune Miku made her American television debut on the Late Show with David Letterman, performing "Sharing the World".

2014: Korg Introduces "Miku Stomp"

In 2014, Korg introduced "Miku Stomp", a guitar effects unit that emulates the sound of Miku's voice.

2014: Oguchi Illustrates for Racing Miku

In 2014, Oguchi illustrated the Racing Miku design, with Koyama Shigeto as the outfit designer and Shigeto and Shōji Kawamori designing the machine version. Tsukasa Arai, Sena Kougami, Kelal Yamaura and Noa Mizutani were the Racing Queens.

2014: Magical Girl Snow Miku Design

In 2014, the Snow Miku design was based on a Magical Girl concept by dera_fury, featuring a pet called "Rabbit Yukine," adding a new dimension to the character's winter persona.

July 23, 2015: Hatsune Miku as DLC in Persona 4: Dancing All Night

On July 23, 2015, Hatsune Miku was announced as a DLC character in Persona 4: Dancing All Night for the PlayStation Vita.

November 26, 2015: Hatsune Miku Collaboration with Aikatsu! Arcade Game

On November 26, 2015, Hatsune Miku became a collaboration idol for the second update of the 2016 series of the Aikatsu! arcade game, including cards with Miku uniforms.

2015: "Snow Bell Snow Miku" Design

In 2015, the "Snow Bell Snow Miku" design, illustrated by Nardack, was released, continuing the tradition of unique and creative Snow Miku designs.

2015: Racing Miku's Princess Knight Design

In 2015, the Racing Miku design was based on a "Princess Knight" theme, with Taiki as the illustrator and Shigeto returning as the art director and designer.

August 31, 2016: Hatsune Miku V4X/V4 English Release

On August 31, 2016, Hatsune Miku V4X/V4 English was released, upgrading the engine and fixing phoneme errors in previous voicebanks for easier manipulation of the software's voice.

2016: "Ievan Polkka" Remix Appears in LG G5 Commercial

In 2016, a remix of "Ievan Polkka" appeared in an LG G5 commercial.

2016: Public Solicitation for Racing Miku Design Elements

In 2016, design elements for Racing Miku were solicited from the public, with Mai Yoneyama combining aspects of the finalists into a final illustration and Koyama Shigeto as the art director.

2016: Hatsune Miku Expo Tour with Anamanaguchi

In 2016, the Hatsune Miku Expo tour featured American electronic band Anamanaguchi as an opening act. To celebrate the tour, Anamanaguchi released the single "Miku", which they performed live with Hatsune Miku as an encore.

March 2017: Hatsune Miku Introduced as Playable Character in #COMPASS

In March 2017, Hatsune Miku was introduced as a playable character in the mobile game #COMPASS.

August 2017: Ricoh Releases Limited Edition Hatsune Miku Camera

In August 2017, Ricoh released a limited edition of its 360° camera Ricoh Theta branded with Hatsune Miku imagery.

August 31, 2017: Chiba City Website Changes Logo to Hatsune Miku

On August 31, 2017, for Hatsune Miku's 10th anniversary, the city of Chiba temporarily changed its municipal government website logo to resemble Miku.

September 2017: Mandarin Chinese Voicebank Release

In September 2017, a Mandarin Chinese voicebank for Hatsune Miku was released, making her the first officially trilingual Vocaloid product and expanding her global reach.

2017: Big Boi Samples Hatsune Miku

In 2017, Big Boi sampled Aura Qualic's song "DATA 2.0", featuring Hatsune Miku, for his single "Kill Jill," also appearing in the song's music video.

2017: 10th Season of the Miku GT Project

The 2017 season marked the 10th season for the Miku GT project. The 2017 version was illustrated by Tony, a designer for the Shining series of video games. Koyama Shigeto was the art director for this season.

May 11, 2018: Slushii Collaboration

On May 11, 2018, Slushii and Hatsune Miku released their collaboration song "Through the Night".

November 2018: Akihiko Kondo Marries Hatsune Miku

In November 2018, Akihiko Kondo held a formal wedding with Hatsune Miku, attracting media attention.

