Musical Guests of Honor
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Musical guest of honor
ACME is a visual kei band that formed in 2017 consisting of DIV vocalist CHISA, guitarist SHOGO, former Artema drummer HAL, and bassist RIKITO.
The name of the band means "the vertex of evolution", and the band concept is "Delinquent boys from another world". Well known for their post-hardcore and metalcore sound, ACME is a staple in the visual kei scene.
Their first mini-album release in August, 2017, SENKOU, sold out first press copies nationwide. ACME's second single release, ROTTEN ORANGE, also had the track CALL MY NAME featured in the movie Namae no nai Onnatachi: Usotsuki Onna, starring Mitsuru Fukikoshi.
At Anime Expo 2018 in LA, CHISA walked the Anime Expo Fashion Show runway for Harajuku fashion designers KINGLYMASK, LISTEN FLAVOR, and HYPER CORE. ACME made their overseas debut performance at Anime Milwaukee 2019, and returned in June of that year at A-Kon in Dallas. ACME has held tours in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 across North America, performing at music venues, anime conventions, and showcase events with notable American and Japanese acts.
Note: ACME will not be performing during Kumoricon but will be performing at the official Kumoricon Afterparty.
Musical guest of honor
STEREO DIVE FOUNDATION is a sound-making project by R.O.N., who is active in many fields such as songwriting, composition, and arrangement for anime soundtracks and producing music for other artists. The project was named after the idea of diving into the stereo sound source. R.O.N., a multi-talented musician who can play any kind of instrument, is a sound artisan with a powerful sense of melody and a track-making style that utilizes futuristic synth work.
STEREO DIVE FOUNDATION has contributed music to a number of anime series, including That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, Moriarty the Patriot, Kyoukai no Kanata, Nobunaga the Fool, Gangsta., and Muv-Luv Alternative.
Crusher
Producer guest of honor
Every once in a while, the conveyor belt of talent and collaboration churns out something innovative and authentic. Cien Rojas, nee Miller who dons the moniker of Crusher, is a multi-talented songwriter, singer, producer, and illustrator who has been setting the world alight with her unique and innovative approach to creating emotionally driven pieces of music. Born on the East Coast, USA, Crusher grew up in Virginia and Washington, DC. Crusher is also known for her work as the voice provider for UTAU (turned DeepVocal)'s Watase Maki as well as her own emotionally driven compositions. She is a charismatic artist with a melodic style that comes across as engaging and mesmerizing with nuances of meaningful substance sprinkled throughout her music.
Crusher cites icons such as Lady Gaga, Susumu Hirasawa, Avicii, Hatsune Miku, as well as the "crunkcore" movement, along with PC music as pivotal influences in her music. Formerly known as Crusher-P, Crusher is in a transitional period that will see her moving from the virtual voices she previously has been made famous for, to standing in front of the camera for a more interpersonal connection with her audience. This will firmly cement her at the forefront of the new era of multi-faceted artists.
Crusher is an extremely versatile musician who is able to incorporate, integrate, and accentuate her music across a plethora of well-known and niche genres. Her sound is a twist that is refreshing and new. She uses various melodic elements from pop as well as ethereal, eerie, and intricate sounds in order to tell lasting stories that will resonate with audiences. Crusher also makes music that draws attention to mental health and uses her gift of writing to share with us some of the very real struggles that surround this topic. Her sultry and silky vocals shine through as she shows vulnerability in her writing as well as a deep desire to connect with her audience.
Crusher has also worked with some of the world's most renowned brands such as NBCUniversal Japan, SEGA, Warner Music, as well as Yamaha and Pony Canyon. She has worked as an illustrator, singer, writer, and composer. She is always looking at ways to grow and innovate. This year she will be inducted into the FL Studio's power user list alongside names such as deadmau5, Afrojack, and Martin Garrix.
She also has multiple productions in her repertoire with her most notable single ECHO generating millions and millions of streams across all platforms. There is no doubt that Crusher is on her way to the top, and she will conquer the airwaves across the globe and perform on the biggest stages that the world has to offer. She is a hard worker who never gives up and her tenacity will shine through and earn her a seat at the highest table in the industry!
