is a Japanese singer and actress. She joined the girl group Morning Musume as a 5th generation member and became one of the group's lead vocalists. She became Morning Musume's leader in 2007, as well as the leader of their musical collective, Hello! Project, in 2009. During her time in Morning Musume, Takahashi was also a member of sub-groups within Hello! Project, such as Mini-Moni, High-King, and several Hello! Project Shuffle Units. In 2011, she graduated from Morning Musume and Hello! Project.

Biography

Morning Musume career (2001–2011)

In 2001, Ai Takahashi joined the Japanese idol group Morning Musume as part of the group's fifth generation of performers, along with Makoto Ogawa, Asami Konno, and Risa Niigaki. Her audition involved a three-day training camp where participants were expected to learn a new song, a dance routine and a script. Takahashi was one of nine applicants selected out of 25,000 for the camp.

Takahashi was 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, a group created to promote Morning Musume's Cinderella the Musical, in which Takahashi played the title 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.

thumb|right|Ai Takahashi performing at Morning Musume's Platinum 9 Disc concert tour in May 2009.

As of January 2009, she and Risa Niigaki had the longest tenures of any member; she was one of only seven members to remain in the group for seven years or more (the others being Kaori Iida, Yoshizawa, Niigaki, Eri Kamei, Sayumi Michishige and Reina Tanaka) and one of two (along with Niigaki) to remain in the group for eight or nine years.

On February 1, 2009, during the "Hello Pro Award '09 ~Elder Club Sotsugyō Kinen Special~" concert held at Yokohama Arena, Yuko Nakazawa passed on her leadership position in Hello! Project to Takahashi.

Takahashi's last single with Morning Musume, the double A-side "Kono Chikyuu no Heiwa wo Honki de Negatterun dayo!/ Kare to Issho ni Omise ga Shitai" (この地球の平和を本気で願ってるんだよ！/彼と一緒にお店がしたい！), included a B-side solo by Takahashi, "Jishin Motte Yume o Motte Tobitatsu Kara" (自信持って 夢を持って 飛び立つから), and was released on her birthday, September 14.

On September 30, 2011, on the last day of Morning Musume's "Ai Believe" tour, Takahashi graduated from Morning Musume and Hello! Project at the Nippon Budokan and passed her role of leader to Risa Niigaki.

Post Morning Musume (2011–present)

2011<br />Her first role after graduation was the lead role of Sarah in the musical Dance of the Vampires at the Imperial Garden Theater. On November 25, it was announced that Takahashi was cast for a stage play titled La Patisserie, which ran from March 3 to March 11 in Tokyo, March 20 in Osaka, and March 22 in Ishikawa.

2012<br />On May 6, Takahashi announced that she had been cast in the Taiga drama Taira no Kiyomori. She played Tsuneko, the wife of Kiyomori's eldest son. From September 12 to September 23, she starred in a stage play titled High School Uta Gekidan☆Otoko-gumi. It was announced that Takahashi would voice a character in the hit anime series Detective Conan, with her episodes airing in early 2013.

2013<br />On February 12, Hello! Project Fanclub News announced that Takahashi would star in a stage play titled Moshimo Kokumin ga Shusho o Erandara along with Rika Ishikawa, S/mileage members Ayaka Wada and Kanon Fukuda, and Juice=Juice members Karin Miyamoto and Akari Uemura. The play ran for 11 performances from April 24 to April 30. On March 18, Takahashi appeared in the commercial “Ai to Kumao” to promote the insect repellent Mushuda; it was her first time appearing solo in a commercial. On May 10, Takahashi modeled for the Vanquish Venus fashion magazine. On July 3, it was announced that she would be going to Thailand for Japan Festa 2013 from August 31 to September 1. She held a free mini live and handshake event. On July 16, she announced two live birthday concerts to be held on September 14 (Tokyo) and 16 (Osaka), titled called "Ai Takahashi Birthday Live 2013 ~HELLO♥27~", but the Osaka performance was cancelled due to a typhoon. On July 21, Takahashi held a live solo performance titled "Takahashi Ai Sparkling Live in Yuigahama". On September 10, HMV announced that Takahashi would be releasing her first style book on October 18, titled "AI am I", which would include an interview about her Morning Musume days, as well as her ideas about love. It would also include articles on fashion, hair tips, and makeup. Takahashi became a regular on the new TV drama Jikken Keiji Totori 2, which began airing on October 12. In November, Takahashi was cast as Beth Spencer in the musical Merrily We Roll Along, She also played Julia in The Wedding Singer. From late October to November, Takahashi began filming for the movie Kara-age☆USA, starring in the main role. The movie was filmed in Oita, Japan and in the United States.

2014<br />On March 17, Takahashi appeared in another commercial for the insect repellent Mushuda, titled "Live." In September, her film Kara-age☆USA was released in theaters. On September 13, Takahashi released her second style book I have AI.

2015<br />Takahashi attended "Hello Pro Kenshuusei Happyoukai 2015 ~Haru no Koukai Jitsuryoku Shindan Test~" as a judge. In April, it was announced that she had joined a girl group with fellow Morning Musume graduates Yaguchi Mari and Tsuji Nozomi called "Datsumo Musume", under the management of Datsumo Labo, for the promotion of their hair removal services. On July 17, the women's lingerie and clothing retailer PEACH JOHN announced they would be collaborating with Takahashi for the collection "LOVE & PEACH". On September 11, it was announced that Takahashi would be collaborating with fashion brand Haco for the LOVE&PEACE Project 2015, a project that began in the wake of the 9/11 attacks to raise funds to support "a happy future for children around the world" by selling clothing from the project collection. On October 2, Takahashi modeled for a new boot collection by ASBee.

