Kikuo is making his first appearance in the United States on November 17th in Portland, Oregon as a guest of honor at Kumoricon 2023! Though he has performed live many times in Japan, this is his first concert in the U.S. The performance will be one hour long, and will take place at one of Kumoricon’s late-night dance parties. Day passes for Kumoricon range from $40-$50, while full weekend passes are $70 online and $80 at the door. Kikuo’s youtube channel, which has over one million subscribers, will also most likely stream this event. 

Kikuo, also known as Kikuo Sound Works and Asian Melancholic, is a vocaloid producer who was born on September 21, 1988 and lives in Kanagawa, Japan. Kikuo began making music in 2003, though his first vocaloid song was released in 2010. For those who don’t know, vocaloid is, according to Wikipedia, “a singing voice synthesizer software product.” He primarily uses the vocaloid Hatsune Miku as the vocals for his songs, and his compositions are often recognized by their happy, upbeat music that often has dark lyrics and themes. Kikuo makes art as well as music, both often depicting abuse, suicide, and self harm.  Some of his most popular songs include “Aishite, Aishite, Aishite”, or “Love me, Love me, Love me”, and “Gomene Gomene”, or “I’m Sorry, I’m Sorry.” If you’re a fan of Kikuo, make sure to check out this concert!