Ai Otsuka

Ai Otsuka (大塚愛, Ōtsuka Ai, born September 9, 1982) is a Japanese pop female singer-songwriter from Osaka, Osaka Prefecture She is best-known for her 2003/2004 hit Sakuranbo, which stayed on the charts for 82 weeks.

Related Topics:
September 9 - 1982 - Japanese pop - Singer-songwriter - Osaka - Osaka Prefecture

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Ai Otsuka is signed to record label avex trax, one of the biggest record labels in Japan which also manages other high-profile artists like Ayumi Hamasaki, Namie Amuro, Ami Suzuki, Every Little Thing, and EXILE.

Related Topics:
Avex trax - Ayumi Hamasaki - Namie Amuro - Ami Suzuki - Every Little Thing - EXILE

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Her first single, 2003's "momo no hanabira", peaking at #86, wasn't a big hit, but stayed on the charts for 17 weeks. Her next single, "sakuranbo", released on the December of the same year was one of the best selling singles of 2004. Gradually climbing the charts to top 5, the single stayed on the chart for 82 weeks, and a special "encore press" version was comissioned, which peaked at #4. In March 2004, her first album "LOVE PUNCH" was released, which debuted at No. 3 on the Oricon Charts and sold more than 320,000 copies in its first week. She continued to release singles and gradually gained popularity among teenage girls. In November 2004, the follow-up to "LOVE PUNCH", "LOVE JAM" was released, which was also a success.

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Her newest single, Planetarium was released on September 20th, 2005.

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Otsuka has also appearanced in television commercials and acted in the drama Tokyo Friends, released on DVD. Her promotional videos are filmed as mini-dramas. She is qualified to teach kindergarten, and has said she will become a kindergarten teacher if her singing career collapses.

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