| Kaf | |
| Origin: | Tokyo, |
| Occupation: | Singer-songwriter, virtual singer |
| Website: | https://kaf.kamitsubaki.jp/ |
| Pseudonym: | Kaf Tarou, Kaf-chan |
| Channel Direct Url: | @virtual_kaf |
| Channel Display Name: | 花譜 -KAF- |
| Creator: | PALOW. (Character Designer), Kenji Kawasaki (3D modeler) |
| Years Active: | 2018–present |
| Genre: | Singing |
| Subscribers: | 1 million |
| Views: | 318.8 million |
| Network: | Kamitsubaki Studio |
| Associated Acts: | Piedpiper, Iori Kanzaki V.W.P, Rim, Harusaruhi, Isekaijoucho, Koko |
| Silver Button: | yes |
| Silver Year: | 2019 |
| Kaf -Unidentified Girl Observation Department- | |
| Channel Direct Url: | @kaf_sub |
| Channel Display Name: | 花譜 -未確認少女観測部- |
| Years Active: | 2022–present |
| Subscribers: | 46.4k |
| Views: | 734k |
is a Japanese singer-songwriter and virtual YouTuber represented by Kamitsubaki Studio. She is active on YouTube where she uploads original songs as well as covers of J-Pop and Vocaloid songs.
Kaf's avatar was created by the character designer Palow,[1] who continues to oversee updates to her costumes and new designs. For her first 3 albums she worked with Vocaloid Producer Iori Kanzaki as the primary composer.[2] In 2021 she started a side project to her solo work entitled "Suite" in which she would work with artists across various genres. In 2022 she became the first VTuber to perform at the Nippon Budokan.[3]
She is also a member of the virtual singer group V.W.P -Virtual Witch Phenomenon- alongside other members of the Kamitsubaki Studio label, Phenomenon Record. She provided the voice model for CeVIO AI Song's voicebank KAFU, released in July 2021.
When KAF was 13 years old, around 2017, she would upload cover songs to a karaoke app which caught the attention of Japanese producer Piedpiper.[4] [5] Due to her location and age it took some time for him to connect with her, but their first recording session together surprised the managers and engineers who were present.
Kaf opened her YouTube channel on October 17, 2018,[6] and uploaded her first video (a short clip of her humming the melody to her future release) on October 18. That December she uploaded her first original song which ranked 3rd in the J-Pop and 9th in the overall charts on ITunes.[7] On December 31 she would make her live performance debut with her participation in the New Year's Eve VR singing contest event "Count0".[8] Her performance of as the final act of the event would contribute to a sizable increase in her following.[9]
On February 1, 2019 Kaf announced a temporary hiatus to focus on her high school entrance exams.[10] She ended the hiatus on March 20, 2019[11] and released the new song .
On May 15, 2019 she released her first EP,, followed shortly after with the opening of a Campfire crowdfunding campaign to raise money for her first one-man live. The campaign would raise more than 40 million yen from over 4000 backers, surpassing the 5 million yen goal[12] The concert, titled Fukakai, was held on August 1 at LIQUIDROOM Ebisu and available to watch live at select movie theaters and karaoke shops.[13]
Her song was selected as the theme for the movie,[14] released on June 28, 2019. Kaf's first full-length album,, was released on September 11, 2019. The album was released in 2 formats, designated α and β with their own original artowork and bonus items in special packaging,[15] a trend which would continue for her following albums. A remix album titled was released in December featuring contributions from other members of Kamitsubaki Studio and several guest remixers.
On March 14, 2020 Kaf released a YouTube video debuting a new outfit and hairstyle to represent a new period in her career.[16] The follow up to her first one-man live, Fukakai (Re), was held on March 23, 2020 and adjusted to take place in an empty venue while livestreamed on 4 platforms including Niconico Live and YouTube Live for a fee as a result of Covid-19.[17] In April her song was used as the 11th ending theme to the TV anime series Black Clover. That same month she participated in the ZONe Energy IMMERSIVE SONG PROJECT with the song . Both songs would later be released on her 2nd EP and 2nd album.
