MichiMochievee is an Indonesian VTuber who debuted with VShojo in April of this year. In the slightly more than two months since her debut, she has quickly grown to become Indonesia’s most-watched and most-followed streamer on Twitch. Streams Charts managed to sit down with Michi and discuss her journey so far, her views on the industry, and what’s coming for her.
VShojo is one of VTubing’s most exclusive agencies. Despite being the home to only 12 talents, the agency is often one of the industry’s most watched, enjoying a sizable portion of the total watch time for virtual streamers. Michi joined the exclusive group on April 20, and hosted over 44K concurrent viewers at peak for her debut broadcast. Since then, she has amassed over 110K Twitch Followers, and hundreds of thousands more fans across various social media.
Through her short career so far, Michi has already collected more than 1.5M Hours Watched on Twitch, and maintained an average viewership of 3.6K concurrent viewers. Comparatively, she has received over 1160% more hours of watch time than Indonesia’s next-most-watched Twitch streamer of 2024, coming out far ahead of her competitors on Twitch thanks to her international audience.
The Indonesian enjoyed a serious kick to her debut through her affiliation with VShojo, but her dedication and work ethic are what will pay serious dividends in the future. Since her debut, Michi has collected hundreds of hours of broadcasting time, equal to 50 hours a week at a regular job. This also only includes her time live on air, not everything else that goes into creating her content.
Michi is now part of the VTubing industry, which has been undergoing massive growth in recent years. As the industry continues to attract more viewers, more and more new faces are joining the sector of the livestreaming sphere. With no obstacles, like giant nails, in sight, Michi is set on continuing her growth, and having fun on her way there. We spoke with Michi, about what originally inspired her to join this VTubing trend.
Streams Charts: What inspired you to become a VTuber? Was the privacy aspect of VTubing important for your decision?
MichiMochievee: 100% privacy was important. I have this weird camera anxiety where I don’t like the feeling of a camera looking at me, so photos, videos, it always makes me feel very nervous. So being a VTuber is so much better for me, and it’s just nice because I don’t have to look good for the stream. The reason I got into VTubing was because, I wish I had a cooler answer, but I just thought that it was so goofy. I saw a VTuber, and I was like, doesn’t that look so sick? But so goofy.
Privacy has been a key part of VTuber culture since it began, and one of the most attractive qualities of the broadcasting style for established streamers. Many of Twitch’s leading creators have and will continue to experiment with virtual avatars and many cite similar reasons as Michi: privacy, no fuss about their appearance, and a more relaxed atmosphere.
Read also: VTubers in Q1 2024 report — a new champion topped charts for watch time
While many streamers are dipping their toes into VTubing, Michi dived right in the deep end by signing with one of the industry’s leading agencies, who clearly recognised her talent. We wanted to know how Michi is settling into her new agency, and how she feels about the organization so far.
How was it to sign with one of VTubing’s most exclusive agencies as its sole debutant of 2024 so far, and how long had you been working towards this goal?
I’m hoping that they release someone else, so I’m not going to be the only one, but it’s really great. I really appreciate everything they do. I literally have nothing bad to say. A couple of months before the debut we started working on the deal, but we already had everything set up, like it takes months to set up the model, getting it rigged, that kind of thing. I didn’t even think I was joining VShojo at first, I just wanted to wing it.
Signing with VShojo definitely gave me a big boost, but mainly just for the initial debut. Or if I host a big event or something that would boost it, but when it comes to the viewers, some agencies have viewers which are really loyal to the agency itself, rather than the streamers. In VShojo, people are more loyal to the talent.
It actually took longer because VShojo really wanted to make sure I knew what I was getting into. They wanted me to get an actual lawyer to review the contracts, which I really appreciate. That’s not so common here in Asia to do that, which isn’t a bad thing, it’s just more the cultural norm: ‘here’s the contract, sign it now, or it’s not valid’.
?are u awake? pic.twitter.com/lxOvsvAIFg
— Michi Mochievee ? VSHOJO (@MichiMochievee) May 24, 2024
Michi spent over half a year designing and tweaking her virtual avatar, a now inseparable part of her brand
How does working with the American agency VShojo compare to an Asian one? You seem to have high praise for your experience with the new talent company so far.
I think VShojo is, like, more Western? They’re so lenient, but I’m also Asian, so I don’t really know. I’m very used to a stricter work environment where they tell you what to do, and you do it, and they tell you what not to do, and you don’t do it. It’s like A or B. But in VShojo, I can do whatever I want to do, and it was a bit odd at first, because I thought that when they said they don’t really have any rules that they were joking. But then they were serious, and now I’m just winging it.
I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but it’s very scary, maybe because I’m more used to something being regulated and so the freedom can be a bit intimidating. It just takes time to get used to. If it’s not good, then it’s on you. But it’s nice because I can tailor my streams the way I want, express myself the way I want, and really say any opinion, but you have to take all the risk.
Michi has been putting her newfound freedom to good use on Twitch. According to her Games / Categories tab on Streams Charts, Michi has spent most of her time live in the Just Chatting section. A self-proclaimed “yapper”, Michi puts her extroverted and chatty self in centre stage, often yapping away with her Twitch Chat for hours.
She also has been putting herself on full-display across various social media: using both tailored short-form content and community-building media such as Twitter to reach a new audience, and connect deeper with her own. Although, her gaming habits sometimes get in the way of this.
