One Of My Favorite Artist Highlight:
Ado Qobuz:
https://open.qobuz.com/artist/224372
My Favorites and Recommendation of Ado:
https://open.qobuz.com/playlist/16697902
Dang, I wrote a lot lol. I don’t know if I want to do this again since I got a lot of “favorite” artist from Japan. Maybe if I feel motivated again, this might be fun to do again.
^I mentioned it earlier in this thread, but out of the newer JP Singers in this generation, my favorite singer in this generation is Ado.
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- Preferred Headphone when listening to Ado
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My preferred headphone when listening to Ado is mostly the Raal SR1a because a lot of her songs are heavily synthesized pop songs. Buuuuut, my favorite Ado songs are her depressing love songs. Because of that, my “favorite” headphone to use for Ado is the Mysphere 3.2. The Susvara is a good middle ground when I am too lazy to switch. Once I usually know a lot of the little details of the songs, I usually switch the Raal SR1a with the Onkyo A800. I pretty much do that in every genre and artist though. Which is to use the Raal SR1a as a reference headphone and when I finish “dissecting” it, I switch to the other headphones that will have the best synergy with the song. Sometimes, Raal is the best headphone synergy for some songs. I find myself really enjoying the Raal for heavy synth pop music.
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- Introduction
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I would call Ado a prodigy child. I wanted to make this before Ado birthday (October 24th). She is still young and started pretty young. Ado is turning 21 years old this year. I think they say she discover vocaloid music around the age of 6 and fell in love with it. She started doing cover songs for her favorite vocaloid songs at the age of 14 and uploaded her cover songs at NicoNico. Then, a few years later got signed by Universal Music Studio Japan at the age of 17. Then released “Usseewa”, her first official song right on her last day being 17. Usseewa also became an extremely popular song that took Asia by storm for a couple of months and currently has 290 million views on YouTube alone. So, for her first song, she did amazingly well lol. People mentioned that she never took vocal lessons before she got signed, but I don’t know. I just find that really hard to believe.
^ The above picture is Ado home studio/closet when she did cover songs when she was in middle school.
I would categorize Ado as a Jpop singer. If I can put her in a subcategory, I will say Vocaloid genre because most of the producers she collaborated with are Vocaloid producers. Ado also started her singing career doing vocal covers for her favorite vocaloid songs and she still does that today either on Nico Nico or her Youtube channel. Ado is a “Utaite” meaning she is a singer who does not reveal who she is (you can think of the band Gorillaz). ClariS (another singer) was another example of a Utaite that until recently.
A little background, my favorite singers are LiSA, Yanagi Nagi, ReoNa, and a lot of other singers. I usually enjoy a strong female vocals and sometimes I like their vocals to be delicate. My current favorite singer is Ado because she can deliver both a strong powerful vocal or a soft delicate vocal.
The below 3 videos are excellent YouTube videos that quickly go over Ado biography.
Video that helps explain what makes her voice pretty unique:
Ado giving a short biography in her “Artist on the Rise: Ado” YouTube video:
Ado’s list of accomplishments in her singing career life at the age 6 - 20:
Ado Live Performance example:
- *** Recommendation Song:**
^Favorite Ado reference as this cover is just a piano and her heavenly voice. This specific song mean so much to me and hearing Ado sing it so angelically, make the water works come down 
. This might be just blind obsession, but this song even though it’s only on YouTube is the most beautiful thing I ever heard and makes me feel so much joy, nostalgia, and a touch of sadness inside. Thank you so much Ado for doing this cover 
Crime and Punishment is a good song example showcasing how wonderful Ado is as a singer. I would put this as my recommendation.
- Ado Most Popular Song: Usseewa
This is Ado first original song she did when she first got signed by Universal Music Studio Japan. 291 Million views for her first song that has only been out for about almost 3 years? That’s not bad for this up-and-coming JP Singer. This song gotten popular due to its “controversial” lyrics, but the song is pretty dang good lol.
