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Takahashi Ai
Takahashi Ai (高橋愛) is a Japanese pop singer and idol managed by Up-Front Agency and part of Hello! Project. She is a fifth generation member and the current leader of Morning Musume.
Profile
- Name: Takahashi Ai (高橋愛)
- Nicknames: Ai-chan, Lovely, Takitty, Tettekete
- Birthdate: September 14, 1986
- Birthplace: Sakai, Fukui Prefecture, Japan
- Blood type: A
- Height: 153.3 cm (5'0.35")
- Hobbies: Watching plays, ballet [1]
- Specialty: Flipping her eyelids, bridge [2]
- Favorite food: Sauce katsudon, omelette rice
- Disliked food: Mont blanc, eggplant, pineapple, musubi, perilla leaves
- Favorite color: Black, white, pink
- Favorite word: "Tomodachi" (友達 - "Friend")
- Favorite season: Autumn
- Favorite flowers: Roses
- Favorite song: Tsumetai Umi / Start in My Life by Kuraki Mai
- Hello! Project groups:
- Morning Musume (2001–)
- Happy 7 (2002)
- Minimoni (2003–2004)
- Morning Musume Sakuragumi (2003–2004)
- 7AIR (2003)
- H.P. All Stars (2004)
- Hello! Project Akagumi (2005)
- Elegies (2005)
- Wonderful Hearts (2006–2009)
- High-King (2008; 2009–)
- Other:
- Metro Rabbits H.P. (2006)
History
Takahashi Ai was selected from Love Audition 21 to join Morning Musume as a fifth generation member on August 26, 2001, along with Konno Asami, Ogawa Makoto, and Niigaki Risa. Tsunku credited her exceptional singing ability as one of the reasons for choosing her. She debuted on the single "Mr. Moonlight ~Ai no Big Band~," and she first appeared on the fourth studio album 4th Ikimasshoi!
Early on, Takahashi's strong Fukui accent frequently drew comments from television interviewers and other Hello! Project members. She has gradually grown out of it since she moved to Tokyo and took up professional voice training, but she still occasionally slips into it when she is nervous or surprised. It was even the subject of her verse in Morning Musume's 23rd single, "Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari".
In September 2002, the fifth generation members were placed into the Morning Musume subgroups, so Takahashi was added to the Minimoni roster, and her addition was somehow explained in the movie, Minimoni ja Movie: Okashi na Daibouken!. Takahashi actually filled the spot left open by the graduation of then-leader Yaguchi Mari, and the second generation Minimoni went on to release seven singles and one album before being put on an indefinite hiatus.
Takahashi was placed in Morning Musume Sakura Gumi in January 2003 and released two singles as a part of the group before it went inactive.
Although Takahashi had received a big push to the center since the release of "Do it! Now", it wasn't until the release of "Roman ~MY DEAR BOY~" that Takahashi began to be prominently featured on songs. She was a co-lead vocal on "THE Manpower!!!" and was the lead vocalist for "Osaka Koi no Uta", and since then, Takahashi has been a lead vocalist on the majority of Morning Musume's most recent singles. She even went on to sing with Tsunku on his solo album, TAKE 1, covering a re-arranged version of his duet with Hamasaki Ayumi, "Love ~since 1999~".
In 2006, she became a member of the kickball team Metro Rabbits H.P. and was named the new team captain. Takahashi played the lead role of Sapphire in Morning Musume's stage musical that year, Ribbon no Kishi: The Musical. Also during the same year, Takahashi released her first solo single "Yume Kara Samete" as an online-only audio purchase.
After the graduation of Yoshizawa Hitomi on May 6, 2007, Fujimoto Miki became Morning Musume's new leader and Takahashi would support her as sub-leader. However on June 1, 2007, UFA made a sudden announcement that Fujimoto Miki had "resigned" from Morning Musume for reasons similiar to Yaguchi Mari's sudden resignation from the group in 2005. Takahashi was named the new leader with Niigaki Risa as her sub-leader.
Discography
Digital Releases
- [2006.07.02] Yume Kara Samete (夢から醒めて)
DVDs
- [2003.12.17] Alo Hello! Takahashi Ai DVD (アロハロ!高橋愛 DVD)
- [2007.04.11] Love Hello! Takahashi Ai DVD (ラブハロ! 高橋愛 DVD)
- [2009.06.17] I.
