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“Welcome back to Idol News Network! Your source for the latest and greatest idol news across Japan. Today I’m joined by Crypton Future Media’s latest recruit, Miku Hatsune!”
A young woman sat across the table from the host, two mics positioned between the two of them. Her grin stretched ear-to-ear, an enthusiasm she wished could be captured through more than just a radio outlet. This was her dream and she wanted to tell anyone and everyone about how happy she was.
“Thank you for having me today!” Miku could hardly sit still in her seat she was bouncing with such excitement. She was a fresh, new face to Crypton management, and her eyes were filled with stars.
“For those who haven’t yet heard, Miku has been a social media star for quite some time now!” The host flipped through his notes as he continued to speak, “She’s gained quite a following across multiple platforms with her own independent idol work. She’s the Internet’s sweetheart and already beloved by tens of thousands of fans.” He let out a laugh, “I’m honestly surprised it took them this long to scout you! You’ve been trending for quite some time and managed to amass quite the following all on your own. You must have had tons of labels begging to sign with you, so why Crypton?”
“I did!” Miku smiled sweetly in response, “I actually had five separate offers but I turned them all down.”
“FIVE!?”
“Yep!” Miku laughed as she thought about it, “It was honestly kind of crazy. When I started all of this, I never saw myself getting this big. But deep in my heart, I always knew if I got signed I wanted it to be with Crypton.”
“Crypton is quite the goal! They’re one of the biggest idol management companies in the industry. They’re known to be quite selective in who they choose and most people who audition get turned away.”
“And yet they actually went out of their way to scout me!” Miku pressed her hands to her cheeks as she tried to contain her excitement, “When I got the email, I thought it was a scammer at first just playing a mean joke! But I met with the big wigs, they loved me, and next thing I knew I was signing a contract with them!” She bounced a bit in her chair, “It’s all just so exciting!”
“Now Miku, you’ve been on our show before back when you were first gaining popularity on the social media scene with your songs, “PoPiPo” and "Ievan Polkka", which led to some viral dance trends that swept across the internet. I’d love to give new fans a little bit of background on the next big idol to work with Crypton Future Media. Would you care to tell us a little bit about your journey as an independent idol?”
“If I’m being honest, if it weren’t for my love of idols, I don’t think I would have had the motivation I needed to get here.”
“Oh?”
“Mhmm! I actually was inspired by an idol performance I saw back when I was in high school.” Miku leaned back in her chair as she reminisced about her past, “I got really into idols back then. I thought they were so cool but I only ever knew about the big-name ones that were in magazines and on billboards. I really wanted to go to these concerts but it was kinda hard to get tickets since they were so popular!”
She laughed a bit, “Because of that, I was pretty much desperate to go to any and every idol concert I could! It wasn’t until one day when I was walking through the city I was approached by a girl from a random independent idol group, asking me to come to her show! I’d never heard of their group before but I just knew then and there, that was my chance to see an idol concert in person!”
“And how was it?”
“To be honest, I was so nervous! I’d never been to a concert before so I didn’t know any of the normal etiquette, any of the wota, or any of the girls' colors! I brought my penlight with me and basically decided whichever girl I liked best I would display her image color.”
Miku smiled fondly at the memory, “I was so excited though once I was in there. The venue was so small...it was just a staircase down into some underground venue I had never heard of. I was there with twenty or so guys who were real die-hard fans. It felt really good to be a part of something so exciting.”
“So that’s what inspired you to be an idol?”
“Sort of!” Miku focused her attention back on the host, “That was definitely part of it. I wanted to be a part of something like that – being able to hype up a large crowd of fans and spread such joy and excitement to so many people. But, the real motivation was one of the idols.”
She held up her hands, “Y’know how like...when you are certain about something it just kinda clicks? Like it feels really natural and you know it’s meant to be? Well, when one of the girls stepped forward for her solo song, it was like something awoke inside of me. I knew right then and there I wanted to be like her, and the rest is history.”
“That’s quite the story!” The host commented, “Did you end up getting a chance to talk to that idol?”
“It’s actually so embarrassing!” Miku tried to laugh off the embarrassment, “I was so infatuated with her performance that I immediately went and bought a handshake ticket. I then proceeded to say what I can only describe as word vomit during our interaction. I just was so inspired by her I could hardly put together a sentence that made sense!”
The host joined her in laughter, “I’d never imagine you’d get so flustered over something like that!”
“What can I say, I was immediately her number one fan! I ended up going to all her performances, bought all of her merch, and I even still have a giant poster of her in my room!” Miku swooned over the thought of that idol, “She’s so cool. If I can even be a fraction of her coolness I’d be satisfied! I watched as she built herself from the ground up. She eventually left the group she was a part of and was signed on to Crypton!”
“I see!” The host nodded, “So that’s why you wanted to work with Crypton so badly!”
She laughed again, “What can I say! It’d be a dream to stand on stage next to her one day.”
“Who is this idol by the way?”
“Luka Megurine!”
If the host had been drinking, he would have spat it out all over her. He slammed his hands on the table and practically stood from his chair.
“You saw THE Luka Megurine pre-debut!?”
“I did!”
“Okay,” The host sat back down, “We have to derail quickly. What was she like pre-debut? I need more details about this concert! Luka is one of the biggest idols under the Crypton label right now.”
Miku laughed again, “When I think back on it, it’s really crazy to think I just met her so many times during handshake events! At the time, I never could have guessed the girl I was blabbering to would be one of the top stars in Japan!”
She rested her elbows on the table, propping her head up in her hands, “At that concert, it felt like she was singing directly at me. At the time, I think I was the only one in that crowd whose penlight was pink. Everyone else seemed to have an oshi they were dedicated to already.” She smiled at the thought, “During her solo song, she decided to sing her song “Palette”, and wow...just wow! Have you ever felt like you were the only person in a room with someone? Even if it was really crowded? That’s how I felt. It was like she was looking right at me and I was absolutely starstruck.”
“I ended up attending every concert she did. I was one of her first fans. It made me happy to see her grow in popularity over the years and she honestly inspired me to do the same. I watched as she built her own fan base as an independent idol. Even after she left her group, she continued to work hard to rise up in the idol world! I wanted to be just like her. I wanted to be able to perform on the same stage as my idol one day.”
“And that’s when you started your own journey?”
“By the time I started my independent idol career, I knew there was going to be a huge gap between us before I could catch up. By that point, she’d already been signed on to Crypton. That clearly didn’t stop me, however! I started working with some local producers to make some of my own songs, and well...the rest is history! It was a lot of hard work, but I’m really proud of how far I’ve come!”
“Your efforts have definitely been worth it!” The host glanced at the clock on the wall. “Well, Miku, it looks like we are running out of time for today’s show. We look forward to having you back in the future, and we look forward to seeing all of your future success! Do you have any last words for the audience?”
“Thanks again for having me! It’s always quite the honor to come on the show.” She smiled brightly, “And I’d like to say a big thanks to all my fans who helped me get here! I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for everyone’s support! I’m excited for my debut with Crypton Future Media!”
“Thank you, idol fans, for tuning into our exclusive interview with Miku Hatsune. Stay tuned for our next episode where we’ll be talking to some more new, and upcoming idol groups hitting the scene! For now, this is your host at Idol News Network signing off!”
“Bye-bye!”