Yakousei

Yakousei (夜好性, 'night-loving') is the Japanese internet-pop movement of the late 2010s and 2020s built by *YOASOBI*, *Yorushika* and *ZUTOMAYO*, three acts whose names all contain the character for night. Its architects were Vocaloid producers — *Ayase* and *n-buna* — who paired their dense, piano-driven, high-tempo arrangements with human vocalists, literary lyrics and animated videos, releasing music online first and concealing their faces in performance. The songs favour rapid melodic runs, intricate wordplay and nocturnal, melancholic themes, and the scene grew from Niconico and YouTube into the defining sound of Reiwa-era J-pop.