An interview with multi-creator Kobasolo
For the 9th installment of Pathways into the Music Industry, we talked with Kobasolo (@kobamakolts), whose YouTube channel recently passed one million subscribers. Kobasolo is a next-generation musician who handles everything from composing to video editing, centered on cover videos of the "utattemita" (song cover) kind. We heard lots of stories that truly serve as a guidepost, including how Kobasolo thinks about "making a living with music" going forward, so please give it a read!
Many people probably know you already, but please tell us again about your current activities.
Kobasolo: My work includes activity on YouTube (kobasolo), writing songs for others along with the arranging and mixing that goes with that, making MVs (music videos) on the video side, and also developing new artists in cooperation with various agencies.
You do many things on your own, not just music but video editing too. Is there a reason you don't divide the work much?
Kobasolo: Simply because I have no teammates... (laughs)
I was originally in a duo, but it broke up and I was thrown out of the agency too, and I started from there, so I was "in a situation where I had no choice but to do everything myself."
And that's still how things are?
Kobasolo: Yes. I also live in the suburbs, so it's hard to have people come over. And activity on YouTube is fluid, you often move projects forward on short notice, so collaborative work is hard to do.
By the way, what's your job title?
Kobasolo: Actually, I haven't settled on a proper one yet. I'd like one, though. (laughs)
Basically I leave it to the people who write and read articles about me.
Is YouTube your main platform now?
Kobasolo: Yes. I have about 300 videos up. I also play live shows now and then.
What kinds of videos do you upload, and in what proportions?
Kobasolo: About 70% are MVs and about 30% are "vlogs," video blogs. Among the MVs, about 80 to 90% are "utattemita"-style cover videos, and the remaining 10% are original songs.
The path to my current activities
When did you start making music?
Kobasolo: I started music after graduating from high school.
That's quite late. What got you started?
Kobasolo: At my high school festival, a friend invited me: "Why don't we enter as a duet?" My friend sang lead on most of the songs, but I sang lead on just the last one. And I got a ton of screams. (laughs)
That's what got me started.
Surprisingly many people start because they "want to be popular!"
Kobasolo: After graduating from high school, I went straight on to a music vocational school in Osaka. By the way, I did own a guitar back then, but I could hardly play it. Same with piano.
You now even handle arranging. When did you start seriously practicing guitar and so on?
Kobasolo: After the music school, the duo I formed there moved to Tokyo to work, and I started playing properly after someone at the agency I belonged to said, "Kobayashi, why don't you try playing guitar?" I was about 20.
As listed on Wikipedia, were you very active in your duo days too?
Kobasolo: Yes. We played all over the country, mainly street performances. But partly due to my partner's health issues, I basically moved around on my own. I'd take CDs on overnight buses, and when I sold out, I'd go back to Tokyo to restock... that's how my days went.
Was your goal back then a major debut?
Kobasolo: Yes. Like Kobukuro or Yuzu, I was aiming for the path of signing with a major label, getting pushed by the agency and appearing on Kohaku...
Later the duo went on hiatus because of a member's throat illness, and you started working solo in earnest. What got you started on YouTube?
Kobasolo: In the duo, I mostly did backing vocals and played in the back, in a supporting role, so when we broke up and I went solo, there was no one left to stand in front of me. I was about 25, and I thought the path of starting solo from there, signing to a major label and making it was a bit unrealistic, so I shifted my thinking toward "how to work alone in the indie world."
So that's where you changed direction significantly.
Kobasolo: In my first year solo, I actively played live with the goal of "beating the biggest crowd we drew as a duo." Around then I ended up on the same bill as Goose house several times, and heard that "YouTube is apparently taking off right now." I think that was about six years ago.
So that's what got you started on YouTube in earnest.
Kobasolo: I'd created the YouTube channel itself around 2008, but I started properly posting videos around 2012.
From when you first started on YouTube, were you mainly doing cover videos like now?
Kobasolo: Yes. At the time in Japan, there was almost no content that "carefully produced cover videos." Even when there was, it was all one-offs, so I thought, "If I keep doing this consistently, it'll definitely grow." That was the trigger.
Even now, there seem to be few people making cover videos as carefully produced as yours.
Kobasolo: Back then there were lots of videos of people just singing to a fixed camera, so I thought that wouldn't grow and came up with my current style. I found a seat that was open and poured my energy into that area. Even when arranging songs, I'm always thinking about whether it can be "showcased" when turned into video.
You've now passed a million subscribers and are having a big breakthrough. Was the response big from when you started posting?
Kobasolo: No, the views didn't jump all at once; it was really little by little. The very first video I uploaded was a cover of TEE's "Baby I Love You," and I'd have been happy with 1,000 views in a few weeks. But I didn't think a single video would suddenly go viral, so I kept posting consistently without giving up and managed to reach a million subscribers.
Baby I Love You / TEE (Cover)
As you posted videos, were there any that became turning points?
Kobasolo: My first collaboration with "someone I didn't know" was a piece with Lefty Hand Cream, and the response was bigger than I expected. From around then I started to feel collaborations were working.
Aiuta – whiteeeen – Aiuta ~since 2007~ theme song for "Strobe Edge" (Kobasolo & Lefty Hand Cream Cover)
You've collaborated with lots of people. Is there anything you pay particular attention to when reaching out?
