A social media account dedicated to tracking down “lost media” VOCALOID songs sparked a wave of attention online this week after singer-songwriter Tatsuya Kitani (キタニタツヤ) responded directly to a post asking for help finding two of his own long-lost tracks.
The account, @VOCALOID_LOST, posted on July 9 that it was searching for early songs by a producer known as “Konnichiwa Tanita-san,” who was active from around 2014 to 2018 and now performs under the name Tatsuya Kitani. While most of the songs from that era can still be found online, two tracks from the very beginning of the project’s run, “Haru ni Kuchiru Myojo” (春に朽ちる明星) and “Aru Gaka no Tame no” (或る画家のための), have become unavailable, with only archived thumbnail images surviving. The account asked anyone holding the original files or information about them to send a direct message.
Later that day, Kitani himself replied to the thread, writing that he had recently wanted to listen to the songs again and searched through his own computer, but could not find the data anywhere. “If you find it, please send it to me too,” he wrote, effectively joining the search for his own decade-old work.
The @VOCALOID_LOST account responded that it had never expected Kitani to reply personally and said it was “very surprised,” adding that it would share any updates if the missing tracks turned up. The exchange drew a large response from fans, many of whom said they had not previously realized Kitani had a past as a VOCALOID producer, while others noted the irony of the artist himself missing files from the very start of his career.
Who is Tatsuya Kitani?
Tatsuya Kitani is a Japanese singer-songwriter, composer, arranger and bassist, born February 28, 1996. Before establishing his solo career, he worked as a VOCALOID producer under the name “Konnichiwa Tanita-san,” releasing music including the song “Kujira to Suisei” (鯨と水星). He has since built a wider following as a singer, known in Japan and among overseas anime fans for contributing songs to popular anime soundtracks. On social media, he goes by the handle Tatchang and maintains active YouTube, Instagram and TikTok accounts alongside his music career.
