Ado transcends language barrier, sparks J-pop flame in Manila debut

MANILA, Philippines – As a kid, I never really told anyone I was into J-pop. Most of my friends gravitated to pop culture icons like Justin Bieber and One Direction — and understandably so. It’s a lot easier to relate to Harry Styles belting his heart out than to faceless, sometimes entirely computer synthesized voices, using words you can’t even understand.

Despite the language barrier, I always found myself drawn to the genre. I was always silently jealous that my friends could watch...