On July 22, 2020 her 2nd EP, titled, was released. The title for this EP was decided in consultation with her producer, Iori Kanzaki, with the hope that the listener would be able to feel the "answer" in the various meanings of the songs. Kaf stated that during the recording of Flower & Answer she could feel her personal growth as a result of starting voice training, noting that she felt her voice had changed and that she better grasps how to control its tone and resonance. On September 23, 2020 she would release a collaboration song with Kizuna AI titled as part of a joint single titled . Her second full-length album,, was released on November 25, 2020 with a remix album to follow in December 2021.
Kaf's 3rd one-man live show, titled Fukakai 2 Q2, was held on March 13, 2021 at the virtual venue PANDORA. This concert was broadcast for free on YouTube Live,[18] and during the show the group V.W.P -Virtual Witch Phenomenon- was announced with Kaf as a member.[19] In May 2021 she provided an insert song for the anime film, titled .[20]
After a delay due to survey feedback in late 2020, the CeVIO AI voicebank KAFU was released using Kaf as the voice model was released on July 7, 2021.[21] On October 18, 2021 Kaf celebrated her third anniversary. To commemorate the event she announced and started the project on October 27 of the same year.[22] The project was stated to culminate with 15 songs created in collaboration with major label artists from the Japanese music industry, released over an extended period of time.[23]
On March 26, 2022 a special one-man live was held to commemorate her high school graduation.[24] On the same day she announced she would begin hosting her own radio program, titled, which broadcasts on InterFM.[25] On August 24, 2022 Kaf held her 3rd one-man live concert, Fukakai 3 (Mad), at the Nippon Budokan marking the first time a VTuber had performed at the venue. In September 2022 she opened her membership driven YouTube channel, focused on monthly livestreams where she interacts with her fans in real time. In October 2022 the MAISONdes collaboration song was released as the ending theme to the Urusei Yatsura (2022 TV series), and would amass more than 100 million plays across streaming services. In 2022 Kaf was also selected as one of Forbes Japan 30 Under 30 in the entertainment category.[26]
On March 8, 2023 Kaf's 3rd full-length album,, was released. This album would be the final time Iori Kanzaki would act as Kaf's primary composer.[27] In August she would participate in YouTube Music Weekend alongside other Japanese artists, with promotions featuring her prominently appearing in New York City's Times Square.[28] On November 1, 2023 an official English language Kaf information X account was launched[29] alongside her first English language interview.[30] [31]
January 3, 2024 marked the end of the series with its 15th release, with Shigeru Kishida.[32] On January 14, 2024 Kaf held her 4th one-man live "Kaika" as part of the 2-day "Kamitsubaki Yoyogi Wars" event at Yoyogi National Gymnasium.[33] During the event she announced a new singer-songwriter project under the name Kaika and performed the first songs from this project.[34] Her 4th album, being called, was also announced alongside a second series of songs, and the upcoming release of her 3rd remix album, .[35] [36]
