Ai Otsuka facts for kids

Ai Otsuka (大塚 愛, Ōtsuka Ai, born September 9, 1982) is a Japanese singer and songwriter. She was born in Suminoe-ku, Osaka, Japan. Ai Otsuka is a very popular artist with the Avex Trax music label. She is famous for her 2003 hit song "Sakuranbo". This song was so popular that it stayed on the Top 200 Oricon Weekly Singles Chart for 103 weeks!

Ai Otsuka started playing the piano when she was just four years old. She writes her own songs and lyrics. She also helps produce her music. Her songs are a mix of upbeat pop/rock and slower, emotional ballads.

Every year, Ai Otsuka goes on a special tour called Love is Born. This tour celebrates her birthday and her anniversary in the music industry, usually in September. All these concerts take place in Japan. In 2008, she even had a concert in Taiwan. There, she sang a Chinese version of her song "Planetarium". In 2009, she had three concerts in Japan and two in Taiwan.

In 2012, Ai Otsuka became the singer for a band called Rabbit. She has sold over 7 million copies of her music in Japan.

Ai Otsuka's Life and Music Journey

Early Life and Starting Her Career

Ai Otsuka began playing the piano at age four. She wrote her first song when she was 15. This was a homework assignment from her piano teacher! After high school, she studied at the Osaka University of Arts Nursery College. She earned a degree to become a nursery teacher.

For a short time around 2001, she was part of a duo called HimawaRi. She was with her classmate Mami Nishida. They released only one song, "Sakuranbo," online. Ai Otsuka sent her demo songs to many record labels. She finally got a call back from Avex just before she finished university.

Becoming Famous: 2003 and Love Punch

Ai Otsuka's first song, "Momo no Hanabira", came out on September 10, 2003. It was a small hit. It stayed on the Oricon weekly charts for 21 weeks. Her second song, "Sakuranbo", was released on December 17, 2003. This song became a huge success! It reached the Top 10 in February 2004 and peaked at number five. "Sakuranbo" stayed on the charts for an amazing 101 weeks. This is almost two years! It became one of the best-selling songs of 2004.

In March 2004, she released her third song, "Amaenbo". This song reached number six on the Japanese charts. At the same time, "Sakuranbo" was still at number five. This was a special moment in Japanese music history. It was the first time a female artist had two songs in the top ten at the same time! By the end of March 2004, her first album, Love Punch, was released. It quickly reached number three on the Oricon charts.

More Success with Love Jam

In November 2004, Ai Otsuka released her second album, Love Jam. This album was even more popular than her first. Before Love Jam came out, she released three successful songs. One of them was "Happy Days".

Her first concert tour, Love Jam Tour 2005, started in April 2005. It finished in June 2005. A DVD of the concert was released in July 2005. Her third album, Love Cook, was released on December 14, 2005.

"Kingyo Hanabi" was another song released after her first album. It also reached number three on the Oricon chart. Two months later, she released "Daisuki da Yo". This song also reached number three.

Love Jam debuted at number one on the charts. It became her first album to reach the top spot. It was released in two versions: a CD and a CD+DVD version. After Love Jam, she released a new version of a song called "Kuroge Wagyu Joshio Tan Yaki 680 Yen" in February 2005. This song was used as the first ending theme for the anime Black Jack.

New Sounds with Love Cook

"Smily/Biidama" was her first song released after Love Jam. Both songs were used in commercials. "Smily/Biidama" sold many copies and reached first place on the charts.

In June 2005, Ai Otsuka started acting! She appeared in the drama Tokyo Friends. This drama was released directly on DVD and was not shown on TV.

Her tenth song, "Neko ni Fūsen", came out in July 2005. It reached number three on the charts.

Ai Otsuka's song "Planetarium" was released on September 20, 2005. This was her last song of that year. "Planetarium" became her second best-selling song, after "Sakuranbo". It was used in the live-action drama Hana yori Dango.

Her third album, Love Cook, was released on December 14, 2005. It sold many copies in its first week. She also hosts a radio show called Otsuka Ai no ai-r jack.

More Hits and Love Piece

In April 2006, Ai Otsuka released "Frienger". This song's music video was filmed in Taiwan. It was used in a commercial for a mobile phone. Soon after, she acted again in Tokyo Friends: The Movie. This movie was a follow-up to the DVD drama. She also sang the opening theme for the movie, "Yumekui", which was released as a new song in August 2006.

Two months later, she released "Renai Shashin" on October 25, 2006. This song was the opening theme for the movie Tada, Kimi o Aishiteru. "Renai Shashin" reached number two on the charts.