2016<br />In spring 2016, Takahashi starred in Hoshi Boshi no Yakusoku, Japan's first live-action film made for a Fulldome Cinema, which was screened in her hometown's Fukui City Museum of Natural History Dome Theater.

Personal life

On December 20, 2013, it was announced that Takahashi and Koji Abe, her boyfriend, had engaged. They married on February 14, 2014. On June 2, 2014, they held a wedding ceremony in Hawaii attended by 30 friends and family. Takahashi and Abe held a reception on January 22, 2015, with Morning Musume members Kei Yasuda, Rika Ishikawa, Hitomi Yoshizawa, Makoto Ogawa, Asami Konno, Miki Fujimoto, Mizuki Fukumura, Erina Ikuta, and Riho Sayashi, along with many others, in attendance.

She is the oldest child in her family and has one sister who is two years younger.

Takahashi's cousin, Riku Maeda, is a Japanese rapper and dancer who is a member of the South Korean boy group NCT and it's Japanese sub-unit NCT Wish.

Discography and releases

Studio albums

{| class="wikitable"

! # !! Title !! Release date !! Information

|-

|align="center"| 1 || ||align="center"| 2022 || Collaborative album with Reina Tanaka & Natsuyaki Miyabi

|-

|}

Singles

{| class="wikitable"

! # !! Title !! Release date !! Information

|-

|align="center"| 1 || ||align="center"| 2006 || Only released for digital purchase and download;<br>later released as part of the Petit Best 7 compilation CD

|-

|align="center"| 2 || ||align="center"| 2012 || Only released for digital purchase and download;<br>the song was recorded for Fukui TV's mascot, Ippuku Maru.

|-

|align="center"| 3 || ||align="center"| 2021 || Only released for digital purchase and download;<br> with Reina Tanaka & Natsuyaki Miyabi;<br> cover of Masato Shimon's 1971 song;<br>later released as part of the Laugh and Peace collaborative CD

|-

|}

Photo and fashion books

{| class="wikitable" width="100%" style="text-align:center"

! # !!width="50"| <small>Romaji<br>Japanese<br>English</small> !!width="38%"| Title !!width="14%"| Release date !! Publisher<br>ISBN !!width="25%"| Description

|-

| &ndash;

|colspan="2"|

  • 5: Morning Musume 5 Ki Member Shashinshū
  • 5　モーニング娘。5期メンバー写真集
  • 5: Morning Musume 5th Generation Members Photobook

| August 13, 2002

| Wani Books<br>

| Photobook starring all of the 5th generation members.

|-

| 1

|colspan=2|

  • Takahashi Ai: Solo Shashinshū "Takahashi Ai Shashinshū"
  • 高橋愛　ソロ写真集「高橋愛写真集」
  • Ai Takahashi: Solo Photobook "Ai Takahashi Photobook"

| December 9, 2002

| Wani Books<br>

| First solo photobook.

|-

| 2

|colspan=2|

  • Alo Hello! Takahashi Ai

|-

|}

Television dramas

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" cellpadding="2"

!width=300| Title !!width=120| Start date !!width=120| End date

|-

| Angel Hearts ||colspan="2"| 2002

|-

| || January 10, 2005 || January 31, 2005

|-

| ||colspan="2"| August 1, 2008

|-

| || January 8, 2009 || March 12, 2009

|-

| || colspan="2" | February 14, 2011

|}

Television shows

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" cellpadding="2"

!width=300| Show !!width=130| Start date !!width=130| End date !!width=80| Network

|-

| || 2001 || April 1, 2007 || TV Tokyo

|-

| Matthew's Best Hit TV ||colspan=2| May 29, 2002 || TV Asahi

|-

| || July 5, 2002 || March 26, 2004 || Nihon TV

|-

| || September 29, 2003 || December 26, 2003 || TV Tokyo

|-

|rowspan=2| || April 21, 2004 || April 23, 2004 ||rowspan=2| TV Tokyo

|-

| July 23, 2004 || July 29, 2004

|-

|rowspan=2| || December 1, 2004 || December 6, 2004 ||rowspan=2| TV Tokyo

|-

| December 16, 2004 || December 17, 2004

|-

| || April 4, 2005 || June 8, 2005 || TV Tokyo

|-

| || April 8, 2007 || September 28, 2008 || TV Tokyo

|-

| || October 6, 2008 || March 27, 2009 || TV Tokyo

|}

Radio

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" cellpadding="2"

!width=300| Program !!width=130| Start date !!width=130| End date !!width=80| Network

|-

| || April 12, 2003 || Ongoing || MBS Radio

|-

| ||colspan=2| March 3, 2005 (guest appearance) || CBC Radio

|-

| || May 16, 2005 || May 27, 2005 || TBC

|}

References

  • Official Blog
  • Morning Musume: Official Hello! Project profile
  • モーニング娘。『卒業直前の高橋愛が 後輩たちへ託す想いを涙ながらに語る』 (Oricon interview with Ai Takahashi, September 12, 2011)