Kobasolo: When I make a request, I try to leave as much "slack" as possible. For example, by not setting deadlines, I do everything I can to reduce the burden on the other person. And my emails are as polite as I can possibly make them.
About the gear I use
I'd like to ask about the gear you used when you started posting videos and what you use now. First, what do you use for music production?
Kobasolo: I started DTM to arrange my own songs back in my duo days, and the first thing I used was MOTU's Digital Performer. Then I moved to Cubase 8, and I've used it ever since without updating. My mic is a Neumann U87. Until recently I was getting by with a RODE NT1000, but I recently replaced it. For software instruments, I often use Native Instruments' KOMPLETE Ultimate and IK Multimedia's Miroslav Philharmonik 2.
How did you learn DTM?
Kobasolo: Completely self-taught. And I listened to tons of CDs and kept researching, "What instrument is making this sound?"
You mainly publish content on YouTube. Is there anything you pay attention to when mixing?
Kobasolo: I'm especially careful when processing vocals. But I don't use any special plug-ins, just EQ and compression, plus noise removal when needed.
As for monitoring, in addition to regular speakers, I always check the sound coming from the Mac itself and from a smartphone. I process things with a strong awareness of what environment listeners are hearing it in.
What gear do you use for filming?
Kobasolo: When I started posting videos, I used a Canon EOS Kiss X3. It's a Canon DSLR with video recording. It was a super cheap camera; I remember buying it used, lens included, for just over 20,000 yen. I also got indirect lighting as cheaply as possible, within 5,000 yen, from 100-yen shops and home centers, and arranged it through trial and error to get good shots. For editing software I used Windows Movie Maker. I was using a very old PC and it was unbearably slow. Partly because of that, my first video took about a month to make.
So you produced through trial and error with a limited budget and gear. What gear do you use now?
Kobasolo: For the camera, I mainly use Canon's EOS C100. For editing software, I use Final Cut Pro X.
Are there any sites or videos you referred to when making videos?
Kobasolo: Overseas "cover" videos taught me a lot. Even before I started this, there were lots of carefully produced cover videos overseas.
For those who want to make a living with music
Was there a particularly hard period in your career so far?
Kobasolo: The transition from solo activity to YouTube, I suppose. And also when I started doing collaboration videos. When you start something new, you can draw backlash from existing fans, and since I was working alone, I had few allies. Working on nothing but my own determination was really tough in a lot of ways.
Do you have any tips for keeping going without breaking amid so much uncertainty?
Kobasolo: I had the conviction inside me that "this will work," so I just believed in it and kept going. Also, looking at YouTube Analytics (a tool for analyzing views and audience), the numbers were growing, if only little by little, and I think those numbers pushed me forward too.
When did you actually become able to make a living with your current style?
Kobasolo: I think about two or three years ago. My income comes from YouTube ad revenue, writing songs for others, making MVs and so on.
Until then, did you make a living with a job other than music?
Kobasolo: No, I'd decided to "make a living with music" when I moved to Tokyo, so except for the first year, I've never had a part-time or regular job.
Whaaat! How did you make a living?
Kobasolo: Basically street performances. I think I earned about as much as an ordinary office worker.
That's really impressive.
Kobasolo: I went around the whole country selling CDs, restocking when I ran out, and so on, and I put a lot of thought into how I sold them too. Of course, I taught myself all of that as well.
Like with the YouTube story earlier, listening to you makes me think that people who make music may not think much about "how to sell themselves."
Kobasolo: That may be so. It's a bit presumptuous for me to say, but these days anyone can put things out in all kinds of ways, and given that, I think you should take responsibility for "delivering the songs you've made to the people who listen."
Is there anything you should do besides making content?
Kobasolo: I make a point of reading books and articles in all kinds of genres (novels, business, history and so on). The way content exists is changing, so I find it very helpful for reconfirming where I stand.
So in a sense you need to think broadly, even about "the way you yourself exist."
Kobasolo: AI is developing more and more from here, and I think the focus will increasingly be on "how you live."
Then perhaps "human qualities" will be needed even more, not just making content.
Kobasolo: For me, when I was thrown out on my own, the feeling of "wanting to be needed by someone" has led to all kinds of activities.
Finally, please share some advice for those aiming to live the way you do.
Kobasolo: I think video content will keep growing, so it might be good to work with a broad perspective, not just music. And I think it's important to first "just try it." If you don't have a concrete plan, starting by "imitating" is one option too; what matters is getting moving.
Thank you very much.
Koiseyo Otome feat. Haruno / Kobasolo
About the author
Interview and text: momo (Mamoru Tanoue)
Born in 1995. A Digital Performer user. After graduating from music school, moved from Fukuoka to Tokyo as a composer.
Made a debut as a writer in August 2017, composing and arranging for Tsukicro's "STARDUST".
With the motto "songs that touch the heart", a multi-player who handles everything from lyrics and composition to arrangement and recording.
Also active as the composer and arranger for the art unit "Shiro".
Twitter ID: @momo_tanoue
"Shiro" website: https://www.shiro.space/
"Shiro" Twitter ID: @shiro_unit
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