Her fourteenth song, "Chu-Lip", came out on February 21, 2007. This song was used as the theme song for the TBS drama Kirakira Kenshui. It reached number three on the Oricon charts.

Ai Am Best Compilation Album

Ai Otsuka released her first "best hits" album, called Ai am Best, on March 28, 2007. It included 13 of her earlier songs and their music videos.

Ai am Best sold many copies on its first day and topped the Oricon charts. It became her best-selling album. The album also had two bonus songs.

Ai Otsuka went on a tour called Ai am Best Tour. It featured songs from her new best hits album. The tour started in May and ended in July 2007.

2007–2008: Love-chan and Love Piece Album

On April 11, 2007, Ai Otsuka released a new song, "Love no Theme". This song was released under the name of her self-created bunny character, "Love-chan".

Her next song, "Peach/Heart", was released on July 25, 2007. "Peach" was an upbeat summer song. It was used as the ending theme for the drama Hanazakari no Kimitachi E.

On September 26, 2007, Ai Otsuka released her fourth original album, Love Piece. This album included all her songs from "Frienger" to "Peach/Heart", plus five new songs. The album came out as a CD and a CD+DVD version. The DVD included music videos for "Heart" and "Kumuriuta".

Also on September 26, she released a DVD of her Ai am Best Tour 2007 concert.

Ai Otsuka performed at Makuhari Messe on July 7, 2007. This was for one of Japan's Live Earth concerts. She performed alongside other famous artists like Kumi Koda and Ayaka.

2009–2010: Love Letter and Love is Best

Ai Otsuka released her 16th song, "Pocket", on November 7, 2007. Two weeks later, Love-chan's second song, "White Choco", was released. In 2008, Ai Otsuka went on her Love Piece Tour 2008. Her 17th song, "Rocket Sneaker/One x Time", came out on May 21. Her 18th song, "Kurage, Nagareboshi", was released on September 10, 2008. This was to celebrate her fifth anniversary in music.

On December 17, 2008, she released her fifth album, Love Letter. It reached number three on the charts. On February 25, 2009, "Bye Bye" was released. This song was used in a commercial for Asahi Slat.

Ai Otsuka's second collection album, Love Is Best, was released on November 11, 2009. This album featured a collection of "love songs." It included new versions of some songs, like a duet with Su from the hip-hop band Rip Slyme. On its first day, the album reached number one in sales. As her character Love, she also released her first mini album, Love It, on November 18, 2009.

In January 2010, Ai Otsuka performed a song for Fuji Television called "Lucky Star". The network used it as the theme song for its coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympics. This song was later released as a double song single, "Zokkondition/Lucky Star", on April 7, 2010. "Zokkondition" was used in advertisements for Asahi Beer. On September 8, 2010, she released another song, "'I Love...". This was her 21st and last song before she took a break from music.

2011–Present: Break, Rabbit Band, and New Albums

During her break from music, a new song called "Hikari" was available for download in October 2011. On March 30, 2012, she released Neko ga Suki ni natta Kirai na Neko. This was a series of two picture books about cats. People who bought the books could download another new song, "Gomen ne". On September 9, 2012, she celebrated her 30th birthday and ninth anniversary in music. She held concerts in Tokyo, Hyogo, and Aichi.

In October 2012, Ai Otsuka announced she would be the singer for a new band called Rabbit. The band released their first album, Rabito, on December 12, 2012. Rabbit went on their first tour in Japan in February 2013.

In July 2013, it was announced that Ai Otsuka would release her first solo song in three years, "Re:Name". This was to celebrate her tenth anniversary. The song was released on October 9, 2013, and reached number eight on the Japanese charts. On December 13, 2013, a new version of her song "Sakuranbo" called "Sakuranbo (Cocktail)" was released online. On March 26, 2014, Ai Otsuka released an EP called AIO Punch. This included new versions of her older songs. She also recorded a cover of Dreams Come True's "Romance" for their tribute album.

Her 23rd song, "More More", was released on May 21, 2014. Ai Otsuka's sixth album, Love Fantastic, was released on July 16, 2014. She released her seventh album, Love Tricky, on April 22, 2015. Ai Otsuka's eighth album, Love Honey, came out on April 12, 2017.

Personal Life

In February 2010, it was reported that Ai Otsuka was dating rapper Kazuto Otsuki. He is known as Su, a member of the hip hop group Rip Slyme. They had worked together on her song "Aisu x Time" in October 2009. On June 26, 2010, Ai Otsuka announced on her website that she and Su had gotten married the day before.

During her Love is Born concert on September 11, 2010, Ai Otsuka told the audience she was expecting her first child. On March 24, 2011, she gave birth to a daughter.

On November 22, 2018, Ai Otsuka announced that she and her husband had separated.

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