Ai Otsuka

As a professional kindergarten instructor, it’s little shock that Osaka-born singer/songwriter Ai Otsuka could make a reference to young Japan music followers thus quickly into her profession. But while her slim, high-pitched vocals and karaoke-friendly bubblegum pop are required for just about any self-respecting J-pop idol, and had been crucial in taking a teenage target audience, Otsuka’s cute charm, focused around her earthy style feeling, upbeat lyrics, and love of life, also have struck a chord with old teens and operating ladies. Debuting in 2003 and frequently misleadingly considered the heir to Ayumi Hamasaki’s throne as the queen of Japanese pop, Otsuka offers written her personal songs right from the start of her profession, takes on piano and acoustic guitar, and includes a rougher, homier advantage compared to many J-pop idols. non-etheless, operating inside a pop weather that will not recognize this is of “overexposure,” Otsuka offers been able to increase her reach to females among age group 16-30 by hosting a radio display on the web and terrestrial train station JOQR, having her tunes appear in tv commercials, and by firmly taking on dramatic performing roles. By distributing herself so broadly, Otsuka has were able to grow up with her maturing followers. Having begun traditional piano lessons at age four, Otsuka (given birth to Sept 9, 1983) had been writing her very own songs by enough time she was 15, sending a self-produced demonstration tape immediately after to Japan’s largest indie record label, Avex, the label that’s home to various other female J-pop symbols Ayumi Hamasaki and Namie Amuro. Otsuka’s early affects included Dreams BECOME A REALITY, among Japan’s biggest pop works of the first ’90s, and it had been as an adolescent that “Ai-chan” (also nicknamed “Ai-chin”) would pencil her future discovery strike, “Sakuranbo,” and various other songs that could appear on her behalf debut record, Like Punch, released in March 2004. By that point “Sakuranbo” had currently spent almost a year in the Oricon Regular singles graph. The tune peaked at amount five, offering 700,000 copies and heading to spend a lot more than 18 months in the graphs. “Like Punch” in the meantime peaked at number 3 in the Oricon record graphs, with initial pressings from the record coming using a 60-web page booklet of Otsuka’s very own sketches and composing. Around enough time from the discharge of Appreciate Punch, Otsuka started a lighthearted five-minute radio present broadcast four moments weekly on the web and terrestrial place JOQR, entitled Otsuka Ai’s Ai-r Jack port, where she answers listeners’ inquiries on personal complications among various other topics. She also started composing, including a “Like Column,” for girl’s mag Zipper. Eight a few months after the discharge of her debut, Otsuka released her second record, Like Jam, the cover which noticed her encounter splattered in strawberry jam. Similarly suggestive had been the lyrics to “Tsukune 70 Yen,” a B-side to Otsuka’s seventh one, “Kuroge Wagyu Jo Shiotan Yaki 680 Yen.” Some commentators attributed this risqué propensity to Otsuka’s earthy Osaka laughter. Controversial B-sides apart, “Appreciate Jam” was light on sanitized, punky electric guitar riffs in comparison to its forerunner and concentrated even more on sweeping balladry, but it’s subdued character did not avoid the record debuting at number 1 in Japan. In springtime 2005, Otsuka embarked on her behalf first proper group of countrywide concerts with her JAM PUNCH Tour 2005 — Kondoru No Pantsu Ga Kuikondoru. The center of the tour noticed Otsuka celebrate her initial number one one, the dual A-side “Smily”/”Bi-drama.” Performing alongside various other huge-selling J-pop functions like Orange Range and Puffy AmiYumi in the Ongaku to Higetachi Festival 2005 in Niigata Prefecture in Sept confirmed Otsuka’s position as you of Japan’s most well-known performers. Otsuka’s third recording, released in Dec 2005, held the “like” theme within the menu. Entitled “Like Cook,” it had been the singer’s third consecutive recording to hit the very best spot, quickly heading on to change 100,000 copies, and presented singalong anthems such as for example “U-Boat” and a departure using the jazzy “Tokyo Midnight.” Otsuka continuing to keep energetic in 2006, penning the solitary “Just like a Like?” for Avex labelmate Ami Suzuki, released in July of this 12 months, and reprising her part in the film version from the Dvd and blu-ray drama Tokyo Close friends, which hit concert halls in Japan in August 2006.