Utaite Myouri ~Sono Ichi~

is a Japanese term for amateur singers who post covers on the Internet, especially on sites like Niconico and YouTube. The term refers to the genre and culture surrounding covers by ''utaite'', as well as the cover songs themselves, often put in the titles of such videos.

Background

Although ''utaite'' can refer to any amateur cover singer on the Internet, the term is closely associated with the Vocaloid scene, and there is much overlap between these cultures; they are said to have grown alongside each other. Some famous ''utaite'' even double as Vocaloid producers and songwriters themselves, such as Mafumafu and Eve. Many, but not all, ''utaite'' do not show their face online, and instead use a character to represent them. Many ''utaite'' have gone on to reveal their identity, sign to major labels, and distance themselves from the ''utaite'' label to become mainstream artists in Japan; however, increasingly, ''utaite'' like Ado have been able to enjoy mainstream success while still maintaining their anonymous persona, and continue to be involved with ''utaite'' culture. ''Utaite'' groups have also been popular in recent years, a notable example being Strawberry Prince.

''Utaite'' became increasingly popular after the release of the Vocaloid library Hatsune Miku on August 31, 2007. The release of by Ryo on Nico Nico Douga in December 2007 played a significant role in boosting the ''utaite'' community after the song was covered by numerous ''utaite'' including halyosy and Gazelle.

Part of the reason why Vocaloid songs are so often covered by ''utaite'' is because the complexity of Vocaloid songs, often written to take advantage of the inhuman capabilities of synthesized vocals, provide a challenge to human singers, and allows them to demonstrate their singing skills. Also, many Vocaloid producers choose to make the instrumental versions of their songs readily available on sites such a
Piapro
allowing and directly encouraging ''utaite'' to use them for covers.

Etymology

The word , although literally translating as "singer", is not the typical word for a professional singer in Japanese, , and is distinct. This is because the word ''utaite'' in Japanese originally more broadly refers to "a person who sings" or "the person who is singing something"; i.e. not necessarily someone who sings as a line of work. Because of this, the word was adopted by amateur cover singers on the Internet to distinguish themselves from ''kashu'', with the meaning that they weren't on the same scale or skill level as a professional. This usage stuck, and the term ''utaite'' is now widely understood in Japanese to specifically refer to this subculture of online cover singers, typically of Vocaloid songs.

Youtaite

Youtaite is a term for an international ''utaite'', and also refers to the larger international offshoot of the main ''utaite'' culture in Japan. Youtaite typically adopt many of the same characteristics as their Japanese counterparts, such as not showing their face and using a persona; they may cover Vocaloid songs in their original Japanese despite not being able to speak the language, or write translated lyrics ("translyrics") to sing in their own language. An example of a famous youtaite who covers Vocaloid songs in English is JubyPhonic.

The "you" in "youtaite" derives from YouTube; in the earlier days, many Japanese ''utaite'' exclusively posted to the Japanese site Nico Nico Douga, and so English-speaking ''utaite'', who used YouTube instead, created this portmanteau as a designation for themselves. Although most Japanese ''utaite'' now also post to YouTube, this naming convention is still very common as a way to refer to ''utaite'' in the English-speaking or otherwise international scene. The term "youtaite" does not exist in Japanese; youtaite are instead simply referred to as , , or other such terms.

See also

* Vocaloid
* :Utaite
* User-generated content

References

Music of Japan
Japanese music industry
Japanese words and phrases

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