As an independent artist, few things are more important than your drive to succeed and Crusher is an unstoppable force who has it in abundance.
Producer guest of honor
Meet darkbluecat, originally from Chile, now leaving an indelible mark on the US music scene. Since 2007, darkbluecat has been delivering his vision as a music producer, songwriter, sound designer, composer, arranger, DJ, and VJ.
Their versatility shines as they fearlessly explore various genres, from rock and jazz to R&B, Vocaloid, EDM, and hard dance. Influenced by artists like Jamiroquai, Moe Shop, PinocchioP and more, darkbluecat's music has a unique blend of styles.
As a DJ, darkbluecat's distinctive style seamlessly fuses J-pop, anime, rhythm and video game soundtracks, and hard dance, all drawing unique inspiration from authentic Latin American party vibes and meme culture. This eclectic mix comes together to create an enthralling experience on the dancefloor, captivating both gamers and non-gamers alike. With an impressive track record of performing at numerous events and conventions across Chile, as well as collaborating with several famous VTubers such as girl_dm_ and NimuVT, darkbluecat's talent has been showcased alongside beloved artists like Snail's House and baker, resulting in electrifying performances that effortlessly captivate audiences.
Memorable highlights also include producing debut songs for various talented VTubers and composing acclaimed works featuring VOCALOID and other prominent virtual performers, earning praise from both the online and offline music communities.
Kikuo
Producer guest of honor
Kikuo holds the world's highest number of views in the genre of Vocaloid music on Spotify, and has 1.4 million Spotify monthly listeners. His popular song "Love me, Love me, Love me" surpassed 100 million views in 2022.
The number of YouTube subscribers for his channel exceeded 1 million in 2023. He was featured in a high school music textbook as a "popular pop musician of the moment". A documentary was produced by NHK (Japan's most famous national broadcaster).
In 2010, he started his music activities mainly with Vocaloid songs. In 2016 and 2022, he performed at Nico Nico Cho Party, a music event for 20,000 to 30,000 people. Kikuo is the world's highest and craziest Vocaloid-P from Japan!!
Kikuo will be performing at Kumoricon on Saturday night as a part of the late night dance party.
Caleb Hyles
Musical guest of honor
Caleb Hyles first made waves when he released his cover of "Let It Go" on YouTube in 2014. Millions of homes around the world were enchanted by his riveting and theatrical covers of Disney, Broadway, anime, and pop-rock hits. YouTube allowed for Caleb's vast talents and warm, infectious personality to shine through with every cover, and fans quickly fell in love.
Over the years of pouring himself into his work and creating exciting, diverse content for his fans, Caleb has amassed a close-knit fanbase consisting of 1.5 million YouTube subscribers and over 1 million monthly Spotify listeners. Fans eagerly seek out Caleb's larger-than-life voice taking on their favorite songs and breathing new life in them.
And fans aren't the only ones to take notice of Caleb's massive talents. Television shows and video series like RWBY and Nintendo Minute have called on Caleb to sing for them.
With momentum at an all-time high, Caleb is looking to embark on the next step of his journey. Sharing more of himself than ever before, January 2021 saw the release of his first original works with his album, In One Breath. Don't miss your chance to embark on this new adventure with him.
Jonathan Young
Musical guest of honor
Jonathan Young is a singer, songwriter, and producer who independently built a career with millions of listeners with his viral music videos on YouTube. After gaining popularity online with hundreds of covers of nostalgic and nerdy songs from Disney, anime, and more, Young expanded into space-pirate-keytar-metal with the all-original album Starship Velociraptor. In addition to his own music, Jonathan Young has been involved in music for franchises such as Dragonball, Beyblade, and Magic: The Gathering. Jonathan also owns a music company that produces music for content creators such as Caleb Hyles, Peyton Parrish, Annapantsu, Cristina Vee, and more; and he also co-produces with Howard Benson (who produced My Chemical Romance, Skillet, and more) and Neil Sanderson (Three Days Grace). Jonathan is currently touring with Caleb Hyles, performing at conventions across the country!
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