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Ai Takahashi

Ai Takahashi
高橋 愛
Morning Musume 20100703 Japan Expo 29.jpg
Ai Takahashi at the Japan Expo, July 3, 2010
Native name 高橋 愛
Born (1986-09-14) September 14, 1986 (age 30)
Other names Ai-Chan (愛ちゃん)
Occupation
Spouse(s) Koji Abe (m. 2014)
Musical career
Genres
Instruments Vocals
Years active 2001 - Present
Labels
Associated acts
Website Hello! Project.com

Ai Takahashi (高橋 愛 Takahashi Ai?) (born September 14, 1986) is a Japanese pop singer and actress formerly associated with Hello! Project and best known as leader of Morning Musume and Hello!Project until 2011, and former member of its popular subgroup Mini Moni.

Ai Takahashi joined Japanese idol group Morning Musume in 2001 as part of the group's fifth generation, along with Makoto Ogawa, Asami Konno, and Risa Niigaki.

Her audition involved a training camp of three days and two nights, in which participants were expected to learn a new song, a dance routine and a script. Out of 25,000 applicants, nine were selected for the camp in which Takahashi passed.

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, 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 Mini Moni ja Movie: Okashi na Daibōken! 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.


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Wikipedia

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