^Prefer headphone is the Onkyo A800. Love the aggression in this music and the bassline is awesome in this song. The Onkyo A800 helps me get really excited in this song.
- The song that led me to discover the artist Ado: Odo
^ As you probably already know by now, I really like the vocaloid genre. More so on the producers rather than the voicebanks. When I heard 2 of my favorite producers Giga-P and Teddyloid were collaborating on Twitter (now X), I was so excited that I bookmarked the song premiere on YouTube on my calendar. I didn’t care who the vocals were because I knew the beat was gonna be straight fire. I was right, the beat was fire, but I was really impressed with how powerful Ado’s vocals were. Odo was one of my favorite songs in 2021 and I remember playing that song on repeat over at least 100 times for like a week. It was absolutely perfect for me during the time and to this day I still enjoy that song 2 years later. Ever since then, Ado been my #1 for vocals.
I prefer listening to Odo with either the Onkyo A800 or my Polk R200 with a subwoofer. That song is a pure fun factor song for me and the Onkyo A800 and the Polk R200 with a subwoofer is my favorite “fun” audio gear.
- Ado Newest Song: Show
Ra ta ta ta horny…err she meant to say warning. This is her newest song that got release like September 6th, 2023. This song sounds really fun. Of course it would since it’s Giga-P and Teddyloid as the producers. Both their music is always more on the fun side for me. I hope this song gets 80 million views.
^Prefer headphone is the Susvara because it pulls details real easy without it being in my face. This track is real busy and I like the way Susvara flex its instrumental separation and dissects the track with ease while still sounding really good and not too analytical. Prefer the Susvara over the SR1a because I like the dynamics more on the Susvara. With this song, I want to vibe more vs the SR1a can come over a little more aggressive.
Other preferred headphone is the Onkyo A800 for the song “Show”. A opposite presentation than the Susvara. Where the Susvara is more airy and open, the Onkyo A800 sounds more closed in and vocals sounds more “isolated” to me. I kind of like that presentation from time to time because it feels like I am in this black void and this song just comes in out of nowhere. The vocals sounds more in my head and the music is playing around me. It’s a cool presentation that I like, plus a little more bass bump for some added “fun”.
- 5 Favorite Songs
I say my favorite Ado songs which may be a shocker to some people as most of her more popular songs are usually either angry or pretty goofy and uplifting. But the songs I gravitate towards when it comes to Ado are her sad/love songs and depressing songs. I just think the way she sings in a melancholic tone with such strong emotion combined with her powerful voice really makes the song so much more beautiful to me.
1. Aitakute
^Piano & String Version
^Original Version
^Prefer Mysphere 3.2
I think the Piano & String version is a better. 1 reason is is that it’s less noisy and busy than the original. Because of that, Ado vocals sounds cleaner and more personal as you can easily hear her breathing cue more in this version.
For the Piano & String Version, Mysphere 3.2 all day. I think the magic of the Mysphere has to be its black background. Because another ear speaker, the Raal SR1a has something similar black background as the Mysphere. And on good recording, I think both the Mysphere and SR1a can get crazy realistic in the music for me. I’m thinking because the music start from nothingness and the soundstage is so great that the music stretch as far as I can imagine it, it’s probably why I think both these ear speaker is so great and their resolution sound so unmatched. But the difference on the Mysphere and SR1a is that the Mysphere midrange is just sooooo much better to my ears, especially for vocals with no added effects or filter. I think for less busy tracks Mysphere takes is better than the Susvara on acoustic music. Both have good midrange, but to me it’s different take on midrange. The Mysphere to my ears is more natural and honestly unbeatable for vocals to my ears. Piano, strings, and Ado beautiful vocals, let me go with the Mysphere 3.2 on this one.
