While many of the Holostars English members are musically inclined and release covers or original songs from time to time, Vtuber Banzoin Hakka is one of the ones best known for his vocals and talent. So much so that, following his April 21, 2026 birthday stream, he’ll perform a Mini 3D Live with special guests on April 24, 2026. This is in addition to being a voice actor for the upcoming visual novel otome game lovebyte.exe. Siliconera got a chance to catch up with him and ask him about his latest performances, schedule, and even his move to Japan.
Jenni Lada: Hey! So you’ve been incredibly busy since the last time we talked to you. One of which is the move to Japan. How have you been settling in, and what are some of the biggest surprises you’ve experienced since moving here?
Banzoin Hakka: HELLO! WOW, You are right! It’s been a long time since we last spoke, haha!
It’s been a bunch of ups and downs, but so far it’s been pretty good! I’m not complaining, hehe.
I’d visited Japan multiple times before moving, so I was pretty in tune with what the TOKYO lifestyle was going to be like, haha. But visiting AND living here is INSANELY different!
But without tooting my own AIR DEMON horn, I’d like to say I’ve been adapting quite well. I managed to get my taxes done, moved to my own place, and I even got my first noise complaint (WORKING ON GETTING THAT SOUND BOOTH LOL!) This is just the life of a responsible ROCKSTAR; what can I say, haha!
I would say my biggest challenge was getting my own apartment, but I am happy that after a lot of blood, sweat, and tears and hours of research with Tokimane we were finally able to land a perfect new place that the Hakkitos and I can call ours!
Apartment hunting and adulting aside, life has been good! I am excited to keep growing both personally and professionally with Japan as my new home base <3
How has the move affected your streaming and performing schedule?
Banzoin Hakka: I am happy to announce that the move has actually not affected my streaming times at all!
I’ve always been a bit of an early riser, except when it’s my day off; I like to call those my barely alive days LMAO (I sleep for like 12 hours).
If anything, I would say the added responsibility of living in Japan has inspired me to do even more and take things even more seriously. I am seriously in love with my job, so I want to keep doing this for as long as I possibly can. In the words of a little wise exorcist, we keep balling and we never give up >:) ! ! !
A lot of performance-related opportunities seem to have come up since the move as well. One of them is a Mini 3D Live. When did work start on that, and how did you decide on the tracklist for it?
Banzoin Hakka: Ohohoho, so I assume you heard about my BIG ANNOUNCEMENT.
YES! I, Banzoin Hakka, will be doing a MINI 3D LIVE on April 24th at, 10 PM EDT, and 7 PM PDT / 25th 11 AM JST ! !
This is something super exciting for me. My dream has always been to PERFORM in all ways, forms, and shapes possible. I genuinely get so damn excited thinking about singing live for my little birds that I COULD CRY. AAAAAAAA!
But yes, I hope you guys tune in to my #HAKKAMINI3D live show. There will be awesome guests and lots of bangers. The setlist is incredible, and every song was picked because I knew I would have fun performing it, either solo or with my AMAZING senpais <3
Music is insanely meaningful to me, so I want to sing as much as I can. It’s the best way I can communicate! ! !
You also did a cover of the Megurine Luka song “Palette” back in February 2026. How did you prepare your take on it, and did you choose any specific vocal exercises to help with range on it?
Banzoin Hakka: While Megurine Luka is the VOCALOID that was used for this song, “Palette” is actually one of my favorite songs written by the amazing Yuyoyuppe! It was a no-brainer for me to cover such an important and meaningful piece to him and all of his fans, myself included.
The voice of Luka is such a sweet match for how melancholic and hopeful his music can be. Please give him and his band, N.I.C.K., lots of support; they are fantastic!
As for any exercises and techniques, I went with my usual singing style: rough, loud, but still delicate and emotional. I tried to add as much emotion as I could to complement the beautiful arrangement my amazing friend and producer JunbugP made for this cover. Make sure to check it out!
Speaking of which, you’ve released additional acapella versions of your covers for members in addition to the standard releases. How much extra effort goes into those recordings and are there any particular types of mixing techniques you especially like when preparing those types of tracks?
Banzoin Hakka: YES! I love releasing both a cappella tracks and exclusive wallpapers using the visuals of my releases to my member Hakkitos! I adore being able to spoil them, so I love providing as much as I can and giving them little goodies per release!
I love my mixes like I like my milkshakes: THICK. Recording a bunch of layers is my cup of tea, starting from the usual harmonies and adding a stack of doubles, triples, quadruples, you name it!
Panning and stacking is my favorite way of listening to all those juicy layers shine by themselves and complement each other, just like the mixing gods intended. ALWAYS LAYER YOUR VOCALS. DO NOT RECORD THINGS ONCE, GRRRRR.
THIS IS PERSONAL TO ME, HAHAHA!
I put a lot of effort into giving the songs I sing my own take and making them MINE!
So a lot of love and intention goes into the arrangement of the harmonies, and of course, the way the main vocals are sung! I refuse to EVER half-ass anything I sing on. I take this music game very seriously!
The musical performances aren’t the only ones you have coming up. Nochi Studios announced you’re voicing the character Zeta in the dating sim and visual novel lovebyte.exe. How did you get involved in the project, and what has working on the role been like?
Banzoin Hakka: IT’S BEEN SO MUCH FUN AAAAAAA! I LOVE THE PROJECT SO MUCH!
I’ve always been a fan of Joseimuke content, so being able to feature in something in the same vein has been an insane dream of mine.
I was cast by the developers themselves after I played a demo of the game for my Hakkitos. It’s been such a fun experience and an amazing time, and I’m truly grateful for this opportunity.
HUGE SHOUT OUTS TO ALL MY GIRLIES FROM NOCHI STUDIOS FOR PICKING ME AND BELIEVING IN YOUR LITTLE EXORCIST! I HOPE YOU GUYS ARE READY TO #BETAFORZETA >:3C
You’ve been playing a lot of both Resident Evil Requiem and Slay the Spire 2 recently! Any strategies you recommend in either?
Banzoin Hakka: I’m baby! I don’t really have a strategy when it comes to playing games, HAHA! I do have the special talent of turning all games I play into a ZATSUDAN (just chatting) stream, tho. LMAO.
While I am not the best gamer out there, I like to pay attention to all the small details and analyze them!
People like my gameplay a lot because they always notice my attention to detail when I play games my own way. I am not a sweaty try-hard but I do my best at my own pace! So, I would say the best strategy, even in games, is being myself, hehehe.
PLAY REQUIEM, THO. DR. GIDEON! THE MAN THAT YOU ARE… JUST ONE CHANCE….
Do you have any other performances or projects you’re preparing right now?
Banzoin Hakka: HI☆MI☆TSU (IT’S A SECRET) (> •́)ᕗ⊹ ࣪ ˖
Stay tuned >𐃷<⭑.ᐟ
What do you think you’re most looking forward to on the horizon for 2026, and what would you like to see happen in 2027?
Banzoin Hakka: I am looking forward to a lot of things I CAN’T TALK ABOUT, LMFAOOOOO! But as for my personal projects, I am looking forward to them slowly unveiling whenever the time is right, hehe <3
I would like for more people to genuinely support and love HOLOSTARS, both JP and EN!
We are really hardworking guys, and we genuinely do the best we can with what we have!
MORE MUSIC PERFORMANCES, MORE GAME STREAMS, MORE COLLABS, FANS HAVING FUN, AND BIG, BIG, BIG HOLOSTARS LOVE <3
THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME ! ! !Banzoin Hakka is streaming on YouTube, Twitch, and Bilibili, and you can find the Holostars Vtuber on social media.