:Projekt Melody
{{Short description|American VTuber}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2020}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{Infobox Twitch streamer
| name = Projekt Melody
| image = Projekt Melody.png
| caption =
| nationality =
| occupation = {{flatlist|
| pseudonym =
| organization = VShojo
| channel_name = projektmelody
| years_active = 2019–present
| genre = Just Chatting
| games =
| followers = 701 thousand{{cite web |url=https://twitchtracker.com/projektmelody |title=projektmelody - Streamer Overview & Stats |publisher=TwitchTracker |access-date=January 1, 2025}}
| associated_acts =
| module = {{Infobox YouTube personality| subbox = yes
| years_active = 2019–present
| channel_id = UC1yoRdFoFJaCY-AGfD9W0wQ
| channel_display_name = Projekt Melody
| subscribers = 640 thousand
| views = 50.5 million
| stats_update = January 1, 2025
| silver_year = 2020
}}
}}
Projekt Melody, or more commonly known as Melody ({{langx|ja|メロディー}}) for short, is an American 3D anime-styled live streamer, or VTuber, and pornographic actress. She first appeared when her Twitter account opened in July 2019, and she has live streamed on Chaturbate and Twitch since early 2020. During her first three days of Chaturbate streaming, Melody's Twitter followers rose from 700 to over 20,000, and her sudden rise in popularity had mixed reactions. In late 2020, Melody became a founding member of VShojo, one of the first VTuber talent agencies based in the Western world. She describes herself as an artificial intelligence, although she is performed by a real person.
Overview
DigitrevX, an American animator of anime-style 3D character models for VTubers, was commissioned to create Projekt Melody's original avatar.{{Cite web|last=Cole|first=Samantha|date=February 10, 2020|title=A 3D Hentai Camgirl Is Taking Over Chaturbate, and Human Models Are Worried|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/projekt-melody-hentai-anime-camgirl-chaturbate/|work=Vice Media|access-date=February 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200216135844/https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/epgbz4/projekt-melody-hentai-anime-camgirl-chaturbate|archive-date=February 16, 2020|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Thalen|first=Mikael|date=February 11, 2020|title=This 3D Hentai Camgirl Is So Popular, She's Jeopardizing the Careers of Humans|url=https://www.dailydot.com/irl/3d-hentai-camgirl-projektmelody/|work=The Daily Dot|access-date=February 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200216135836/https://www.dailydot.com/irl/3d-hentai-camgirl-projektmelody/|archive-date=February 16, 2020|url-status=live}} She is rendered in real time using the game engine Unity.{{Cite web|last=Fox|first=Drew|date=February 11, 2020|title=Anime Camgirl Quickly Amasses Following on Chaturbate|url=https://www.xbiz.com/news/250195/anime-camgirl-quickly-amasses-following-on-chaturbate|work=XBIZ|access-date=February 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200220020149/https://www.xbiz.com/news/250195/anime-camgirl-quickly-amasses-following-on-chaturbate|archive-date=February 20, 2020|url-status=live}} She has purple and blue hair and an adhesive bandage on her nose, and her appearance was influenced by anime such as Ghost in the Shell and Hyperdimension Neptunia.{{Cite magazine|last=Ellis|first=Emma Grey|date=February 19, 2020|title=Do Fans of Cartoon Porn Stars Hate (Real) Women?|url=https://www.wired.com/story/projekt-melody-anime-porn-stars/|magazine=Wired|access-date=February 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200220020713/https://www.wired.com/story/projekt-melody-anime-porn-stars/|archive-date=February 20, 2020|url-status=live|url-access=limited}}
Melody claims to be an artificial intelligence, with her first appearance in July 2019 on Twitter involving her acting as a broken chat program that progressively developed sentience. She describes herself as "the first ... 3D rendered hentai camgirl."{{Cite web|last=ZenithTheOne|date=March 14, 2020|title=Lewd Spotlight - Projekt Melody|url=https://www.lewdgamer.com/2020/03/14/lewd-spotlight-projekt-melody|work=LewdGamer|access-date=March 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200317043151/https://www.lewdgamer.com/2020/03/14/lewd-spotlight-projekt-melody|archive-date=March 17, 2020|url-status=live}}
Live streaming
=Chaturbate=
Projekt Melody hosted her first stream on Chaturbate on February 7, 2020. During the three days after this stream, her Twitter follower count increased from 700 to more than 20,000. While her streams are in progress, Melody uses a Bluetooth-enabled bullet vibrator that reacts to donations from viewers.
