Japanese Singer Ado Signs With WME for Global Representation Outside Japan

Ado, the chart-topping Japanese singer who has never shown her face publicly, has signed with talent agency WME for global representation in all areas outside Japan, The Hollywood Reporter exclusively reported.

The 23-year-old artist describes herself as an Utaite, a Japanese term for a singer who uses an avatar to post song covers online. She rose to the top of music charts in Japan as a teenager and remains one of the country's biggest artists. She has toured globally more than once and is considered one of the only J-pop acts to consistently promote in the United States.

Her 34-date Hibana tour last year drew more than 500,000 fans across five continents. She sold out the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles and the Prudential Center in New Jersey. Earlier this year, she headlined Zipangu in Los Angeles, described as the largest J-pop festival in North America. The event was organized by her management company, Cloud Nine, and Goldenvoice. She is also scheduled to appear at Lollapalooza in Chicago later this summer.

In Japan, Ado has performed at the National Stadium, which holds over 60,000 fans, and is set to play two shows there next month. She will then headline Japan's Summer Sonic music festival in August, making her the first female solo artist to do so.

Earlier this year, Ado released a self-written song called Vivarium, which drew inspiration from author Narumi Komatsu's biography of the singer. The book, released only in Japanese, features interviews conducted over three years. The music video for Vivarium marked the first live-action video for Ado and the first time she has appeared in one. She is never seen head-on in the video, appearing mostly in shadow or in brief glimpses from different angles.

Her next release is Monstruo, the theme song for the live-action adaptation of the Japanese soccer manga Blue Lock. That film opens in Japan on August 7.

The WME signing marks the agency's second major move into J-pop talent this year. Japan is the second largest music market in the world behind the United States and has been pushing artists toward global audiences in recent years. Ado and WME's earlier signing, the trio Number_i, are among the artists leading that push.