Dwango has unveiled the first collaborative EP from its international Vocaloid songwriting project Beyond Borders, bringing together Japanese producers and a lineup of overseas artists including Grimes and MOLIY to create new music built around virtual singer Hatsune Miku.
The EP, titled EMERGE M♡DE MIKU, and its official trailer had their world premiere at the “JAPAN MUSIC VOCALOID” stage event during Anime Expo in Los Angeles. Dwango also announced the full lineup of collaborators and production staff involved in the project.
Beyond Borders is a joint Japan-US music initiative aimed at introducing Vocaloid culture to a global audience. Japanese Vocaloid producers Satsuki-P (さたぱんP), picco, and jon-YAKITORY are working alongside overseas artists, producers, and songwriters to write and promote songs across borders. A&R and marketing strategy for the US market is being led by Nebula17, a Los Angeles-based music venture.
At the Anime Expo stage event, Satsuki-P, picco, Hachioji-P, and kz (livetune) appeared as performers, with producer TeddyLoid, known for the song “Me!Me!Me!,” joining as a special guest. The packed venue got a first listen to the EP’s tracks along with the official trailer.
The overseas artists featured as guest vocalists on the EP span genres from electronic and alternative to hyperpop, rap, and experimental music, including Grimes, slayr, MOLIY, Odetari, George Clanton, Frost Children, and XAMIYA. The production team includes Grant Boutin, VADAKIN, MOMBRU, Byrd, and Xansei, alongside songwriters Charles “Scoot” Anderson and Cecile Believe, several of whom have Grammy wins or nominations and platinum-selling credits.
Each track pairs Hatsune Miku as the lead vocal with one of the featured artists singing alongside her. Dwango plans to release several singles over the summer, with the complete EP arriving this autumn.
Goro Orimoto Kiyotake, head of Dwango’s business development division and executive producer of Beyond Borders, said: “Vocaloid culture, born in Japan, is now crossing the sea and taking flight around the world. What began with a single Vocaloid producer working alone at a desktop has, through encounters with world-renowned artists, been elevated into new forms of expression that connect to a much bigger future. I’m deeply grateful to everyone who supported this invaluable challenge.”
Who is Hatsune Miku?
Hatsune Miku is a virtual singer built on Crypton Future Media’s Vocaloid voice synthesizer software, first released in 2007. Rather than a real performer, Miku is a character voice that producers use to write original songs, and she has become one of the most recognizable symbols of Japanese Vocaloid culture, appearing in concerts as a projected 3D hologram and inspiring a vast catalog of fan-made music worldwide.
Who is Grimes?
Grimes (グライムス) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and producer known for blending pop with electronic and experimental sounds on albums such as “Art Angels” and “Miss Anthropocene.” Known for genre-crossing collaborations throughout her career, she is one of the higher-profile international names joining the Beyond Borders project.
