“Oshikatsu” is the term used to describe devotion toward a particular celebrity in Japan, and when digital entrepreneur Leni Andronicos encountered it for the first time in February, she knew she wanted to be in on the phenomenon.
“Fans in Japan want to invest in their favorite artists,” says Andronicos, 31, from the lounge of the Aman Hotel in Tokyo. “Just learning more about oshikatsu culture made me realize we need to run into the Japanese market headfirst.”
She’s done that with her new audio platform, Oshi. It’s a Japan-centric take on Logcast, a platform she co-founded in 2020 from Stockholm that allows fans to support artists by paying for voice-based content like audio clips (behind-the-scenes recordings, day-in-the-life reports), the chance to take part in virtual meet-and-greet events, and digital “limited-edition collectibles.” Andronicos says Oshi will host Japanese musicians (including a handful from Warner Music Japan), voice actors and — perhaps most importantly — VTubers (virtual YouTubers).