Ai (singer)
![Ai at the [[49th G7 summit]] youth symposium in 2023](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/49th_G7_Youth_Symposium_2023-05-19_184739_%28Ai_crop%29.jpg)
After being discovered by BMG in 2000, Ai relocated to Japan and released her debut album, ''My Name is Ai'' (2001), to very little commercial success. Signing to Def Jam Japan in 2002, Ai became the first woman signed to the label. She released two studio albums under the label, ''Original Ai'' (2003) and ''2004 Ai'' (2004). With the release of her third studio album, Ai rose to mainstream prominence in Japan. Transferring to Island Records, Ai released her fourth studio album, ''Mic-a-Holic Ai'' (2005). Its second single "Story" 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).
Ai's fifth studio album, ''What's Goin' On Ai'' (2006), featured the top-ten singles "Believe" and "I Wanna Know", the latter receiving a Gold certification from the RIAJ. Her sixth studio album, ''Don't Stop Ai'' (2007) saw similar success, which received a Gold certification. In 2009, she released her seventh studio album, ''Viva Ai'', which charted in the top ten of the Japanese Oricon albums chart. Ai's compilation album, ''Best Ai'' (2009), became her first number one album and was certified Platinum. In 2010, she released her eighth studio album, ''The Last Ai'', which marked her last release under Island Records.
In 2011, Ai left Universal Music Group and signed a global publishing deal with EMI. Her Gold certified ninth studio album ''Independent'' (2012) served as her international debut and first release under EMI Music Japan. To promote the album, Ai toured in Japan and in Los Angeles. Her tenth studio album ''Moriagaro'' (2013) marked her first release under EMI Records Japan following EMI Music Japan's absorption into Universal Music Japan as a sublabel. Her fourth compilation album, ''The Best'' (2015) peaked at number 3 on the Oricon Albums chart and number 2 on the ''Billboard Japan'' Hot Albums chart, later being certified Gold by the RIAJ. Its successor, ''The Feat. Best'' (2016) charted within the top 30 of both the Japan Hot Albums and Oricon Albums chart.
Ai's eleventh studio album, ''Wa to Yo'' (2017) experimented with traditional Japanese and electronic sounds. Its second single, "Kira Kira" was nominated for the Grand Prix award and won the Excellent Works Award at the 59th Japan Records Awards. Her sixth compilation album ''Kansha!!!!! - Thank You for 20 Years New and Best'' (2019) was issued to celebrate her twenty years in the music industry. Further celebrating her twenty-year anniversary, Ai released the extended plays ''It's All Me, Vol. 1'' (2020) and ''It's All Me, Vol. 2'' (2021). Ai's twelfth studio album, ''Dream'' (2022), included the single "Aldebaran", the theme song of the Japanese drama, ''Come Come Everybody''. The song received critical acclaim and was Ai's first song in five years to appear on the ''Billboard Japan'' Hot 100. Ai released her thirteenth studio album, ''Respect All'' (2023), within the next year. Provided by Wikipedia
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