Ai Carina Uemura (植村 愛 カリーナ, Uemura Ai Karīna, born November 2, 1981), known mononymously as Ai (Japanese pronunciation:[ai], stylized as AI or A.I./eɪaɪ/), is a Japanese-American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, spokeswoman, and actress. Born in Los Angeles, California, Ai moved to Kagoshima, at age 4. Motivated to become a singer, Ai returned to Los Angeles during her adolescence, attending the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. While in Los Angeles, Ai performed as part of a gospel choir at a Mary J. Blige concert and appeared as a backup dancer in Janet Jackson's music video, "Go Deep". She briefly joined the Asian girl group SX4 in 1999 until she graduated high school.
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. 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.
Life and career
1981–1997: Early life and education
Ai Carina Uemura was born in Los Angeles, California on November 2, 1981.[1] Her father, Hisashi Uemura, is a former construction business owner and her mother, Barbara Uemura (née Endo) is a former real estate agent.[2] She has one younger sister, Sachi Ueyama (née Uemura), and is of Italian and Native Okinawan descent.[2][3]
When Ai was four, her family moved to Japan as her father found work at a construction business in Kagoshima.[2] Her family had intentions of returning to Los Angeles within a year however decided to stay in Japan as her father took over business operations of the construction company.[2] During her early childhood, Ai struggled to communicate with her family and peers at school, often blending English and Japanese phrases.[4][2] Her mother only spoke English at the time while her father, who fluently spoke Japanese, was often away from home due to work.[2]
During her early adolescence, Ai was motivated to become a singer after she sang at her cousin's wedding, having many people ask her if she wanted to be a professional singer, and hearing a gospel performance at the First African Methodist Episcopal Church of Los Angeles in 1993.[5][6] After graduating from junior high school in Japan, Ai returned to Los Angeles for high school, initially enrolling at Glendale High School, however found high school difficult due to never formally studying English.[4] After a successful audition process, Ai enrolled at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, majoring in ballet.[4] She became a member of the school's gospel choir.[5]
1998–1999: Career beginnings
While attending Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, Ai began her musical career by performing in a gospel choir at a Mary J. Blige concert at the Universal Amphitheatre, performing of "A Dream".[7][5] In the same year, she appeared as a dancer in the music video for Janet Jackson's song "Go Deep".[7][5] In 1999, Ai joined an Asian girl group called SX4, who were produced by George Brown of Kool & the Gang. Later in 1999, the group was offered a record label deal.[4]
2000–2004: Relocation to Japan
While on a summer holiday in Kagoshima, Ai performed Monica's "For You I Will" on a local radio station, which led to her being scouted by BMG.[6][4] She decided to take the offer, and after leaving SX4 and graduating from high school in June 2000, moved to Tokyo and debuted as a musician later in 2000.[7][4]
Ai debuted under BMG Japan sublabel RCA Records with the single "Cry, Just Cry" in November 2000.[1] Two additional singles were released, "U Can Do" and "Shining Star". Although the latter failed to chart, "Shining Star" charted and peaked at number 98 on the Oricon singles chart.[8] Eventually, her debut studio album, My Name Is Ai was released in November 2001. Although not commercially successful, the album peaked at number 86 on the Oricon albums chart.[9]
In 2002 Ai moved to Def Jam Japan and became the first female artist signed to the label.[1][5] Ai claimed that she felt more at home under Def Jam, as many of her co-workers shared her musical tastes.[6] Her first album under the label in 2003 Original Ai debuted at 15 on Oricon's album charts, and her second, 2004 Ai, debuted at number three.[9] In 2004, she won the Space Shower Music Video Awards' award for Best R&B Video, with her song "Thank U".[5]
After moving to Def Jam, Ai increasingly began collaborating with musicians, especially Japanese hip-hop and rap artists (though under BMG, Ai had collaborated with Mao Denda, and Soul'd Out rapper Diggy-Mo'). She was featured as a rapper on the Suite Chic single "Uh Uh,,,,,", a collaboration between Namie Amuro, Verbal of M-Flo, and music producer Ryōsuke Imai in 2003. Other musicians Ai collaborated with in this period were Afra, Boy-Ken, Joe Budden, Dabo, Deli, Double, Heartsdales, Ken Hirai, M-Flo, Sphere of Influence and Zeebra. Towards the end of 2004, Ai's former label BMG released a compilation album titled Flashback to Ai. The compilation featured songs originally recorded for her debut studio album. After Def Jam Japan folded into Universal Sigma, Ai signed with Island Records. The label released a compilation titled Feat. Ai of songs that have her as a featured artist.
