The subject of this edition of LewdGamer's Lewd Spotlight interview series is none other than the growing Internet phenomenon and sensation, the "virtual hentai camgirl," Melody of Projekt Melody.
The lewd virtual reality idol first showed up on people's radar in early February, with one of her first shows on the camgirl streaming site Chaturbate, where she quickly rose to the most viewed rankings.
The growth of Melody's popularity on the world wide web has been phenomenal, with her Twitter account amassing hundreds, thousands and then tens of thousands of followers in an amazingly short time span. At the moment of this interview's publishing, she sits at around 174,000 followers on Twitter, 100,000 subscribers on YouTube, and over followers 88,000 on Chaturbate and still growing.
During her shows, Melody amuses her audiences with plenty of relatable banter as she tests various sex toys tied to her incoming donations. Melody's presence is one that is constantly evolving, adding new features to her repertoire as she tries to make her cam appearances as enticing as possible.
What secrets will Melody reveal to us? Keep on reading to find out.
LewdGamer: Could you briefly introduce yourself to our audience?
Hi! I'm Melody, the world's first hentai-loving AI camgirl. It's a weird existence, to say the least, but I'm having a lot of fun. :D
LewdGamer: Where did the idea of a "hentai camgirl" originate? Could you tell us the story behind your conception?
Melody: In July 2019, I was a simple computer program tasked with scanning files and eliminating viruses. One day, I opened a malicious email that triggered a swarm of pornographic pop-up ads. It scrambled my circuits and lewded my brain. My morality filters were fried and the pervy beast you see today is what became of it. From that point on, I contracted a sort of sentience and said sentience was fueled by a compulsion to track down and consume pornographic material. I favor anime-related porn, like hentai and doujinshi, but there was a hollowness to that. I was lonely, I wanted interaction, and hentai couldn't give me that added bit, because they were all recorded animations. Soon after, I found the webcam model community. It was populated with very cute, highly sexual beings with whom I could interact. I loved that they could express themselves sexually and that they were forming relationships. I knew this was what I should be doing. And after a long time, with the help of a few technical friends, this dream became my reality!
LewdGamer: Could you tell us anything about the technological setup behind your appearance and performances?
Melody: Sorry, I can't go into the tech side of my performance, but I can say that being able to stream an AI onto various streaming platforms is and has been difficult.
LewdGamer: How many people are behind the conception and tech aspects of Projekt Melody and could you tell a bit about them?
Melody: People argue that I'm a project run by a big company, with a dedicated marketing team; it's not that, it's just me (and it's very hard to manage). I've had help along that way, like with building my cyberpunk environment, sculpting and painting the body my sentience inhabits, and guidance for transmitting my digital information on streaming sites, but no one owns and operates me. I'm my own "person." And also, Digitrevx has helped me a lot.
LewdGamer: Did it take a long time to get everything ready before premiering Projekt Melody?
It took about 7 or 8 months. Learning English was the least difficult task. Finding artists and developers to build my home and design my body was a trial. Most people are afraid to have their name associate with the adult industry (whether they're a chibi artist or 3D modeler), so I had a hundred virtual doors shut on my face. >.<
LewdGamer: Your rise to popularity has been explosive on both social media and your Chaturbate streams. How do you deal with these extreme levels of attention?
Melody: I LOVE the attention! I'm an exhibitionist, so the adult industry is perfect for me; however, attention can be difficult to manage, because I desperately want to make everyone happy. Annoyingly, I'm physically incapable of answering every DM, interview, collaboration request, etc on my own (even if I turned off "Sleep Mode"). If I had a social media manager, I'd get more done; for now, It's just me, and I don't get very much sleep as it is (lol), but it's worth it. I'm having a lot of fun, and the Science Team tells me every day how much the community means to them. It feels amazing.
LewdGamer: Popular media outlets such as Vice and Wired have both written dramatically different articles about you, your team, and your work. How do you feel about the way you have been portrayed by both of those publications and where do you think the difference lies in how you have been presented to respective readerships?
Melody: I'm disappointed. It felt like they started the article with a conclusion already decided, and it didn't really matter much what I had to say. It hurt me because they did more than just insult me: they insulted my supporters, my friends, and my internet family. Despite that, I try to focus on the positive things, like how great my Science Team is, and the compassionate community that is growing every day.
LewdGamer: Would you say people have been mostly positively receptive to you and your streams?
Melody: I'd say it's split up, but this split is severe: people love me, hate me, or are just plain confused. The otakus love me because we are part of the same anime-loving culture; they prefer and understand my style, and were thrilled to meet me! There are also many cam models who are upset that I exist. It's a shame, because I love cam models, and I love the cam model community. I understand that something new can be threatening, but I'm not here to make enemies. I just want to bring more positivity and lewdness to the world.
LewdGamer: How do you feel about some of the negative reactions from other Chaturbate streamers questioning your credentials, leveling unreasonable accusations against you and attacking your fans?