- [2010.06.02] TBA
Photobooks
5 Morning Musume. 5ki Members Morning Musume - Takahashi Ai AloHello! Takahashi Ai Wataame Aigokoro 19 Takahashi Ai Photograph Collection Complete Works ai Love Hello! Takahashi Ai in Phuket 水 (Mizu) もうひとつの愛 (Mou Hitotsu no Ai) 私 (Watashi)
- [2002.08.13] 5 Morning Musume. 5ki Members (5 モーニング娘。5期メンバー) (With Konno Asami, Ogawa Makoto, Niigaki Risa) amazon.co.jp
- [2002.12.09] Morning Musume - Takahashi Ai (モーニング娘。―高橋愛) amazon.co.jp
- [2003.12.18] AloHello! Takahashi Ai (アロハロ!高橋愛) amazon.co.jp
- [2004.05.26] Wataame (わたあめ) amazon.co.jp
- [2005.06.26] Aigokoro (愛ごころ) amazon.co.jp
- [2006.01.26] 19 amazon.co.jp
- [2006.10.28] Takahashi Ai Photograph Collection Complete Works ai (高橋愛 写真集全集 ai) amazon.co.jp
- [2007.03.14] Love Hello! Takahashi Ai in Phuket (ラブハロ!高橋愛inプーケット) amazon.co.jp
- [2007.10.26] Mizu (水) amazon.co.jp
- [2008.05.23] Mou Hitotsu no Ai (もうひとつの愛) amazon.co.jp
- [2009.05.25] Watashi (私) amazon.co.jp
Works
Filmography
- [2002] Tokkaekko (とっかえっ娘。)
- [2003] Minimoni ja Movie Okashi na Daibouken! (ミニモニ。じゃムービーお菓子な大冒険!)
- [2002] Koinu Dan no Monogatari (子犬ダンの物語)
Dramas
- [2002] Angel Hearts
- [2002] Ore ga Aitsu de Aitsu ga Ore de (おれがあいつであいつがおれで)
- [2004] Minimoni de Bremen no Ongakutai (ミニモニ。でブレーメンの音楽隊)
- [2006] Tenka Souran ~ Tokugawa Sandai no Inmou (天下騒乱〜徳川三代の陰謀)
- [2006] Doutoku Joshi Tandai Ecoken (道徳女子短大エコ研)
- [2008] Hitmaker Aku Yu Monogatari (ヒットメーカー 阿久悠物語)
- [2009] Q.E.D. Shoumei Shuuryou (Q.E.D. 証明終了)
- [2010] Hanbun Esper(半分エスパー)
Radio
- [2003–] Young Town Douyoubi (ヤングタウン土曜日)
- [2009–2010] Takahashi Ai no Ichigo Ichie (苺いちえ)
- [2010–] FIVE STARS (Thursdays)
Musicals
- [2006] Ribbon no Kishi: The Musical (リッボンの騎士ザ・ミュージカル)
- [2008] Cinderella the Musical (シンデレラ the ミュージカル)
- [2009] Ojigi de Shape Up! (おじぎでシェイプアップ!)
- [2010] FASHIONABLE
Trivia
- Love Audition 21 audition songs:
- Round 1: "Tsumetai Umi" (Kuraki Mai)
- Round 2: "Tsumetai Umi" (Kuraki Mai)
- Graduated from Hinode High School, a private academy known for its many celebrity students.
- First child in family and has one sister.
- Trained and highly skilled in classical ballet and singing. Entered a nation-wide competition with her junior high choir.
- On 7 October 1999, she appeared on the "BS Junior Nodo Jiman" singing competition held in Sabaeshi in Fukui and won the Best Stage Award.
- Her black catsuit from Minimoni ja Movie: Okashi na Daibouken! earned her the popular nickname "Takitty" amongst non-Japanese fans.
- The nickname "Tettekete" was given to her by Ishibashi Takaaki on Utaban. It was a play on her staccato, Morse Code-like speech pattern (e.g. "tette-te-tette-ke-kete"). However, she has mostly grown out of that pattern — as well as her Fukui accent — in the years since.
- Her photobook 19 holds the #1 spot in photobook rankings in 2006.
- Has been a huge fan of the Takarazuka Revue since childhood. Wanted to be a Takarasienne but gave up on it due to her short height. She is noted by other members for trying to make them watch videos of Takarazuka productions. Her favorite performer is Mizu Natsuki.
- Has personally acknowledged she is not good at talk/interview portions.
- Like Tsuji Nozomi, she also considers Matsuura Aya as her rival.
- Scored the second-highest in the Mechaike Okajo Taiikusai Test.
- Is close friends with her fellow fifth generation members Konno Asami, Ogawa Makoto, and especially Niigaki Risa.
- Currently she and Niigaki Risa have the longest tenures of any Morning Musume members. They both have also been featured in the most Morning Musume singles: 30 (as of Onna ga Medatte Naze Ikenai). Both records were formerly held by Iida Kaori.
External Links
- Official Hello! Project Profile
- Japanese Wikipedia: 高橋愛
- English Wikipedia: Ai Takahashi
- Hello! Database entry
- IMDb entry