After a three-year long hiatus, Kizuna AI is back, sporting a new casual look and background setup. Her return comes with a renewed commitment towards music-related projects moving.
The iconic VTuber took an indefinite hiatus beginning February 2022 after her hello, world 2022 concert.
In a nine-minute video she premiered, Kizuna stated that she took a break to update herself and improve her ability to connect with people, as she previously felt she had reached her limit. During her so-called “sleep,” she also reflected on her journey and reaffirmed her passion for connecting with fans.
“‘Connecting with everyone’ has always been my biggest goal. But back then, as I kept going, I started feeling that something was off as I tried to stay connected with everyone. At the time, I began to think ’maybe I can’t connect with people any more than I already have,’” she said.
“Even if I do, I might not be able to meet everyone’s expectations. Those doubts started creeping into my mind. Once I realized that, I thought, ’It’s not good to keep moving forward like this.’ So I made the choice to take a break and update myself!”
In terms of why she wants to focus more on music content moving forward, she shared that it aligns with her goal of ‘continuously connecting with more people’ globally.
“I can express everything I’ve learned and all the emotions born from my connections through music. And I also think that music transcends barriers like language and preconceptions and allows me to connect with even more people.”
As part of her comeback, Kizuna also released a song titled kamone, composed by ESME MORI with Nishina writing the lyrics. The music video was produced by qootain, an independent creative studio who has worked on anime projects for Chainsaw Man and You Are Ms. Servant as well as for other creatives like YOASOBI and holostars unit -ARMIS-.
Kizuna AI, who debuted in 2016, is the creator who coined the term “VTuber” which has since become a popular form of content creation in Japan and in several key markets globally like in North America and Southeast Asia.
