Vocaloid showed wowaka a world of musical potential. After hearing a song made with the voice synthesizer — livetune’s “Last Night, Good Night” — and learning it was made by a single producer, he immediately quit his band and got to work with the software himself. His grip on music theory was tenuous, but he persevered, determined to make music that was only possible with Vocaloid. He got his reps in with a series of modest releases, pushing his abilities with the application and learning the ins and outs. By the time he released 2011’s Unhappy Refrain, he had mastered it. Preferring a BPM that was, on average, more than double what contemporary Vocaloid songs were clocking, he crafted jumpy, electrifying rock songs with tight pacing and infectious hooks. Wowaka hadn’t just learned how to use the program better than other producers; he was simply writing better songs. He became an ambassador for Vocaloid, too, starting a label that helped propel his contemporaries into the spotlight. Following his sudden passing in 2019 — at the young age of 31 — the scene lost a leader and a visionary.