Koganei Niko of hololive production released her first original song, “Seien,” on July 26. According to Billboard, the track was written for her by singer-songwriter miwa and centers on the feelings Niko has kept inside, along with her determination to keep moving ahead.
The song title also connects to the idea of fans’ “cheers,” since “seien” is a Japanese homophone for that word. Billboard Japan spoke with the two in a roundtable interview about the emotions behind the collaboration and what they see in each other’s voices.
The connection between them began after Niko posted a cover of miwa’s signature song “Hikari e.” Miwa said she was moved by Niko’s performance, while Niko said she had loved the song since watching the drama Rich Man, Poor Woman when she was younger.
Miwa said Niko’s high notes are clear and beautiful, and praised the power in her rapping as well. She also said this was her first time writing for a VTuber, while Niko described “Seien” as a major project and said she wanted miwa to write the song because of the connection they had built.