=Twitch=
On March 7, 2020, Melody made her live streaming debut on Twitch, where she was partnered before her first stream was broadcast.{{Cite web|last=Ashcroft|first=Helen|date=March 11, 2020|title=Twitch's Instant Partnering of ProjektMelody Proves They Only Support Sex That Sells|url=https://www.thegamer.com/twitch-projecktmelody-signing-sex-hypocrite/|work=TheGamer|access-date=April 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200412134543/https://www.thegamer.com/twitch-projecktmelody-signing-sex-hypocrite/|archive-date=April 12, 2020|url-status=live}} By the stream's end, she had over 50,000 followers.{{Cite web|last=Penney|first=Andrew|date=March 9, 2020|title=Virtual Chaturbate Star Projecktmelody Joins Twitch as a Partner|url=https://www.thegamer.com/projecktmelody-twitch-partner-chaturbate/|work=TheGamer|access-date=March 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200314184329/https://www.thegamer.com/projecktmelody-twitch-partner-chaturbate/|archive-date=March 14, 2020|url-status=live}}
On March 12, 2020, Twitch issued Melody a three-day suspension.{{Cite web|last=Penney|first=Andrew|date=March 13, 2020|title=Twitch Suspends Amouranth and ProjektMelody on the Same Day|url=https://www.thegamer.com/twitch-suspends-amouranth-projektmelody-on-the-same-day/|work=TheGamer|access-date=March 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200314182456/https://www.thegamer.com/twitch-suspends-amouranth-projektmelody-on-the-same-day/|archive-date=March 14, 2020|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Hao|first=Dexter Tan Guan|date=November 4, 2020|title=Projekt Melody Banned on Twitch Again, Partner Status Removed|url=https://dotesports.com/streaming/news/projekt-melody-banned-on-twitch-again-partner-status-removed|work=Dot Esports|access-date=November 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201105012909/https://dotesports.com/streaming/news/projekt-melody-banned-on-twitch-again-partner-status-removed|archive-date=November 5, 2020|url-status=live}} Reddit users speculated on several possible reasons for her Twitch suspension, such as having a vibrator visible on her bed, skin becoming visible under her shirt when it clipped, linking to NSFW content, and hentai publisher Fakku providing sponsorship. On April 7, Twitch updated its nudity and attire policy, establishing new guidelines for acceptable levels of clothing coverage for all streamers on the website, including digital characters like Melody.{{Cite web|last=Ashcroft|first=Helen|date=April 8, 2020|title=Even Projektmelody Isn't Excluded From Twitch's New Nudity and Attire Policy|url=https://www.thegamer.com/twitch-projektmelody-nudity-new-policies/|work=TheGamer|access-date=April 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200412130813/https://www.thegamer.com/twitch-projektmelody-nudity-new-policies/|archive-date=April 12, 2020|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=April 7, 2020|title=Update to Our Nudity and Attire Policy|url=https://blog.twitch.tv/en/2020/04/07/update-to-our-nudity-and-attire-policy/|work=Twitch|access-date=April 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200407233428/https://blog.twitch.tv/en/2020/04/07/update-to-our-nudity-and-attire-policy/|archive-date=April 7, 2020|url-status=live}} On November 4, Twitch issued Melody a second suspension due to DigitrevX making a DMCA filing related to a copyright claim over Melody's usage of her model.{{Cite web|last=Smith|first=Callum|date=November 5, 2020|title=Why Was Projekt Melody Banned on Twitch? Reason Revealed as Her Ban Is Over|url=https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2020/11/05/why-was-projekt-melody-banned-on-twitch/|work=HITC|access-date=November 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201106164539/https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2020/11/05/why-was-projekt-melody-banned-on-twitch/|archive-date=November 6, 2020|url-status=live}} The suspension was lifted the following day.
On November 24, 2020, Melody announced the launch of VShojo, one of the first Western VTuber talent agencies.{{Cite journal|last=Beresford|first=Trilby|date=November 24, 2020|title=Talent Agency Launches With Focus on Vtubing|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/talent-agency-launches-with-focus-on-vtubing|journal=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=November 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125135143/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/talent-agency-launches-with-focus-on-vtubing|archive-date=November 25, 2020|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Kok|first=William|date=November 29, 2020|title=VShojo Enters the Vtuber World as the First Western Vtuber Agency|url=https://www.theouterhaven.net/2020/11/vshojo-enters-the-vtuber-world-as-the-1st-western-vtuber-agency/|work=The Outerhaven|access-date=November 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129171643/https://www.theouterhaven.net/2020/11/vshojo-enters-the-vtuber-world-as-the-1st-western-vtuber-agency/|archive-date=November 29, 2020|url-status=live}}
On September 24, 2021, Melody debuted a new Live2D-based character model.{{Cite tweet|number=1441447753029021700|user=projektmelody|title=LET'S FRICKING GO!!!!!! Live2D debut now!!! http://twitch.tv/projektmelody|author=Projekt Melody|date=September 24, 2021|access-date=December 4, 2022}}
Reception
Projekt Melody's popularity drew criticism from fellow webcam models, who argued that she does not experience the same degree of vulnerability as human models, and questioned if she belonged on Chaturbate. Projekt Melody subreddit moderator "jyl5555" said that fans enjoy the "wittiness and absurdity of Melody as a concept".
Awards and nominations
See also
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
- {{Twitter|ProjektMelody}}
{{Portal bar|Anime and manga|Erotica and pornography|Internet|Video games}}
{{Authority Control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Melody, Projekt}}
Category:Animated characters introduced in 2019
Category:Fictional pornographic film actors
Category:American pornographic film actresses
Category:Sexuality and computing
Category:American Twitch (service) streamers
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)