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Before AI fears took over the scene, there were Vocaloids: virtual holographic musicians hailing from Japan.
The most notable and frankly, most iconic, of the bunch? Hatsune Miku, a blue-haired pigtailed sixteen-year-old girl Vocaloid software voicebank developed by Crypton Future Media back in 2007. If you can believe it, the virtual singer has been selling out shows and snagging brand deals left and right since her conception despite not being real.
These days, when the hologram is touring all over North America at her 2026 Miku Expo or racking up billions of streams on Spotify with a whopping 3,443,733 monthly listeners, she’s lending her likeness to Sony for a collaboration. The company just dropped limited-edition LinkBuds in a seafoam green, to match Miku’s colorscheme, currently retailing for $249.99. Prospective buyers can shop the new earbuds on Sony’s website.
LinkBuds Fit Truly Wireless Noise Canceling Earbuds | Green x Hatsune Miku
Limited-edition earbuds in a seafoam green.
These wireless buds come in a sleek, matching seafoam green charging case that’s small enough to stick in your pocket and carry with you on the go. The style is noise-cancelling, filtering out any unwanted background noise so you can bump to Miku tracks like “World is Mine” and “PoPiPo” without interruption. If the noise-cancelling aspect is too much, simply turn on Ambient Sound Mode that allows the user an awareness of their surroundings without filtering out the music. Speaking of sound, the quality is crisp and clear thanks to Sony’s Dynamic Driver X, designed to deliver wide frequency response for richer vocals and enhanced sound. If all that didn’t sell you, these buds also have a whopping 21-hour battery life.
Along with your purchase of the collaborative earbuds, you’ll receive a limited-edition acrylic earbud stand with newly illustrated artwork by illustrator Ogipote, along with two original HoloModels of Hatsune Miku. Fans will also receive access to a special campaign song and animated performance of “BELIEVE DAY,” viewable through the HoloModels app. Simply download the app to bring Hatsune Miku to life anywhere and capture photos in real-world settings.
While the concept might be foreign to some, Vocaloids are extremely popular and have been for some time now. They are singing voice synthesizer software products, often with attached personas that are fully realized to interact with fans. The developed software allows users to synthesize “singing” by typing in lyrics and melody, creating a tune alongside specially recorded vocals of voice actors or singers. The software was only available in English at first, with the first Vocaloids, named Leon, Lola and Miriam, cropping up in 2004. Later, a Japanese version named Meiko and Kaito made by Yamaha appeared, developed by the same company that would go on to create Miku, Crypton Future Media.
