Ado stands poised to introduce a new era of Japanese music to the world. Since debuting as a high schooler, the 21-year-old artist has created some of the biggest J-pop hits of the 2020s by capturing both the angst and optimism of her young generation, and sharing it with the world. Following a series of sold-out shows across Asia and Europe at the start of 2024, Ado brought THE FIRST WORLD TOUR “Wish” to New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Austin. Each stop sold out, with venues filled completely with fans eager to see a creator who has bridged the worlds of pop music, Vocaloid and anime.
To celebrate completing one of the most successful debut global tours by a Japanese artist ever, Ado has shared a special playlist, highlighting songs from the tour and bonus voice memos featuring Ado greeting listeners in their respective languages while also sharing her heartfelt memories of every city she visited.
Fans first found this playlist following the link of large QR codes on the side of Ado-themed buses roving the streets in cities where she performs, as well as in projection displays seen in Los Angeles on April 1st located across several locations, including 6th Vermont Ave., Hollywood and Highland, and Hill Street and 8th.
Amidst a cool evening in downtown Los Angeles, Ado fans gathered at various locations around the city to glimpse at projections on the side of some of L.A’.s most historic buildings. An image lit up the buildings and fans were treated to a fast-paced video revisiting each stop on Ado’s world tour, spotlighting clips of passionate crowds around the world. Near the end of the recap, a bright QR code appeared at the end of the short film, directing them towards a surprise from Ado: a special playlist of songs from the tour and voice messages from Ado for each city of her historic tour.
Ado came up in Japan’s Vocaloid community — referring to songs made using the singing-synthesizer software of the same name — as someone covering songs using her natural voice. Reflecting that world, she emphasizes the music over herself, hiding her identity and performing in silhouette.
Besides being a force in J-pop, Ado has crossed over into the world of film, providing the singing voice to the character UTA in the film ONE PIECE FILM RED, the latest full-length offering from the globally beloved ONE PIECE series. One song from the film made in collaboration with producer Yasutaka Nakata (Perfume, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu) titled “New Genesis” became a monster hit domestically, while also breaking through abroad. It landed at number one on Apple Music’s Top 100: Global chart, becoming the first Japanese song ever to accomplish this feat.
With THE FIRST WORLD TOUR, Ado has taken an even bigger step into the global limelight, while also underlining the growing interest in Japanese music all over the world. She stands as a key voice in this new era.
All live photos “By Viola Kim (V’z Twinkle)”
All LA projection photos “By Hokan Lo”