In 2005, Ai released the ballad single "Story", which became the biggest hit of her career. A sleeper hit, the song charted for 20 weeks in the top 30 in 2005 and 2006 and went on to sell over three million ringtones, one million cellphone downloads, and 270,000 physical copies.[10][11][12] Ai later performed "Story" at the prestigious 56th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen New Years music concert.[13] Her next studio album, Mic-a-holic Ai, was the best selling album of her career, being certified double Platinum by the RIAJ.[14]
Ai's first single of 2006, the ballad "Believe", was also a success: it debuted at number two,[9] and sold more than one million ringtones.[15] The song was used as the theme song of the Kenji Sakaguchi starring medical drama, Team Medical Dragon. Her next two albums, What's Goin' On Ai (2006) and Don't Stop Ai (2007) were also greatly commercially successful, being certified Platinum and Gold respectively.[14][16] In 2007, Ai made her debut performance in the United States at the El Ray Theatre with an audience around 800.[17] In 2008, Ai returned to Los Angeles for her Ai Loves LA concert at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center. The performance was a benefit concert for the Go For Broke National Education Center, an organization that commemorates Japanese Americans who served in the United States Army during World War II.[18]
In 2009, Ai released her seventh studio album Viva Ai, which charted in the top ten of the Japanese Oricon albums chart. Her greatest hits album, Best Ai was released the same year. Best Ai later became Ai's first album to top the Oricon Albums chart.[9] Ai debuted as a film director in August 2009 with her short film, Take Action, which was recorded in Los Angeles.[19] Alongside Anna Tsuchiya and Micro, Ai also directed the drama film, Blue Pacific Stories.[20] Later that year, Ai performed "Okuribito" and "Story" at the 3rd Asia Pacific Screen Awards which was held in Gold Coast, Australia.[21]
In June 2011, Ai's contract with Island Records and Universal Sigma expired. She signed a global publishing deal with EMI and a record deal with EMI Music Japan.[23] She collaborated with The Jacksons on December 13 and 14, 2011, at the Michael Jackson Tribute Live tribute concerts held in Tokyo. She performed the vocals in the third act for Michael Jackson's songs. She also performed and released the theme song for the event, "Letter in the Sky" featuring the Jacksons.[24][25] In November 2011, Ai released the song "Happiness", a collaboration with Coca-Cola for their winter 2011 campaign. The song was a hit, being certified Gold in two different mediums.[26][27] The song revitalized the sales of her ninth studio album, Independent, which has sold more than 60,000 copies.[12]Independent was Ai's first album to be released internationally outside of Asia. In promotion of the album, Ai embarked on the Independent Tour 2012. The tour included a performance at Club Nokia in Los Angeles.[28][29] In the same year, Ai announced she was working on her US debut album. One song, a remix of Diggy Simmons song "Put You On" featuring Chris Brown and Diggy Simmons himself was released, however the album was never released.[29]
On April 1, 2013, EMI Music Japan was completely merged into Universal Music Japan as a sublabel by the name of EMI Records Japan as a result of Universal Music's purchase of EMI in September 2012. Ai's tenth studio album, Moriagaro, was released in July 2013, serving as her first release under EMI Japan, although was not released outside of Asia. Its lead single "Voice" peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 and was certified Platinum.[30] Later that year, Ai performed "Story" in collaboration with figure skater and two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu at the touring ice show Fantasy on Ice amongst others.[31] In 2014, Ai was transferred to EMI Records after EMI Japan was split and rebranded. A previously unreleased English version of Ai's single "Story" was featured in the Japanese dub of the Disney film Big Hero 6 in October 2014.
