One summer day, in a house not far from Minnehaha, a family was cooking a delicious Japanese stir-fry dinner. This was none other than the family of Paula Vavreck, a first-year student at MA.
“My mom, as a joke, was like, ‘Hey, Siri, play some Japanese music,’ just in the background to get the vibe and the mood,” said Vavreck. “Of course, it [played] lots of stereotypical Japanese songs, but then there were two songs that I really liked. I had just gotten my phone at the time, so I was like, ‘Okay, I’ll add these to my first playlist’.”
Soon after, Vavreck went on an overnight trip with her church ehre she had the time to dive deeper into the music.
“That’s how I found Ado.”
She would always find some Ado (a-doe) song under recommended, and it started to get on her nerves.
“I would see Ado everywhere,” said Vavreck. “I was like, ‘What? Why? Why are you appearing under every person?’ So I’m like, ‘Fine, I’ll listen to you,’ and then I did, and I was like, ‘Wait, this is so good.’”
Vavreck’s discovery of this artist would spark her great curiosity for Japanese culture. “I actually liked the cover art of the albums first, and I was kind of drawn by that,” said Vavreck.
Vavreck also began to realize that the music was different from any other music she had ever heard.
“I discovered my love for Japanese music the summer going into eighth grade,” Vavreck said. “My love for the music actually is what introduced me to Japanese culture.”
Learning the aspects of a new culture is a lot of work but can be rewarding and fun.
“From the music, I decided to learn the language, which stemmed out to things like fashion, respect/politeness of both the language and the culture, history, art, social climate/expectations, etc.,” said Vavreck.
Vavreck has found many enjoyable ways to learn more about Japan, and learning more has become a important in her life.
“I am dedicated to learning the language because knowing the language is a huge gateway into knowing a country’s/people’s culture.
In Japan, the culture is different from ours, as is culture all around the globe. One of the most important aspects of culture is music.
“So here’s the thing with Japanese music, it’s different,” said Vavreck. “I’ll play my music a lot for my dad. The song Usseewa, I think, is like a rock song. He will think it’s a pop song because it’s just kind of a different style. It’s kind of hard to even put it in a genre, because it is a different genre in and of itself.”
Music is a very popular part of Japan’s culture, with many artists posting on a Japanese website known as Nico Nico Douga.
“Nico Nico Douga, [which] literally means ‘Smile Video(s),’ is basically Japanese YouTube,” said Vavreck. “Lots of utaites and cover artists of things like songs and dance can post videos there and can be original or covered.”
An utaite, which is a Japanese term for amateur singer, will sometimes use a program called VOCALOID to create music, which is simlar to GarageBand.
“That’s how lots of big artists in Japan actually did get started.
Posting music on YouTube was how Vavreck’s favorite artist, Ado, got her start.
“Lots of popular artists are what you can call utaite, which means they cover VOCALOID anime or video game songs and others too,” said Vavreck. “The people who cover VOCALOID songs post covers on Nico Nico Douga or on YouTube and then get a certain amount of followers in their utalite.”
Ado currently has the most YouTube subscribers out of any Japanese artist, making her one of the most popular artists in Japan. Of course, Ado isn’t the only Japanese artist; Vavreck recommends some bands that don’t solely use VOCALOID.
“YOASOBI is a duo; One is a Vocaloid producer who writes the songs and plays the piano, and one is a singer. Eve is another one similar to Ado. Kenshi Yonezu also started out as a Vocaloid producer but is now making his own rock music.”
Some artists that mainly use VOCALOID are PinocchioP and Wowaka. Some VOCALOID artists will put a -p at the end of their name, which stands for producer. Overall, Vavreck’s discovery of this music has greatly influenced her life.
Vavreck mentions that the name “Ado” had a unique origin.
“Once she was looking through a book and came across the word ‘ado,’ and she later learned that ‘ado’ is a supporting character in Japanese ‘Kyougen’ theater,” said Vavreck. “Ado decided that she wanted to live her singing journey as someone who is a supporting character in someone’s life, who makes people’s dreams come true, and who introduces people to Japanese culture. She has done all three for me, and I am so grateful for that. She truly has been the supporting character in my life.”