In times of deep despair in the pandemic, this writer has reached out to the YouTube account, Lofi Girl. As the animated loop streams lo-fi beats—almost meditative in nature—our breathing returns to normal, and a certain calmness takes over. Lofi Girl has managed to touch many more around the world in the same way. In the last one year, her channel has amassed over 930 million streams, according to a YouTube Culture and Trends Report. Lofi Girl is a YouTube channel and music label established in 2017, which streams lo-fi hip hop music 24/7, accompanied by a Japanese-style animation of a girl. 

With the Lofi Girl at the centre of this phenomenon, lo-fi music, which was first recognised as a legitimate form of music in the 1990s, has now seen a resurgence. The playlists are made “to chill, study and sleep”—with the “study girl” animation loop and its many versions filling up the screen. “The anime aesthetics combined with lo-fi hip hop [or chillhop] are meant to invoke an emotive experience for the audience. Lofi Girl has become a symbol for shared experiences and digital proximity, representing the welcoming kinship of like-minded peers around the world who can connect with each other at any time of day in her live chat,” a YouTube spokesperson tells mid-day. “That the accompanying music features no lyrics or vocals could be another reason for her appeal; the lack of a backstory also allows the viewer to project their own lives onto her.”