Ai (singer)

, known mononymously as Ai (, stylized as AI or A.I. ), is a Japanese-American singer-songwriter, record producer, spokeswoman, and actress. She is best known in Japan for her 2005 single "Story", which became one of the biggest singles of the 2000s in Japan, peaking at number 8 on the Japanese Oricon singles chart, and was the sixth single in history to receive a triple million digital certification by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ).

Career

2000-2001: My Name Is Ai 
Ai released her debut single "Cry, Just Cry" in 2000 shortly after graduating high school. She released two additional singles from the album before it was released on her birthday in 2001.

2003-2004: Original Ai and 2004 Ai 
In 2003, Ai signed to Def Jam Japan after her previous album was a commercial failure. With the release of Original Ai in 2003, she began to rise in popularity in Japan. Her third album, 2004 Ai, became her first album to receive a certification from the RIAJ.

2005-2007: "Story", Mic-a-holic Ai, What's Goin' on Ai and Don't Stop Ai 
In 2005, Ai moved to Island Records. Later that year, she released her best-selling single in her career, "Story". Her fourth album, Mic-a-holic Ai, was released later that year. She released her fifth album, What's Goin' On Ai in 2006 and her sixth, Don't Stop Ai in 2007.

2008-2010: Viva Ai, Best Ai and The Last Ai 
In March 2009, Ai released her seventh studio album, Viva Ai. Later that year, her first greatest hits album, Best Ai was released. Best Ai became Ai's first number one album on the Japan Oricon Albums chart. In December 2010, she released her eighth album, The Last Ai.

2011-2013: Independent and Moriagaro 
In 2011, Ai left Universal Music Group and signed a global music publishing deal with EMI to release her music worldwide. She signed a record deal with EMI Music Japan . Her first single with the label, "Letter in the Sky" featured The Jacksons and was released in October 2011. It was the groups first single in 22 years. Her second single "Happiness" became one of her best selling singles since "Story". Her ninth album, Independent was released in 2012. In 2013, following the purchase of EMI by Universal, Ai was moved to EMI Records Japan. She released one album under the label, Moriagaro in 2013 before the label was divided into two separate sublabels.

2015-2016: The Best 
In November 2015, Ai released a compilation album, The Best, to celebrate fifteen years in the music industry. It marked her first album release under EMI Records. The compilation album was reissued in mid-2016. A third compilation release of tracks with featured artists titled The Feat. Best was issued in November 2016.

2017: Wa to Yo 
In 2017, Ai teased her eleventh studio album, Wa to Yo. It was released in June 2017. A deluxe version of the album was released in October 2017.

2019-present: Twenty-year anniversary and Dream 
In early 2019, Ai traveled to her hometown, Los Angeles, California, to record new material to celebrate twenty years in the music industry and for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics. Her fourth compilation album, Kansha!!!!! - Thank You for 20 Years New and Best, was released in November 2019, serving as her first international compilation release. Ai's extended play, It's All Me, Vol. 1 was planned to be released on the start of the 2020 Olympics, but instead was delayed to July after the event was postponed to summer 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The lead single of It's All Me, Vol. 1, "Summer Magic" was her first single to be released internationally in May 2019. Its Japanese version was included in an advertisement for the Amazon Echo.

In February 2021, she released It's All Me, Vol. 2 and a digital compilation extended play, Self Selection Hip Hop. In June 2021, most of her early discography was made available to stream and purchase digitally outside of Asia. Before, only Independent, Wa to Yo and releases after January 2019 were available. Additionally in June, Ai released "The Moment", a single featuring Japanese rapper Yellow Bucks. In August, she released a collaboration single with Daichi Miura titled "In the Middle". In September, EMI issued her second compilation EP, Self Selection "Piano Ballad". In September 2021, Ai announced her next single, "Aldebaran". The song serves as the theme song for the NHK television drama, Come Come Everbody. Upon its release in November, it became her first charting single on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 since her 2017 single, "Kira Kira". The song debuted and peaked at number 37 on the chart. On the Oricon charts, "Aldebaran" peaked at number 4 on the Daily Digital Singles Chart and number 6 on the weekly Digital Singles Chart. In December 2021, Ai announced her twelfth studio album, Dream would be released in February 2022.

Personal life 
When Ai was three, she moved from Los Angeles to Kagoshima. She had a difficult time learning Japanese and making friends. She was only able to talk to her mother, Barbara, who was born and raised in the United States and only knew English.

After graduating junior high school, Ai and her family moved back to Los Angeles. She was uninterested in enrolling in high school because she wanted to sing. She registered at Glendale High School and struggled to communicate in English. She later auditioned for Los Angeles County High School for Arts. She took ballet while enrolled.

In 2014, Ai became engaged to Hiro, the leader and vocalist of the rock band Kaikigesshoku. The pair had been dating for 10 years, and wed in January 2014. On August 28, 2015, Ai gave birth to her first child, a baby girl. On July 24, 2018, it was revealed Ai was pregnant with her second child. Her second child, a boy, was born on December 29, 2018.

In 2019, Ai revealed her annoyance of when searching her name online, the results only show for artificial intelligence. An outdoor advertisement at Shinjuku Station that was promoting her 2019 single "Summer Magic" included an image of a search engine with the top results displaying images of artificial intelligence, with a photo of Ai herself cut off at the bottom of the image.

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Extended plays

Compilation extended plays

Singles

Notes

References 

1981 births
Living people
American R&B singers
J-pop singers
Japanese musicians
Musicians from Los Angeles
Japanese singers
Singers from Los Angeles
People from Kagoshima Prefecture
Singer-songwriters from California
American pop singers
American hip hop musicians
American record producers