2018: "Love Ward" Appears in Just Dance 2018

In 2018, "Love Ward" by OSTER project appeared in Just Dance 2018 with a dancer who resembled Miku.

2018: Hiro Kanzaki Illustrates for Racing Miku

In 2018, Hiro Kanzaki, known for works like Oreimo and Eromanga Sensei, illustrated the Racing Miku design, also handling the theme song, with Koyama Shigeto as the art director.

2019: Annin Doufu Illustrates for Racing Miku

For the 2019 season, annin doufu, known for designing characters for The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls, illustrated the Racing Miku design, with Koyama Shigeto as the art director.

January 2020: Coachella 2020 Announcement

In January 2020, Hatsune Miku was announced as a performer at Coachella 2020 in Indio, California, which was later cancelled.

June 4, 2020: Piapro Studio NT Prototype Release

On June 4, 2020, the Piapro Studio prototype was released after delays, giving early access to those who registered for the new engine.

November 27, 2020: Full Version of Piapro Studio and Hatsune Miku NT Release

On November 27, 2020, the full version of Piapro Studio and Hatsune Miku NT were released, marking a new era for Hatsune Miku's voice synthesis technology.

December 11, 2020: Featured on Ashnikko's "Daisy 2.0"

On December 11, 2020, Hatsune Miku was featured on the remixed version of Ashnikko's song "Daisy" titled "Daisy 2.0".

2020: Hatsune Miku as DLC in Space Channel 5 VR

In 2020, Hatsune Miku (under the name Space Channel 39) was announced as DLC for Space Channel 5 VR: Kinda Funky News Flash, released on July 27. The DLC allows players to dance with or battle Miku.

2020: Len[A-7] Illustrates for Racing Miku

In the 2020 season, Koyama Shigeto returned as the art director, with Len[A-7], who illustrated the main visuals for Magical Mirai 2016, as the design illustrator.

2021: En Morikura Illustrates for Racing Miku

In 2021, En Morikura, known for projects involving Kizuna AI, illustrated the Racing Miku design, emphasizing circles and squares, with Koyama Shigeto returning as the art director.

2022: Collaboration with Set It Off

In 2022, Hatsune Miku collaborated with American rock band Set It Off on their single "Why Do I", which features Hatsune Miku replacing some of the vocals.

2022: Hatsune Miku Appears in 'Dropkick on My Devil! X'

In 2022, Miku appeared as a recurring guest character in Dropkick on My Devil! X, the third anime season, voiced by Saki Fujita.

2022: Neco Illustrates for Racing Miku

In 2022, neco, who had illustrated the main visual for Miku Expo 2016, illustrated the Racing Miku design, with Koyama Shigeto continuing as the art director.

September 2023: Pokémon and Hatsune Miku Collaboration Announced

In September 2023, a collaboration project between Pokémon and Hatsune Miku was announced, featuring 18 illustrations and 18 songs with music videos.

2023: Toridamono Illustrates for Racing Miku

In 2023, Koyama Shigeto aimed to go "back to basics" with the Racing Miku design, which was illustrated by Toridamono, known for characters from Atelier Ryza games.

January 2024: Coachella 2024 Announcement

In January 2024, Hatsune Miku was announced as a performer at Coachella.

April 2024: Hatsune Miku Character DLC Added to Crypt of the Necrodancer

In April 2024 a Hatsune Miku Character DLC was added to the game Crypt of the Necrodancer which added an eighth soundtrack to the game featuring a number of Hatsune Miku songs including 2 made exclusively for the game.

August 1, 2024: Sonicwire Post Announcing Piapro Characters Super Pack Release

On August 1, 2024, Sonicwire announced the release of the Piapro Characters Super Pack, including Hatsune Miku V4 and V4X, and the anticipation of Hatsune Miku V6 AI release later in the year.

August 30, 2024: Release of the Piapro Characters Super Pack

On August 30, 2024, the Piapro Characters Super Pack, a voicebank bundle that includes Hatsune Miku V4 and V4X, was released, offering a comprehensive collection of voicebanks.