Ai Otsuka facts for kids

Ai Otsuka (大塚 愛, Ōtsuka Ai, born September 9, 1982) is a Japanese singer and songwriter from Osaka, Japan. She is a popular artist with the Avex Trax record label. Otsuka is famous for her 2003 hit song "Sakuranbo". The song was so popular that it stayed on Japan's Oricon music chart for 103 weeks.

Otsuka has been playing the piano since she was four years old. She writes the lyrics for her songs and also helps compose and produce the music. Her songs range from fun, upbeat pop and rock to slower ballads.

Every September, Otsuka holds a special concert tour called Love is Born. This tour celebrates her birthday and the anniversary of her start in the music business. In 2012, she also became the singer for the band Rabbit. Over her career, she has sold more than 7 million copies of her music in Japan.

Life and Music Career

How She Got Started

Ai Otsuka began playing the piano when she was only four. At age 15, her piano teacher gave her homework to write her own song, which was the first track she ever composed. After high school, she went to the Osaka University of Arts and earned a degree to be a nursery school teacher.

For a short time, she was in a music group called HimawaRi with a classmate. She also sent demo tapes of her music to record companies. Just before she graduated from university, the record label Avex called her back and offered her a contract.

Debut and Breakthrough Success

Otsuka's first single, "Momo no Hanabira", came out in 2003. It did well, but her second single, "Sakuranbo", was a massive hit. It slowly climbed the charts and reached the top five. The song stayed on the charts for almost two years and was one of the best-selling singles of 2004.

In March 2004, she released her third single, "Amaenbo". At one point, both "Amaenbo" and "Sakuranbo" were in the top ten on the charts at the same time. This was a first for a female artist in Japan. Later that month, her first album, Love Punch, was released and sold many copies.

Her second album, Love Jam, came out in November 2004 and was even more successful. It became her first album to reach number one on the charts. Before the album, she released popular singles like "Happy Days" and "Daisuki da Yo". In 2005, she went on her first concert tour, the Love Jam Tour 2005.

Continued Popularity and Acting

In 2005, Otsuka released "Smily/Biidama", which became her first single to reach number one. That same year, she started acting in a drama series called Tokyo Friends. The show was released directly on DVD.

Her next single, "Planetarium", was used in the popular TV drama Hana yori Dango. It became her second best-selling single after "Sakuranbo".

Her third album, Love Cook, was released in December 2005 and sold over 335,000 copies in its first week. In 2006, she starred in Tokyo Friends: The Movie, a sequel to the drama series. She also sang the movie's theme song, "Yumekui".

Otsuka's fourth album, Love Piece, was released in 2007. It included hit singles like "Frienger" and "Chu-Lip".

Best-Of Albums and Later Work

In March 2007, Otsuka released her first greatest hits album, Ai am Best. It was a huge success, selling over 350,000 copies in the first week and topping the charts.

From 2007 to 2009, she continued to release popular music. Her fifth album, Love Letter, came out in 2008. In 2009, she released a second compilation album called Love Is Best, which featured a collection of her love songs.

After releasing her single "I Love..." in 2010, Otsuka took a break from her solo music career because she was pregnant. During her break, she formed the band Rabbit in 2012.

She returned to her solo career in 2013 to celebrate her tenth anniversary in music. She released the single "Re:Name" and later her sixth album, Love Fantastic, in 2014. She has continued to release albums, including Love Tricky (2015) and Love Honey (2017).

Personal Life

On June 25, 2010, Otsuka married Kazuto Otsuki, also known as Su from the hip-hop group Rip Slyme. They had worked together on her song "Aisu x Time". Their daughter was born on March 24, 2011. The couple announced their divorce in November 2018.

Discography

Filmography

• 2023: Kyrie

Radio shows

• Otsuka Ai ai-r Jack (Nippon Cultural Broadcasting)
• Corolla presents Life-Love Circle (Tokyo FM)

Books

• Kimi-iro Omoi (キミイロオモイ) (February 25, 2005) ISBN: 4344007433
• Love World (September 25, 2007) ISBN: 4401622650
• Otsuka Ai no Ai-R Jack (大塚 愛のai-r Jack) (January 31, 2008) ISBN: 978-4-7897-3251-2
• Neko ga Mitsuketa Akai Fūsen (ネコが見つけた赤い風船) (March 31, 2010) ISBN: 9784062160346
• Neko ga Suki ni Natta Kirai na Neko (ネコがスキになったキライなネコ) (March 30, 2012) ISBN: 9784062174718

Awards

Japan Cable Radio Awards

• 2004: Best New Artist

Best Hits Kayōsai

• 2004: Best New Artist
• 2005: Gold Artist Prize – "Planetarium"
• 2006: Gold Artist Prize – "Ren'ai Shashin"
• 2007: Gold Artist Prize – "Pocket"

Japan Gold Disc Award

• 2005: Rock & Pop Album of the Year – Love Punch
• 2005: Rock & Pop Album of the Year – Love Jam
• 2006: Rock & Pop Album of the Year – Love Cook
• 2007: The Best 10 Albums - Ai Am Best

MTV Video Music Awards Japan

• 2007: Best Pop Video - "Ren'ai Shashin"
• 2007: Best Video from a Film - "Ren'ai Shashin" (from Tada, Kimi o Aishiteru)

See also

In Spanish: Ai Ōtsuka para niños