Ai Takahashi

Infobox musical artist
Name = Ai Takahashi
高橋 愛


Img_capt =
Background = solo_singer
Alias = Ai-chan, Lovely, Tettekete
Born = birth date and age|1986|9|14
Died =
Origin = Sakai, Fukui, Japan
Genre = Japanese pop
Occupation = Singer
Years_active = 2001–present
Label = Zetima
Associated_acts = Morning Musume, Mini Moni, Sakuragumi, Happy 7, 7Air, H.P. All Stars, Elegies, High King
URL = [http://www.helloproject.com Hello! Project.com] nihongo|Ai Takahashi|高橋 愛|Takahashi Ai|extra=born September 14, 1986 is a Japanese pop singer associated with Hello! Project, best known as the current leader of Morning Musume and former member of its popular subgroup, Mini Moni.

Biography

Ai Takahashi joined Morning Musume in 2001 as part of the group's fifth generation, along with Makoto Ogawa, Asami Konno, and Risa Niigaki. Her debut with the group was on their single "Mr. Moonlight ~Ai no Big Band~", and her first appearance on a Morning Musume full-length release was their fourth studio album, the appropriately named "4th Ikimasshoi!". Her first appearance within a Hello! Project shuffle unit release was on the 2002 single "Shiawase Beam! Suki Suki Beam!" under the group name Happy 7.

In 2003, Takahashi replaced Mari Yaguchi in the Morning Musume spinoff group Mini Moni, first appearing in the group's movie "" and its accompanying soundtrack. Her best-known nickname amongst non-Japanese fans, "Takitty", was derived from the cat suit (complete with tail) which she wears in the movie.

Later in 2003, she was part of the Morning Musume splinter group Morning Musume Sakuragumi, which performed mainly slower numbers on the group's two EPs, "Hare Ame Nochi Suki" and "Sakura Mankai", and the shuffle group 7Air, an R&B-inspired septet.

Takahashi's vocals became more prominent on the second and final Mini Moni album, "Mini Moni Songs 2" (2004), as well as on Morning Musume's singles from their Spring 2004 release "Roman ~My Dear Boy~" onward. She also had a duet with Tsunku on the cover version of Tsunku and Ayumi Hamasaki's duet "Love ~since 1999~" on his solo album "Take1".

In 2005, Morning Musume's first single release of the year, "The Manpower!!!", featured Takahashi in a prominent co-lead-vocal role, a role she has retained on subsequent singles since. In the summer of that year, she became part of the 2005 shuffle Group Elegies.

In 2006, Takahashi played the lead role, Sapphire, in the musical "Ribbon no Kishi The Musical" which was a collaboration work of Takarazuka Revue (a famous Japanese all-female musical group) and Hello! Project. The musical was based on Tezuka Osamu's manga and also starred v-u-den, Nozomi Tsuji, Aya Matsuura, and Natsumi Abe, as well as Marcia and Kaoru Ebira of the Takarazuka Revue. Soon thereafter, Takahashi released her first and only solo single to date, "Yume Kara Samete".

Following then-leader Hitomi Yoshizawa's graduation from Morning Musume on May 6, 2007, the current sub-leader, Miki Fujimoto ascended to the leader position, with Takahashi becoming the new sub-leader of the group. However, on June 1 2007, after Fujimoto's resignation, [cite web|url= http://www.nikkansports.com/entertainment/f-et-tp0-20070601-207238.html#spot|title= Nikkan Sports News|date= June 1 2007|publisher= Nikkan Sports News|language= Japanese|archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20070603153923/http://www.nikkansports.com/entertainment/f-et-tp0-20070601-207238.html|archivedate= 2007-06-03] [cite web|url= http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20070601-00000166-sph-ent|title= Yahoo! Japan News|date= June 1 2007|publisher= Yahoo Japan Corporation|language= Japanese] Takahashi took over as the new leader.

Takahashi is also captain of the Hello! Project kickball team, Metro Rabbits H.P..

In 2008 Takahashi became a member of Hello Project's new unit High-King, [cite web|url= http://www.helloproject.com/newslist/high-king_0805171000.html|title= Hello! Project New Unit "High King"|date= 2008-05-15|publisher= UP-FRONT WORKS Co., Ltd.|language= Japanese] a group created to promote Morning Musume's upcoming "Cinderella the Musical", in which Takahashi will play the main character.

It was announced in July 2008, that Takahashi and fellow Morning Musume member Risa Niigaki would play the 80s J-Pop duo Pink Lady in the TV Drama "Hitmaker Aku Yuu Monogatari". [cite web|url=http://www.nikkansports.com/entertainment/news/f-et-tp0-20080701-378324.html|title= Ai Takahashi & Risa Niigaki are Pink Lady|accessdate= 2008-08-26|date= 2008-07-01|publisher= Nikkan Sports News|language= Japanese] [cite web|url= http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/entertainment/news/20080701-OHT1T00111.htm|title= 高橋愛＆新垣里沙でペッパー警部よ…日テレ系「阿久悠物語」でピンク・レディー役|accessdate= 2008-08-26|date= 2008-07-01|publisher= The Hochi Shimbun|language= Japanese]

As of September 2008, she and Risa Niigaki have the second longest tenures of any member, with only Kaori Iida remaining in the group longer. She is also one of only four members to remain in the group for seven years or more (the others being Iida, Yoshizawa and Niigaki).

Discography and releases

Singles

DVDs

TV shows

References

External links

* [http://www.helloproject.com/artist/01/05/ Official Hello! Project profile]
*

s-ttl|rows=2|title=Leader of Morning Musume
years=2007-present s-ttl|rows=2|title=Sub-leader of Morning Musume
years=2007

Persondata
NAME=Takahashi, Ai
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=高橋 愛 (Japanese), たかはし あい (Hiragana)
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Japanese idol
DATE OF BIRTH=September 14, 1986
PLACE OF BIRTH=Sakai City, Fukui, Japan
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=