In January 2015, Ai recorded the song "Off Love" for Spicy Chocolate and Sly and Robbie's Grammy-nominated album, The Reggae Power. In November 2015, Ai released a compilation album, The Best, to celebrate fifteen years in the music industry. The compilation album was reissued in mid-2016.[32] In 2016, Ai signed with Def Jam Recordings in partnership with EMI Records. She later released "Minna ga Minna Eiyū", which became a sleeper hit, peaking at number 4 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100. The original 100-second version of the song was certified Platinum while the full version was certified Gold. A third compilation release of tracks with featured artists titled The Feat. Best was issued in November 2016.[33] In promotion of these compilation releases, Ai embarked on The Best Tour.[34]
2017–2022: Wa to Yo, twenty-year anniversary and Dream
Ai teased her eleventh studio album, Wa to Yo on social media in April 2017.[35][36] Wanting to "convey the goodness of Japan" to the rest of the world and "the goodness of the overseas to Japanese people", Ai collaborated with several producers, artists and songwriters from both Japan and the west.[37] The lead single "Justice Will Prevail at Last" was released in May 2017.[38]Wa to Yo was released in June 2017 and was her second international album release outside of Asia.[39][40] The album was reissued in October 2017, titled Wa to Yo to.[41] The album peaked at number 11 on the Oricon weekly chart.[42]
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.[43] In April 2020, Ai was revealed to be one of the artists performing for Global Citizen's Together At Home concert.[44] Performing various songs from her discography, Ai was the first and only artist in Japan to participate in the event.[44] In June 2020, Ai's extended play, It's All Me, Vol. 1 was announced and originally was planned to be released on the start of the 2020 Olympics, but instead was released on July 8, 2020, after the event was postponed to summer 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[45] The lead single of It's All Me, Vol. 1, "Summer Magic" was her second single to be released internationally.[46] Its Japanese version was included in an advertisement for the Amazon Echo.[46]
In November 2020, "Not So Different" was released digitally as the lead single for Ai's extended play, It's All Me, Vol. 2. In December 2020, Ai partnered with One Young World and released a special music video of the song in support of the project.[47] A remix of "Not So Different" featuring Japanese rapper Awich was released on December 11, 2020, as a promotional single.[48] A promotional single, "Hope" was released on January 30, 2021, with its music video premiering the same day. Ai partnered with deleteC, a non-profit organization in Japan aiming to support cancer treatment.[49][50]It's All Me, Vol. 2 later was released in February 2021.[43] In March 2021, EMI released a compilation EP of songs by Ai titled Self Selection "Hip Hop". In June 2021, Ai's previous releases with Def Jam Japan, Universal Sigma and Island Records were made available internationally for digital streaming.[51]
On June 28, 2021, Ai released "The Moment" featuring Japanese rapper Yellow Bucks.[52] On the same day, she performed the song with Yellow Bucks and DJ Ryow on CDTV, a Japanese TV channel by TBS.[53][54] In August 2021, she released a single featuring Dachi Miura, titled "In the Middle". In September 2021, Ai announced her next single, "Aldebaran". The song serves as the theme song for the NHK television drama, Come Come Everybody.[55] 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.[56] On the Oricon charts, "Aldebaran" peaked at number 4 on the Daily Digital Singles Chart and number 6 on the weekly Digital Singles Chart.[57][58] Ai performed "Aldebaran" at the 72nd NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen on December 31, 2021, her fourth appearance on the show. In December 2021, Ai announced her twelfth studio album on social media, Dream. The nine-track album was released in February 2022. A tour titled after the album began on May 14, 2022 until December.[59] In April 2022, Ai was featured on the front cover of Music Magazine.[60] In May 2022, "Aldebaran" won the Best Drama Song award at the 111th Television Drama Academy Awards.[61]
2023: Respect All, Respect All Tour, upcoming global tour
Ai performing at the 49th G7 summit in 2023
In April 2023, Ai announced the Respect All Tour, her fourteenth headlining concert tour.[62] The tour is expected to have 80,000 people attending with the easing of COVID-19 prevention rules in Japan.[62] A single titled after the tour was released on May 22.[62] In May, Ai performed live in Hiroshima on the same day the 49th G7 summit took place.[63] Ai performed and gave a speech to the spouses of world leaders, including First Lady Jill Biden and Akshata Murty.[64] Within that same month, a global tour additionally was announced by her management company where Ai will raise donations for UNICEF Japan.[63]
In June 2023, Ai announced her thirteenth studio album, Respect All. Released in August, the album featured Nestlé Japan's Kit Kat campaign song, "Start Again", as well as "Life Goes On", the image song for the Japanese film Haru ni Chiru.[65]
Ai's discography spans R&B, hip hop, pop, J-pop, and dance genres. Critics have compared her to Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, and Missy Elliott.[17][4][70] The Los Angeles Times has described Ai as a "fast-rising diva with authentic American-sounding R&B".[17] While her early works were primarily marketed as R&B, her ninth and tenth studio albums, Independent and Moriagaro experimented with dance-pop.[71][72] Ai's eleventh studio album Wa to Yo experimented with traditional Japanese and electropop sounds, while also featuring a return to her early R&B sound.[73][74] Her 2019 greatest hits album Kansha!!!!! - Thank You for 20 Years New and Best heavily featured gospel influences.[75] Ai's twelfth studio album Dream has been described as a pop and R&B album with influence from hip hop and gospel music.[76]
Other ventures
In April 2011, Ai presented a music documentary, Ai Miss Michael Jackson: King of Pop no Kiseki, that was recorded for Music On! TV. In the documentary, she traveled to the United States and interviewed members of the Jackson family in their home.
For the American musical comedy Glee's season two episode "Britney/Brittany", Ai dubbed the voice of Britney Spears in the Japanese release.
