Among the most active Hololive English branch members is Kiara Takanashi, a Vtuber who is coming up on her fifth year performing with Cover. She’s also quite prolific, working on original songs, covers, conducting interviews on Holotalk, and streaming games. Siliconera got a chance to catch up with her following the release of “Perfume” to talk about her latest song, other tracks, and plans for the future.
Jenni Lada: You just released your most recent song, “Perfume.” How long was it in production, and what sorts of challenges did you face when preparing it?
Kiara Takanashi: There were some delays for the release, as I was originally gonna release it in December, so the song was already ready for quite a while. For my 3D music videos, my MV maker Kanauru usually speeds through it in only 1 month after I provide my recorded motion data! But 1-2 months before the MV making process starts, and a little bit into the process, I was also working on the creation of the 3D model. Designing it, illustrating it, and then supervising the process of it being turned into 3D.
Also, another thing being done simultaneously was the digital jacket design. I had a very specific image in my had of a perfume bottle standing right on the edge of a pool, with sunlight throwing some strong shadows and all that. The challenge throughout all of
this is handling so much on my own, due to not being with a music label! It gives me more creative freedom, but it is also a lot more stressful.
For the “Perfume” music video, you designed your outfit for it. How did you go through that process, and were there any specific real-world designs you used as inspiration for it?
Kiara Takanashi: I think this time I did not have anything as inspiration, I just knew from the start that I wanted a very flowy, cutesy, girly dress, with 2 layers in the skirt part so that when I would turn during a dance, you could see the 2 layers twirl separately.
I did have inspiration though for the hair, actually. I wanted really straight and long hair, because I had seen [Jang] Wonyoung from IVE slay with that kind of hairstyle a lot, and it looked so
sophisticated, so I thought this is what I need. I feel like a lot of the time we Vtubers will have big, fluffy, spikey or curly hair, with over the top design elements and all that, but I just wanted it
to look somewhat realistic and elegant for this purpose.
Finishing everything up with some pretty diamond accessories, because at least in 3D they do not cost millions to produce, I think I managed to bring the whole look of a sophisticated, cute
girl together quite well, and my fans hopefully saw a very different me this time.
You released your first album, Point of View, back in 2023. With “Chimera,” “Mirage,” and “Perfume” released in 2024 and 2025, are you currently working on a second one?
Kiara Takanashi: I am not – but I am thinking about it! Again, since I am not with a music label, making a single is already quite stressful sometimes, but a whole album was more challenging than I had anticipated. But who knows, I might want to give it a try again!
You applied for Eurovision 2024. Would you consider applying for the 2026 competition?
Kiara Takanashi: Perhaps yes! I think they may have not been quite ready yet for something like a Vtuber, because the logistics already seem difficult to produce for them, but I think it could make for some interesting headlines for them and for us, and I would love to be on such a big stage, at an event that is so important to that part of the world that I am from.
You worked on a number of duet covers recently with fellow Hololive members like La+ Darknesss and Sakamata Chloe. What does the process look like for preparing these performances?
Kiara Takanashi: Usually the one inviting the other handles the whole process, like finding an artist to draw the illustrations and giving them the instructions – also the music video creator. I was so focused the past 2 years on my original songs that I was not making many song covers, but there were some recent bangers from my favorite song creators that I could not just let go uncovered.
Sakamata Chloe had also announced her graduation, and since our performance of “WILDCARD” was so well received at holofes 2024, I wanted to make sure that people can listen to it publicly eternally. So, I decided to whip up a song cover version of it and I am so glad that she had time to record it!
For Laplus, people have been seeing some kind of connection between us for a while because she openly praises my music a lot, and both of us are quite the dancers. Recently we have been
bonding a bit more than usual, and there was this song, “FAKE HEART,” that I really wanted to cover. It is originally already a duet song, and I thought her voice would fit the role of Kagamine Len perfectly! Maybe at some point, we can also perform it in 3D!?
You recently participated in Enigmatic Recollection: The Chains of Fate with fellow Hololive English members. What kind of preparation goes into that type of roleplay? Are there any tricks you use on the fly to help keep up with lore and establish your character behind the scenes?
Kiara Takanashi: To be honest, this is the second time for this event, and I struggled both last time and this time with it, mostly due to language. I think my English is very fluent and for everyday streaming, there are no issues for me to find the words that I need to say. But ENReco is kind of in this medieval atmosphere, so I need to try to speak like that if I want to really blend in. I actually love that kind of medieval stuff, but talking like that in a foreign language is still a big challenge for me.
Regardless, I really committed this time and spent a lot of time streaming the project, even though the streams were at 3AM-7AM my time roughly, for 8 days in a row. Sunlight was not witnessed for a while, but many exciting and chaotic moments have been shared!
We’ve seen a number of Hololive Vtubers perform themes for projects like anime series, and in the past you acted as the Tales of Arise ambassador for Bandai Namco. How would you feel about getting to be the featured singer for an anime or game opening, and is there any specific title you’d consider a dream project?
Kiara Takanashi: Recently I actually had that honor, by singing an opening for One Piece – not alone though! Together with a couple others, but it was super cool to hear my voice through the TV throughout March 2025, when it was aired. It was a cover song of an older iconic opening song, “WE GO!,” which was super fun to record.
But if I were able to do such a thing one day as the sole singer, that would of course be even more awesome. I would always be open for it, may it be for a game or for an anime. My own song have been mostly following a more western direction, but I used to sing in a more JPOP style too, and still love that kind of anison genre very much. It’s just so much fun! So hopefully one day I get that chance again!
I know Japanese creations like games and animes also like make songs that feature german lyrics because they sound cool to them, so … Just as a reminder, German is my first language… Wink wink!
Your Holotalk show show essentially turned into not only a project to help better introduce people worldwide to people from other branches, but as something of a means of commemorating departing individuals like Gawr Gura, Nanashi Mumei, Fauna Ceres, and Amelia Watson. How do you feel about this project after conducting these interviews for coming up on five years, and do you have any other goals for the show going forward? Could we see some Indonesia branch members appear?
Kiara Takanashi: Even though I have already done so many episodes, I always feel super nervous during these. Preparing them is always a bit of work, and I want to do each talent justice with the questions and information shared. Recently I have done these graduation episodes too, which gives me that pressure even more so, but I am so glad I get a chance to take a deeper look into their
activities one last time and share it in both English and Japanese, so that Japanese fans of these girls may also understand a bit more, if they don’t speak English.
Indonesian members, just like English members have been on my mind for this for a long time, I was just gonna do Japanese members first for the longest time – The only reason why I started
the English ones earlier than planned was the graduations… But! Perhaps it is finally time to get to my lovely friends from Indonesia soon!
Speaking of which, you’re coming up on five years with Cover and Hololive. What kinds of goals would you like to pursue in 2025 and 2026?
Kiara Takanashi: 2025 is going by so fast, we are already halfway through… I am currently preparing for my 3D Birthday live concert – shortly after the big one I had at Easter!! And then soon after that, I will have to prepare for the 3D Anniversary concert with my genmates. The summer is packed!
2024 I had the honor to be part of the first World Tour of ours, so compared to that 2025 maybe looks to be less exciting in terms of concerts for me. Therefore, hopefully 2026 more opportunities will come my way!
Kiara Takanashi streams can be viewed on YouTube, and she’s active on social media.