Elon Musk’s SpaceX Launches Japanese Star Ado’s Music Into Orbit, En Route to Moon (EXCLUSIVE)

variety.com:

Naman Ramachandran Reclusive Japanese singing sensation Ado is reaching astronomical new heights — literally — as her music travels beyond Earth’s atmosphere in an initiative backed by Elon Musk‘s SpaceX.

The 22-year-old J-pop phenomenon, who boasts 7.8 million YouTube followers and recently broke attendance records with a 33-show international tour spanning 30 countries, has become the first artist selected for Cannes Gala’s “BandWagon2” project, which aims to — eventually — bring music to the lunar surface.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket successfully delivered Ado’s recordings to a satellite in low Earth orbit, marking the initial phase of this cultural experiment.

The project represents a collaboration between creative teams from the U.K., Japan and the U.S. While the moonshot mission faces significant technical hurdles — sound waves can’t travel through the vacuum of space and equipment must withstand extreme lunar conditions — the project aligns with NASA’s Artemis program’s cultural ambitions to pioneer artistic experiences in extraterrestrial environments. “Leveraging our global influence and strategic connections, the team played a key role in facilitating this extraordinary mission,” said Taichi Ito, founder of international film studio NOMA and chair of Cannes Gala. “The initiative represents a significant step in connecting artistic expression with the technological aspirations of space exploration.