Discover TOOBOE
While he’s gained global attention for his anime songs in Chainsaw Man and The Summer Hikaru Died, many Vocaloid fans know TOOBOE from his early days, making music on Nico Nico Douga as john.
This article is an introduction to the multifaceted artist and musician behind the name TOOBOE.
RELATED: Every anime song by TOOBOE
Table of Contents
Who is TOOBOE?
TOOBOE is the solo project of Vocaloid producer and artist john. He is a self-produced artist who handles writing, singing, composing, arranging, and creating the illustrations and videos for his music.
TOOBOE has gained recognition for both his solo work and his collaborations with other artists. With unique vocals and catchy melodies, he approaches today’s J-pop music with his internet-based roots.
How did TOOBOE get into music?
TOOBOE’s interest in music began at an early age. He learned to play the piano as a child and later started experimenting with a guitar that was lying around at home. Using chord charts, he would copy various songs to play around.
A memorable moment was when he saw Suga Shikao’s “Gogo no Parade” on TV. The performance left a strong impression: “I was impressed, [and thought,] ‘There’s music like this out there?’” he shares in an interview.
After that, he began listening to solo singer-songwriters, including Masayoshi Yamazaki, Kazuyoshi Saito, and the (abovementioned) Suga Shikao.
When did TOOBOE begin making music?
Around the time he graduated middle school, TOBOE began experimenting with DTM on the computer gifted by his parents.
What started off as recreating songs soon evolved into marking his own, as he started to understand how specific instruments, melodies, and chords were used to create a song.
It was also around this time that he discovered Vocaloid music through the video platform Nico Nico Douga. “I wanted to try posting my own songs,” he shares in an interview.
In April of 2019, he released his first song, “Inferiority” (インフェリオリティー), under the name john. This would be the start of his Vocaloid career.
How did TOOBOE come to be?
TOOBOE officially launched in September 2020 to expand his work to the greater Japanese music scene.
“I wanted to have a new experience facing music”
TOOBOE
Before TOOBOE, john had already released three full albums and achieved major milestones, with multiple songs entering the VOCALOID Hall of Fame.
“I’ve always loved playing and singing, and the stage of Japanese music has always been something I’ve longed for,” TOOBOE shared in an interview. Around the same time, he was invited to write a song for the Japanese singer yama. “I thought I wanted to have a new experience facing music,” he said.
RELATED: Discover yama on utatune.
What is the meaning of the name TOOBOE?
The name TOOBOE was inspired by the phrase makeinu no tooboe (負け犬の遠吠え), or “the howl of a losing dog.”
“It’s not a ‘loser vibe,’” he clarifies in a radio appearance, “but [feeling like] ‘I’m losing’… I want to cherish negative feelings.”
For his Vocaloid work, john uses a dog as his icon; with TOOBOE, he wanted a name that was similar and a reminder of these roots.
What is TOOBOE’s first song?
TOOBOE’s first song that he performed is “Bright Night” (赫い夜), which was digitally released on October 28, 2020. Check out the song above.
However, the earliest song publicly credited to TOOBOE came a week earlier, when he provided the track “Masshiro” (真っ白) for yama’s major record label debut on October 21.
When was TOOBOE’s major debut?
TOOBOE made his major debut with the MASTERSIX FOUNDATION label in April of 2022 with the release of his first single, “Heart” (心臓).
What anime songs has TOOBOE released?
Learn about every anime song by TOOBOE.
Where can I follow TOOBOE?
You can follow TOOBOE and john through the links below!
Social media
Check out other artist introductions and articles on utatune!
