J-Pop Icon Ado Secures Major WME Deal, Eyes Global Expansion!

The year 2025 has been significant for Japanese music's global outreach, highlighted by Ado's second world tour, Ado WORLD TOUR 2025 “Hibana” Powered by Crunchyroll, which captivated over 500,000 fans. Complementing this, Cloud Nine staged the Zipangu festival in Los Angeles in May, an unprecedented event exclusively featuring Japanese artists outside Japan. Takuya Chigira, president of Cloud Nine, candidly discussed the motivations and challenges behind this venture in an interview with Billboard Japan, emphasizing a deep concern over the structural issues within Japan's music industry and the increasing outflow of talent overseas.

Chigira clarified that the primary reason for holding Zipangu was not driven by festival ambitions or profit, but rather by a desire to encourage Japanese artists to challenge themselves on the international stage. He measured its success by whether participating artists were inspired to pursue North American tours or U.S. shows, rather than by financial returns. He noted the prevailing caution within the industry regarding international shows, citing CEIPA’s matsuri ’25, which, despite featuring three top-tier Japanese artists, attracted only 7,000 attendees. Chigira felt compelled to "hit the gas" given Ado's roster presence, believing it was crucial to demonstrate what was possible abroad to inspire other artists and regain promoters' faith in Japan's global potential. The festival was meticulously organized by a small team of fewer than ten Cloud Nine staff, alongside their regular duties, culminating in a beautifully executed event that saw an average 2.4-fold increase in streaming numbers for the eight performing artists in Los Angeles compared to the week prior.

Audience analysis revealed that approximately 30 percent were fans of Japanese culture in general, rather than specific artists, encompassing enthusiasts of anime, games, and food. This indicates a pre-existing base of support for Japanese cultural exports. However, holding international events presented unique difficulties. Cloud Nine's experience with Ado's world tour made them acutely aware of varying visa requirements, tax withholdings, and technical standards for sound systems and wiring across different countries. Chigira stressed that such practical knowledge is acquired only through direct experience, as local staff often omit explanations for what they consider "common sense." This gap in understanding can lead to unexpected challenges, underscoring the necessity for Japanese professionals to gain hands-on international experience and develop a global understanding of industry norms.

Looking ahead, Cloud Nine plans to continue Zipangu as an annual event in Los Angeles every May, aiming to consistently generate demand for Japanese music. Furthermore, they are exploring expanding the festival to other countries with established J-pop and Japanese culture demand, potentially in September or October. Ado's recent representation deal with WME (William Morris Endeavor) is a strategic move to leverage WME's resources and reach in areas inaccessible to Cloud Nine's Japan-based team. With Ado ranking No. 94 on Billboard’s annual touring revenue chart for 2025, the ambition is to push this ranking even higher.

Regarding the Grammys' upcoming Best Asia Pop Music Performance category, Chigira expressed a nuanced view. While acknowledging its potential benefit to Japan's music industry, he noted a concern that such a category might inadvertently channel Japanese artists into a separate segment, potentially hindering their pursuit of main categories like Record of the Year or Album of the Year. He reiterated that awards are not the ultimate goal for Cloud Nine or Ado; instead, they serve a larger purpose of spreading Japanese music, with recognition being a welcome byproduct rather than a priority.

Chigira, having entered the music industry at 30 from a different sector, identified several deep-rooted challenges in Japan’s music business. He criticized its old-fashioned, instinct-driven approach, where gut feelings often supersede data, leading to a lack of repeatability and inefficient practices. Despite the unpredictable nature of hits, he believes the industry relies too heavily on relationships and vibes. Furthermore, a critical lack of capital and know-how in monetizing, expanding, and growing music as intellectual property (IP) stifles its global potential. This is evident in the overwhelming number of international companies, particularly from South Korea and North America, that have approached Cloud Nine for investment and collaboration since Zipangu, in contrast to Japanese firms.

The resistance of Japanese music to fully penetrate the global stage is also attributed to the fact that Japan itself is the world's second-largest music market. This allows artists to achieve financial success and stability without needing to venture abroad, fostering an inward-looking industry. While Chigira believes Japanese artists possess the skill to achieve greater global numbers, he acknowledges that a Japanese-language artist might not reach the absolute pinnacle of the global market. However, with the internet and social media shrinking the world, the aspirations of the younger generation are changing. Today's aspiring artists dream of performing in U.S. or South Korean arenas, a stark contrast to past generations who aimed for domestic venues like the Budokan. This shift necessitates agencies capable of fulfilling these global dreams, otherwise, talented artists are likely to gravitate towards international agencies.

For established Japanese artists, the decision to challenge themselves overseas is complex. It often means sacrificing comfort, resources, and potentially higher earnings experienced in Japan, essentially starting over as a newcomer. Such a challenge demands extraordinary conviction from both artists and their support staff. Cloud Nine, however, operates with a strong sense of crisis concerning the potential drain of Japanese talent overseas. Ado herself is driven by a powerful desire to spread Japanese music and the Vocaloid scene globally, rather than monetary gain, which has been instrumental in sustaining her world tour. Chigira concluded by emphasizing the critical need for more Japanese agencies to develop the expertise and experience required to take artists onto the world stage, offering Cloud Nine's support to any domestic companies willing to undertake this essential endeavor.