Yousician's new campaign hits a familiar chord: Good intentions, terrible song choices

Ad Nut loves music. Ad Nut loves weddings. But combine the two and disaster is never far away.

There’s nothing quite like the creeping dread of a musical tribute going horribly off-key—or worse, off-vibe. We’ve all been there: The wrong person picks the wrong song at the wrong time, and suddenly you’re trapped in a polite silence so thick you could spread it on cake. Ad Nut has long maintained: Unless you're Adam Sandler in The Wedding Singer, maybe just sit the tribute out.

So, when a new spot for music-learning app Yousician opens on a misty-eyed father-of-the-bride preparing to sing, it feels dangerously familiar. The guests smile. The acoustic guitar is tuned. The tone is touching. But instead of a tender serenade, what erupts is a guttural growl, shredding guitars, and the kind of death metal performance more suited to a mosh pit than a marriage.

The guests freeze. The bride looks traumatised. The groom stares ahead like he's just seen the rest of his life flash before his eyes.

And Ad Nut? Howling.

Launched on 15 April across Google, Meta and TikTok in Japan, the campaign—titled “10,000 Songs To Choose From”—was created by UltraSuperNew Tokyo to showcase the scale and flexibility of Yousician’s library, which spans 10,000 songs across genres from blues to pop, hip-hop to metal. The app provides tutorials and real-time feedback for guitar, bass, piano, ukulele and vocals—but there’s one thing it can’t do: Protect you from your own terrible taste.

And that’s the brilliance of it. The film doesn’t just celebrate musical learning, it points to the fragile social tightrope every performer walks. It’s not about hitting the right notes. It’s about reading the room. And if you fail? You take everyone down with you.

There’s no fancy app demo here. No saccharine success stories. Just a deeply awkward, expertly timed trainwreck that gets funnier the longer it goes. And beneath the chaos is a sharp truth: Tools can teach you to play, but no tech can save you from a vibe misfire.

The film closes, dry as a bone: “From 10,000 songs, learn to play for that special person. The song choice is up to you.”

Ad Nut—whose own playlist includes squirrel rave mixes, Bollywood villain themes and Gregorian trap remixes—feels seen, and mildly called out. Also, will absolutely not be performing at anyone’s wedding, ever.

CREDITS

Creative director: Yousuke Ozawa
Project director/ Head producer: Daiki Shimizu
Producer: Ryubi Fukuda
Art director: Diana Ganea
Editor: Earl Standerford
Production: Boomachine

Ad Nut is a surprisingly literate woodland creature that for unknown reasons has an unhealthy obsession with advertising. Ad Nut gathers ads from all over Asia and the world for your viewing pleasure, because Ad Nut loves you. You can also check out Ad Nut's Advertising Hall of Fame, or read about Ad Nut's strange obsession with 'murderous beasts'.