When she’s not discussing Chat’s favourite topics of the day, she’s fulfilling whatever gamer itch comes to her. She has been streaming Baldur’s Gate 3 and Minecraft constantly since her first stream, and recently hopped onto the Elden Ring train as the game’s brand-new DLC released recently.
Since debuting only two months ago, you have already posted 1250+ times on Twitter, posted 32 YT videos, and streamed for over 425 hours on Twitch. What advantages do you see in promoting your content on each individual social media? Are there any specific strategies you employ to build a community?
I did?! I’m so cooked! Okay, so in the first month I was really solid on building a community, but then I fell into the Minecraft and Baldur’s Gate 3 hole, and now I’ve like put everything on pause because I got a new addiction.
Social media is so important because Twitch is good for retaining viewership, but not really good at growing the audience as much. So if you want more new eyes, you either have to go to YouTube or TikTok. Nowadays, I realise the trends are YouTube Shorts and TikTok, because people have a low attention span, to be honest. So if you want to grow, your best bet is to spam TikTok, and post on YouTube maybe once a day. You have to be very consistent about it because if not, people won’t really notice you.
Since your debut, you’ve rapidly become Indonesia’s most popular Twitch streamer. Is it important for you to grow an Indonesian audience and represent your country in front of your global fans?
It is very important, but it’s not my main goal. I think if I always shoved it down everyone’s throats, like ‘hey, Indonesia is so cool’, people wouldn’t really take to it. So my goal is to just have fun and people naturally develop interest. A lot of my viewers find a lot of Indonesian things interesting because I bring it casually now and again.
It is harder to grow on Twitch as an Indonesian because most Indonesians usually use YouTube, so I’m just glad people are aware that Indonesia is huge and there’s so much more culture to the country than just Bali.
Michi is right, Indonesia boasts a seriously large audience for not only livestreamed events, but also live esports matches. As we covered in our Q1 2024 recap of the livestreaming industry, many of YouTube Gaming’s most popular channels are Indonesian-language esports channels, and Indonesian content creators.
Although Michi is Twitch’s most popular Indonesian, she is not the country’s most popular livestreamer. Many of Indonesia’s most popular YouTube Live creators have amassed tens of millions of Hours Watched in the time since her debut, highlighting the raw power behind Indonesia’s sizable, and loyal audience. As one of her country’s fastest-growing content creators, we wanted Michi’s unique opinion on how she thinks the VTubing industry will be shaken up in the coming years.
Do you perceive any growing or emerging trends in the VTuber industry at the moment? Do you think there are any specific regions or countries with an emerging VTuber community?
This is just my gut feeling, but I think VTubing will go towards the TikTok route of quick-witted short-form content. Kind of full circle since VTubing started with YouTubers, right? So I think it’s going to turn like hybrid, where people will mix short-form videos and streams, or just orient more towards tailored YouTube videos.
I think the VTubing boom started because of the pandemic and people can’t go outside, and watching people in this virtual world was interesting, but now when you can go outside it’s not as exciting, so I think VTubing will blow up in this way where people are half VTubers and half person, doing more IRL content. It’s hard to match the escapism of the pandemic streams. The pandemic as well started this whole trend of people becoming more invested in streamers, like more interested in their day-to-day lives, how people are with traditional celebrities like actors.
I do think VTubing is growing in the West, and I think my country might blow up as well. The nice thing about Indonesian audiences is they’re very loyal, so you’d be surprised at the lengths they’d go to support the people they enjoy. I do want to shout out ONShannon, they’re a friend of mine, and we’ve collaborated before, and they’re very Indonesian-oriented and I love their energy. I’m very biassed.
Having already achieved your goal of a YouTube Silver Play Button, what’s your next livestreaming goal? Looking towards the future, do you have any plans for special events or content to celebrate your first year with VShojo?
Most of my goals are for the viewers. I don’t really focus on the subscriber count, not because I’m nice or sane, but because I think if I did I would be more insane, so I avoid looking at that. But one of my goals is to be able to have a big enough event that it reaches at least 10k live viewers.
Watch me say this right now and then it never happens because I forgot. Without spoiling too much, I’ve always liked things that feel a bit more DIY. I’d like to do a 3D concert that feels a bit more personal, like your kids performing a show at school kind of energy. I want to do a mini-concert where people just kind of have fun and goof around.
Michi has clearly got that special something that talent agencies around the industry dream of. Since her debut, she has not only quickly become her country’s top creator, but she is also currently the ninth-most-watched VTuber on Twitch since her debut. Keep an eye on her, as she is likely to continue to rise up the ranks and become one of VTubing, and Twitch’s, best-recognised creators.
Michi is someone who has her ear to the ground of the industry, and understands how to connect with an audience. Her genuine and down-to-earth attitude helps fans to immediately connect with her, and it’s no wonder that she has already developed such a loyal fanbase of viewers. As she produces more and more potentially viral content from her stream, she knows well how to use other social media platforms for short-form content to bring new eyes and attention to her.
When she’s not listening to Frank Sinatra or holding another 12-hour Baldur’s Gate 3 stream, Michi is found doing what she does best: actively engaging with her Chat and making every viewer feel welcome, and as if they were listening to a good friend.