On February 28, 2024 Kaf kicked off with the new single and music video .[37] On April 24, 2024 the first single from the Kaika project, titled, along with a music video that features footage of her performance at Yoyogi National Gymnasium earlier in the year.[38] In May Kaf began a series of weekly English Q&A videos on X called "Kaf's Worldwide Observations"[39] as a means to communicate with her international fans.[40] Also in May, she released her first new song since the departure of Kanzaki Iori, produced by Jazzin' Park.[41] [42]
On June 21, 2024 Kaf's YouTube reached 1 million subscribers, which she celebrated by holding a livestream event to catch the occurrence live while interacting with fans.[43] On August 8, 2024 the first trailer for a new anime series called Kamitsubaki City Under Construction was released, which will feature Kaf's debut as a voice actor playing a character based on herself. The series is scheduled to release in 2025.[44]
On October 12, 2024 Kaf announced her 4th album Guuwa (寓話, "Fable") to be released on December 25, 2024. Simultaneously, she announced her first English-language release Answer (English Ver.) self-covering her 2020 release of the same title, releasing on October 23, 2024.[45] On November 3, 2024, Kaf performed a revamped version of her 4th one-man live under the title "Re: Kaika" at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan.[46] During the event, Kaf announced two new releases in the series, collaborating with Hoshimachi Suisei and Moe Shop.[47] [48]
| Album details | Catalog no. | Peak positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| JPN [49] | |||
| KTR-004（α） KTR-005（β） | 15 | |
| KTR-008 | 46 | |
| I Scream Live |
| KTR-016 | — |
| KTR-019（α） KTR-020（β） | 9 | |
| KTR-039 | — | |
| KTR-077（α） KTR-078（β） | 10 | |
| I Scream Live 2 |
| KTR-01115 | — |
| KTR-0141 | — | |
| KTR-0140 | — | |
| Title | EP Details | Catalog no. |
|---|---|---|
| KTR-002 | |
| KTR-014 (Original ver.) XNKT-00015 (Black Clover ve.) | |
| GSA |
| — |
| Title | Single Details | Catalog no. | Peak positions |
|---|---|---|---|
| JPN | |||
| — | 28 | |
| — | 32 | |
| — | 33 | |
| KTR-003 | — | |
| KTR-012 | — | |
| KTR-017 (Kizuna AI ver.) KTR-018 (KAF ver.) | 50 | |
| — | — | |
| — | — | |
| Title | Single Details | Collaborator | Lyrics, Composition, Arrangement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glim Spanky | Remi Matsuo (lyrics) Glim Spanky (composition) Hiroki Kamemoto (arrangement) | |
| Seiko Oomori | Seiko Oomori (lyrics,composition) (arrangement) | |
| Ayane Sakura | ||
| Tanaka | Tanaka (lyrics, composition) (composition, arrangement) | |
| |||
| |||
| |||
| Beyond Meta |
| Miyavi | Miyavi (lyrics, composition, arrangement) Emyli (lyrics) Lenard Solnik (composition, arrangement) Kelsey Klingensmith (composition) |
| Kafu | (lyrics) HiFi-P (composition, arrangement) | |
| Can-Verse |
| Oresama | (lyrics) (composition, arrangement) |
| Mikey (lyrics, composition, arrangement) (lyrics) (arrangement) | ||
| (lyrics) (composition, arrangement) | ||
| EMA | (lyrics, composition, arrangement) (composition, arrangement) | |
| |||
| Mondo Grosso | Shinichi Osawa | |
| Kaf (lyrics) (composition, arrangement) | ||
| Title | Single Details | Collaborator | Lyrics, Composition, Arrangement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kaf (lyrics, composition) (lyrics, composition) Peko (composition, arrangement) | ||
| (lyrics, composition) Naoki Itai (arrangement) | ||
| |||
| Title | Details | Artist | Lyrics, Composition, Arrangement |
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| MAISONdes | ||
| Kaf | Ayase (lyrics, composition) (arrangement) | |
| Fake Type. | Tophamhat-Kyo (lyrics) Dyes Iwasaki (composition, arrangement) | |
