4 of the best Hololive cover songs

Hololive is a well-known entity within the world of YouTube and VTubing at this point. As everyone should now know, they are most definitely a lineup of virtual idols and most definitely, DEFINITELY not a big ol’ group of comedians… 

All jokes aside, I want to go over some of my absolute favourite songs that the members of Hololive have covered over the years and exactly what it is that I enjoy about each of them. Some of them will be because of their unique and interesting spin on the songs, or maybe just how blown away I was when I first heard them.

Either way, they’re all great — so let’s have a listen and enjoy.

Sparkle by Radwimps – covered by Ookami Mio

I’ll tell you right off the bat that this cover, in particular, is not just one of my favourites — this is my absolute favourite. Mio is still one of the most underrated talents in Hololive, and this song blows me away every single time I listen to it. 

Mio joined after Fubuki brought her into Hololive as a member of the group that would primarily focus on streaming games, known as GAMERS. Being introduced as a part of this group within Hololive leads you to believe that maybe she isn’t as much an “idol VTuber” as she is a “streamer”. 

This cover version not only blows that preconceived notion out of the water but also goes to show the talent that these members have — even when they weren’t necessarily brought on to be primarily singers. Every single line of the song is carrying so much emotion in it that you can’t help but just be in awe — especially when she moves into the chorus.

King by Kanaria – covered by Calliope Mori and Gawr Gura

Even if you’ve only ever watched one member of Hololive, you have probably seen a cover of King at some point, as almost every single member has covered it at this point — seriously, almost all of them. Just over a week ago I would have chosen Shiranui Flare’s cover of the song as my personal favourite. 

However, as of September 2021, there was an interesting version of the song uploaded and covered by not one, but two members of Hololive EN — Gawr Gura and Calliope Mori. Both of these girls, like many in Hololive, are extremely talented singers, but this cover features bits that are unique to their cover.

The song starts with Calli’s signature rapping, something that isn’t featured in the original song, which is then followed up by an awesome duet by the two of them. I really like the way they played with the song in a way that kept in tune with the original, while still having their own spin on it.

Saga Jihen by Franchouchou – covered by Hoshimachi Suisei and 3rd Gen

There was no possible way we could do a piece on songs covered by Hololive and not include one of the members who were primarily brought into the company for their vocal talents. Similar to the previous song on the list, this cover of Saga Jihen stands out to me a lot because of the number of members involved.

Hoshimachi Suisei is well known within the VTuber community for her absolutely incredible singing — and her psychotic tendencies that we won’t go into — and she makes it abundantly clear just how good she is from the moment this cover starts. The massive range of Suisei’s voice is genuinely incredible and I find it so hard to believe that some other talent agencies didn’t grab her up before Hololive.

Suisei knocking it out of the park isn’t all this cover has to offer, however, as the entire of Hololive Fantasy, 3rd generation, all feature in the song. So the song is backed by all of the unique vocals of each member; Flare’s powerful notes, Noel’s soft voice, Marine’s horny voice, Rushia’s cute high-pitched notes, Pekora’s pekos. 

Every a cappella – covered by Shirakami Fubuki

I always return to the source — my entry into all things Hololive and VTubers, on the whole, is non-other than our weird alien-cat creature known as Shirakami Fubuki. In my eyes Fubuki is a legend who lit the initial flame of VTubers popularity in the west — massively fanned by our beloved dragon Kiryu Coco of course — but regardless this is where it all began.

I think it goes without saying that I enjoy these “covers” in a different way than I do the others that I have listed, but they are extremely enjoyable and entertaining regardless. Plus, the remixes and edited versions of these a cappellas, such as the famous Scatman edit above, are absolutely amazing.

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Over to you! What are your favourite covers by the Hololive folks? Let us know down in the comments, or share a few for this week’s Rice Digital Friday Letters Page!

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