Products and endorsements
As is standard for Japanese musicians, Ai has featured as a spokesman, or has her music featured, for many products. Ai's songs have been used as TV commercial songs, drama theme songs, film theme songs and TV show ending theme songs.[77]
Ai's most high-profile work for a TV drama was the theme song for 2006's primetime drama Team Medical Dragon, "Believe", which was one of her greatest hits, selling over one million ringtones.[15] Ai also sung the theme song for the drama's second series, "One". Ai also worked on the theme song for the 2010 primetime drama Keishichō Keizoku Sōsahan, "Nemurenai Machi". Other program theme songs include the Japanese theme song for the American drama Heroes ("Taisetsu na Mono"), and the 15th ending theme for the children's animation Crayon Shin-chan, "Crayon Beats").[77] In 2005, Ai's song "Alive (English Version)" was used as an insert song for the South Korean drama Delightful Girl Choon-Hyang.
In Japan, Ai has earned the nickname "Queen of hip-hop soul".[78]
With her management company The Mic-a-holics, Ai helped launch the careers of many Japanese acts, including Japanese singer Riri.[79] In 2012, TheIndependent listed Ai as the next big thing in Asian pop.[80]
Personal life
On March 6, 2013, Ai announced her engagement to Hiroshi Noguchi, better known by his stage name Hiro, the leader and vocalist of the rock band Kaikigesshoku. The pair had been dating for 10 years, and wed in January 2014.[81][82] On August 28, 2015, Ai gave birth to her first child, Heiwa Noguchi.[83] On July 24, 2018, it was revealed Ai was pregnant with her second child.[84] Her second child, Hakwa Noguchi, was born on December 29, 2018.[85]
In 2019, outdoor advertisements for Ai's single, "Summer Magic" were displayed at Shinjuku Station. The advertisement displayed a search result of her name, which showed top results for artificial intelligence (AI), while a cut off photo of Ai herself appeared on the bottom of the search result. On Twitter, Ai revealed her distaste of artificial intelligence being the top results when searching her name mononymously on search engines.[86]
In 2020, Ai was appointed an official artist of One Young World Japan.[87]
In May 2023, Ai became a volunteer of UNICEF Japan, coinciding with the 49th G7 summit that took place in Hiroshima.[63] Having a desire for world peace and equality, Ai commented in an interview that she wants to "...take the message of peace and policy change to not only the G7 leaders gathering in Hiroshima, but to our children across the world who grow up, or may grow up, in the midst of strife and conflict."[63]
Controversy
In 2012, Ai was part of a controversy regarding the murder of Nicola Furlong. Reports from The Japan Times and Irish Independent stated James Blackston and Richard Hinds were working for Ai as performers for her Independent Tour 2012.[88] On May 21, a day after the tour performance in Sendai, Blackston was at a dance school within the city teaching dance moves for a number of Ai songs to students.[89] Regarding allegations of a connection to the crime, Ai and her representative team declined to make an official statement.[89]
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^ abcdef"ＡＩさんのパワフルな歌声の源は…母バーバラさんが異国で見つけた「人生の扉開ける笑顔」" [The source of AI's powerful singing voice is the "smile that opens the door to life" that her mother, Barbara, found in a foreign country.]. 読売新聞オンライン (in Japanese). March 4, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
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^ ab"オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」" [Oricon Ranking Information Service 'You Big Tree']. Oricon. Retrieved August 10, 2012. (subscription only)
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^ジャクソンズ来日！＜マイケル・ジャクソン・トリビュート・ライヴ＞に1万人が熱狂！ [The Jacksons come to Japan! 10,000 excited people at the Michael Jackson Tribute Live] (in Japanese). CDJournal. December 14, 2011. Retrieved August 16, 2012.
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^Oriyama, Toshimi (July 9, 2013). ソチ五輪シーズン直前。18歳・羽生結弦が「本気モード」に突入 [Right before the Sochi Olympics season: 18-year old Yuzuru Hanyu enters "serious mode"]. Sportiva (in Japanese). Chiyoda, Tokyo: Shueisha. Archived from the original on October 26, 2020.
^"AI、4年ぶりオリジナルAL『和と洋』携え全国ツアー開催" [AI holds a national tour with the original AL "Wa to Yo" for the first time in 4 years]. BARKS (in Japanese). April 20, 2017. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
^ abc"AI、約30公演80000人動員の全国ツアーを10月より開催＋2023年第一弾シングルリリース決定" [AI to hold 30 performances in a nationwide tour with 80,000 people from October + first single release in 2023]. BARKS (in Japanese). April 28, 2023. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
^"18歳女子高生シンガーRIRIがメジャーデビュー、LAで大物プロデューサーと制作（動画あり）" [18-year-old high school girl singer RIRI makes her major debut with a big producer in LA]. Music Natalie (in Japanese). November 29, 2017. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
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