2. Eien No Akuruhi
^Prefer Mysphere 3.2
Prefer the Mysphere 3.2 and it’s pretty much the same reason as the Piano & String Aitakute song. This is my favorite Ado song with the Mysphere 3.2. Again, I really like the black background on the Mysphere 3.2. When she said, “Ima, jikan wo tometa ne.” and the music pause… BRO. And the line after that is “ichibyou kurai mitoreteita nante ienakatta yo” That basically mean, “Just now, you stopped time…(music pause)…(music resumes)… For one second” I couldn’t tell you that I fell for you”. Another reason what the Mysphere 3.2 is perfect for me on this song is because Ado vocals is the main spotlight for this song and the Mysphere did a perfect job recreating her emotions and vocals. Hearing Ado saying in the chorus “aishiteru” always tug on the heart strings.
3. Where the Wind Blows
^Prefer Mysphere 3.2
Prefer the Mysphere 3.2 and it’s pretty much the same reason as the Eien No Akuruhi song where it recreate Ado emotions and vocals perfectly for me. In this song or the entire One Piece album from Ado, this was probably one of the most emotional she ever experienced for singing. She mention that she cried (or wanted to cry, don’t remember) many times. I wasn’t sure if it was because of the pressure, but I do remember she said the songs were really hard to do. Ado wanted to “get in character” and sing as “Uta” and not Ado. I think this song out of the entire album capture that emotion that she was trying to find for the character Uta and she expresses it beautifully.
4. KokoroToIuNanoFukakai
^Prefer Raal SR1a for this. I pick the Raal SR1a for this song because I do prefer either some sort of speaker form for this song. I say that because I need something with a really good black background and something with good soundstage for the reverb to shine. Because there is a lot of different noises every 3-5 seconds and each noise is different while the main instrument and Ado is still playing the main rhythm. I like hearing each noise appear from the darkness and then slowly fade and then a new noise is introduced and then slowly fades. Especially at 3:30 and the song turn into total silence for a second and Ado brings it song back with her vocals in a old radio style saying “kanjou no handan wa dou shitara ii”. And the music starts again when she repeat that phrase the 2nd time. I prefer the SR1a over the Mysphere for this one is because I like the electric guitar and electric/synthesize noises more on the SR1a over the Mysphere.
5. New Genesis
^ Prefer Raal SR1a
I prefer the “New Genesis Best Artist 2022 Special Music Video” version because her tone and the way she sings in this song is more “Ado” compared to the original version where she has to sing under the alias “Uta” instead of “Ado”. Only wish it wasn’t a YouTube exclusive…
Reason for the Raal SR1a is similar reason in the song KokoroToIuNanoFukakai where I really appreciate the soundstage and the black background the headphone offer. I also appreciate its high resolution for the synth pop songs. Reasons why I want something with a really good black background and soundstage is pretty obvious from the very start of the song. Ado start the song with, “Shinjidai wa kono mirai da Sekaijuu zenbu kaete shimaeba”. Doing that verse, it’s complete silence and all you can hear is Ado vocals echoing deep into the soundstage. Then in the 2nd, “kaete shimaeba…” music slowly starts playing. When she finish singing, that’s when the deep bass hits building up the music for 12 seconds and then the synth music starts playing for another 10 seconds. Then Ado finally start singing again after that amazing intro.
^ Original version of New Genesis
- Name 1 favorite thing I like about the artist:
My favorite aspect of Ado is her scream. I think it’s very iconic and unique. Ado scream just stands out compared to other artists for me. She has a lot of texture, and a raspy and throaty scream. The instant I heard Ado scream, I instantly knew that it was her in the song. Either she use her powerful scream or her gentle beautiful voice, I just really love the way her voice sounds. Hearing it every time reminds me of how much I really love the sound of her voice.
- Concert in the US in maybe 2024?
Ado hinting she may come to the US soon (maybe 2024?) for a concert if anyone is interested. I know I want to be there for sure if it happens in 2024. To me, Ado is history in the making and I want to at least attend 1 concert each from her in the US and at home turf in Japan.