| Novel Core feat. Takuya Yamanaka (from The Oral Cigarettes) | Takuya Yamanaka (lyrics) Novel Core (lyrics, composition, arrangement) | |
| Dios | Dios | |
| Beki feat. Kaf (Prod. by peko) |
| Kaf (lyrics, composition) (lyrics, composition) Peko (composition, arrangement) | |
| Glim Spanky | Remi Matsuo (lyrics) Glim Spanky (composition) Hiroki Kamemoto (arrangement) | |
| Date | Event name | Location | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 31, 2018 | New Year's Eve VR singing contest event "Count0" | Live Streaming | VR Sparc, Aeon Cinema |
| April 28, 2019 | VTuber Fes Japan 2019[50] | Chiba, Japan | Niconico Chokaigi 2019 Makuhari Messe |
| August 1, 2019 | Kaf 1st One-Man Live "Fukakai"[51] | Tokyo, Japan | Liquidroom Ebisu |
| September 29, 2019 | Favric[52] | Live Streaming | Makuhari Messe |
| March 23, 2020 | Kaf 1st One-Man Live "Fukakai (Re)" | Live Streaming | Zepp DiverCity (Tokyo) |
| June 14, 2020 | Kaf Live Streaming Cover Live "I Scream Live"[53] | Live Streaming | YouTube |
| October 10, 2020 | Kaf 2nd One-Man Live "Fukakai 2 Q1"[54] | Live Streaming | YouTube |
| January 31, 2021 | VTuber Fes Japan 2021 Day 2[55] | Saitama, Japan | Kawaguchi Cultural Center Lilia |
| March 13, 2021 | Kaf 2nd One-Man Live "Fukakai 2 Q2" | Live Streaming | YouTube |
| April 4, 2021 | V-Carnival[56] | Live Streaming | Custom Streaming Site |
| June 11–12, 2021 | Kaf 2nd One-Man Live "Fukakai 2 Rebuilding"[57] | Tokyo, Japan | Toyosu Pit |
| July 23, 2021 | Iori Kanzaki's 1st Performance "Clumsy Man"[58] | Live Streaming | YouTube |
| March 26, 2022 | Kaf High School Graduation Special Live | Live Streaming | Z-aN |
| April 15–16, 2022 | VWP 1st One-Man Live "Gensho"[59] | Tokyo, Japan | Toyosu Pit |
| April 30, 2022 | Vtuber Fes Japan 2022 Day 2[60] | Chiba, Japan | Niconico Chokaigi 2022 Makuhari Messe |
| May 15, 2022 | Valis 2nd Anniversary Mini Live "Kanjou Prestige Vol. 2"[61] | Live Streaming | Z-aN, YouTube |
| July 1, 2022 | VTuber Fes. BPM [Blinks Per Minute] Powered by Rohto Pharmaceutical[62] | Live Streaming | YouTube |
| July 2–3, 2022 | xR Artists Super Fes 2022[63] | Live Streaming | dTV, Pia Live Stream |
| August 24, 2022 | Kaf 3rd One-Man Live "Fukakai 3 (Mad)" | Tokyo, Japan | Nippon Budokan |
| January 28, 2023 | Kaf Live Streaming Cover Live "I Scream Live 2"[64] | Live Streaming | YouTube |
| March 4, 2023 | Kaf 3rd One-Man Live "Fukakai 3 (Sou)"[65] | Live Streaming | Z-aN |
| March 30–31, 2023 | Kamitsubaki Fes '23[66] | Tokyo, Japan | Toyosu Pit |
| October 14, 2023 | J-Wave Innovation World Festa 2023[67] | Tokyo, Japan | Roppongi Hills Arena |
| January 7, 2024 | Aniplex 20th Anniversary Event -Thanx-[68] | Tokyo, Japan | Tokyo Garden Theater |
| January 13–14, 2024 | Kamitsubaki Yoyogi Wars 2024 | Tokyo, Japan | Yoyogi National Gymnasium |
| August 8, 2024 | Kamitsubaki Fes '24 The Day The Earth Stood Still[69] | Yokohama, Japan | Pacifico Yokohama |
| Date | Program name | Network |
|---|---|---|
| December 1, 2019 | [70] | BS Nippon TV |
| October 15, 2020 | TV Asahi | |
| August 18, 2021 | Break Out[71] | TV Asahi |
| November 15, 2021 | [72] | NHK |
| September 29, 2022 | Nippon Television | |
| October 12 – November 30, 2022 | Fuji Television | |
| October 23, 2022 | Fuji Television | |
| November 2, 2022 | NHK | |
| November 6, 2022 | Nippon Television | |
| December 4, 2022 | Fuji Television | |
| February 2, 2023 | Nippon Television | |
| December 28, 2023 | Music Verse | Nippon Television |
| January 22, 2024 | TV Asahi | |