Mysterious J-pop star Ado promises ‘special show’ for Filipino fans
MANILA, Philippines — “I want to put out a show that will stay with you as your best memory.” This was the promise of Japanese music artist Ado who will mount the Manila leg of her Ado World Tour 2025 “Hibana,” powered by Crunchyroll and presented by AEG Presents Asia and Ovation Productions, on May 8 at the Mall of Asia Arena.
“Hibana” is her second world tour following “Wish.” “If my first world tour embodied my ‘Wish,’ then my second will ignite the spark I want to light in the world,” offered Ado.
“I named this tour ‘Hibana,’ meaning ‘spark’ in Japanese, to carry my heritage with me on this journey. I aim to show my growth since the ‘Wish’ tour and deliver my best performances yet.”
The 22-year-old Utaite — someone who covers Vocaloid songs — wants her upcoming gig to be a momentous event for her Filipino fans.
“It’s difficult to actually talk to all the fans directly, one-on-one, but I hope to create and share special time together with them that overcomes the language barrier. I want to put out a special show for you,” Ado told The STAR in an exclusive interview.
“I want to spark and light up a bigger fire of possibilities and create an opportunity for people around the world to get to know more about the beauties of Japan, Japanese culture and Japanese music… Starting a revolution might be too ambitious because I’m not a revolutionist. But if my ‘Hibana’ (spark) becomes bigger and bigger for a better future and possibilities, that would be amazing.”
She is ecstatic to visit Manila next month as “the city which I’ve only seen on TV and online” and excited to try local bananas, mangoes and halo-halo.
The J-pop Ado, who keeps her identity anonymous, is the voice behind the theme song of the anime film “ONE PIECE FILM RED,” titled New Genesis. The movie’s original soundtrack topped the Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart for six consecutive weeks and was the first Japanese track to reach the No. 1 position on Apple Music’s Top 100: Global Chart in 2022.
“At first, I couldn’t believe that I was chosen to perform the part of Uta. When I first heard New Genesis, it felt like the world had opened up and a warm ray of light had shone up,” she told this paper.
A self-confessed fan of the South Korean girl group LE SSERAFIM, Ado “almost flipped” when she got the offer to collaborate with them for the Japanese version of Unforgiven, alongside Nile Rodgers.
“It still seems like a dream that we got to collab. This was an unforgettable experience for me,” she beamed.
Ado debuted with the single Usseewa which climbed multiple charts in Japan in 2020.
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