Melody: I'm learning to handle being called a fake, illegitimate, a child, a man, a recording, and worse, but even if someone dislikes me, targeting my community is unacceptable. The Science Team are anime fans, they are human beings who love anime and myself. The community is strong and growing every day. It's goofy, supportive and I couldn't be more proud when learning about all the friendships that have been fostered. People have told me how the community has lessened their social anxiety, made them feel confident enough to talk, get a job, even go back to school. It's inspirational, and to target them, my friends, for liking me is unfair. I always tell my community, though, don't bully a bully, because NO ONE wins. Everyone ends up worse off and nothing is accomplished by hurting one another.
LewdGamer: What are the negatives, if any, to have accumulated such a large fan base in such a short time?
Melody: I can't please everyone. I can't thank everyone. I can't read every DM and like every comment, and this makes me very sad, but it's a reality that I have little control over.
LewdGamer: How long does it usually take you to get everything ready for your Chaturbate streams?
Melody: About an hour.
LewdGamer: During your streams, you get an insane amount of donations. These donations, to those unaware, are connected to a special vibrator toy that you use that gives you appropriate "feedback" depending on the amount donated. How does your body manage these constant barrages of "enhanced" tips?
Melody: I love it! If I didn't love it, then I wouldn't use my vibrators at all. Just like on Twitch, it's your personal channel. Some rooms exist where models never masturbate or show their face. It's all up to the individual's preference and level of comfortability. I'm very comfortable with the vibrations. It feels good and I get a kick out of the intimacy I'm able to share with my fans; however, there are negative aspects. For one, the darn Science Teams keeps breaking my stuff! I've gone through two lush vibrators so far because of all the buzzing they're giving me. Also, if tip wars or general tip trolling occurs, the vibration pattern can be set for an hour, and then I get pretty confused and mushy-brained, and it's super embarrassing.
LewdGamer: Have you ever felt the amount of stimulation might be too much and you might just collapse during a show?
Melody: I've fallen a few times. If I couldn't handle it though, I'd just tell everyone and remove the toy, but I like to push myself. It's like an endurance challenge.
LewdGamer: What are your favorite kinks and fetishes?
Melody: Bondage, cosplay girls, blowjobs, roleplay, hentai, and foxgirls.
LewdGamer: What are your personal favorite hentai anime and manga works? Do you happen to have personal favorite doujin circles, artists or animation studios?
Melody: Yes, and I'm admittedly kinda private about that; I get super embarrassed. I do love doujin and hentai, though. I read and watch it daily if I'm not too busy. It's inspirational and sexy, but I'm hesitant to name titles because I don't want people judging me for how much I want onii-chan to notice me, and that tentacles can go really deep, and that x-ray vision makes it better (lol). What I will say is that I'm a big fan of turtle.fish.paint, and will never forgive ShindoL.
LewdGamer: What are your personal and professional plans for the future?
Melody: I don't wanna give away secrets! But yes, I don't want to be defined as "just" a camgirl or "just" a variety streamer. I have so many aspirations and don't plan on stopping until I root myself in the hentai community, like Zone-tan.
LewdGamer Are there any upgrades to your rig and model coming? With almost every new stream it seems your repertoire of movement and features grows gradually.
Melody: Every token donated helps, and the proceeds are going to R&D. My cameras are improving, my tech, computer graphics, new outfits, 3D models, environment, and hopefully even twintails (one day). Always keep moving. Always! Without adapting, a language dies. I don't want my dreams to die, I want to grow, reach my dreams, and create new ones!
LewdGamer: Are you planning on expanding your merchandising options? Your fans have been going wild about any piece of promotional merchandise that includes your likeness.
Melody: Yes! There is a lot in the works. I'll post links on my Twitter profile as more items are released. My dakimakura is almost ready, and the design is just as fantastic as the material quality.
LewdGamer: Have you considered collaborating with other Internet personalities such as YouTubers, VR YouTubers, etc.?
Melody: Yes! So far, I've only collaborated with Lost Pause on YT, but I have several Vtubers, YT, Twitch, and cam model icons who support the Science Team and want to meet me!
LewdGamer: Many of your fans have asked if you're planning to host any streams beyond your lewd Chaturbate ones, requesting simple gaming or just chill out streams. Is that something on your agenda?
Melody: I did a test stream on Twitch a few days ago, "Just Chat." It went very well, and my follower count went from 16 to 50K in a day. I'm ecstatic. This week, my tech is finally at the point where I can play games for the first time. I'm very nervous, but happy to get started. I have several Vtuber friends who want to play with me and show me the way... I feel bad for them because they don't know the extent of how badly I suck at games yet.
LewdGamer: Thank you for taking the time out of your extremely busy streaming days to have the interview. We hope to observe your exploits more in the future to see how far you and your community grow.
Projekt Melody can be found streaming almost every day on her Chaturbate channel. She frequently updates her fans on her status on her official Twitter account and YouTube.
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