User:YumeChaser/Mai Kuraki

Mai Kuraki (倉木 麻衣) (born October 28, 1982) is a Japanese pop and R&B singer-songwriter and producer from Funabashi, Chiba. Kuraki debuted in 1999 with the single, "Love, Day After Tomorrow". In 2000, she released her debut album, Delicious Way, which debuted at number-one and sold over 2,210,000 copies in it's first week. Kuraki is one of a few female artists in Japan to have their first four studio albums to debut atop of the Oricon album chart.

In 2009, Kuraki saw a revive in her popularity. Her eighth studio album, Touch Me!, debuted atop the Oricon album charts; becoming her first number-one album in five years. Kuraki holds the record for being the only female artist to have all of her singles consecutively debut in the Top 10 since her debut. To date, Kuraki has six number-one albums and two number-one singles.

Early life and musical career
Upon hearing Whitney Houston's music and seeing the dance moves of Micheal Jackson, Kuraki decided to become a singer. While in high school, Kuraki sent a demo tape to Giza Studio and they signed her to the label. However, before Kuraki made her debut in Japan, she made her American debut. Under Giza USA, Kuraki released the single, "Baby I Like" under the stage name Mai K., the song failed to chart on the Billboard charts and Giza sent her back to Japan.

2000-2001: Debut
Kuraki released her first single, "Love, Day After Tomorrow", on December 8, 1999. The single entered the Oricon single chart at #18. In March 2000, after slowly rising on the chart "Love, Day After Tomorrow" peaked at #2 on the chart. Her second single and third singles: "Stay by My Side" and "Secret of My Heart" proved to share the success of "Love, Day After Tomorrow". "Stay by My Side" was released on March 15, 2000 and debuted atop the Oricon chart, while "Secret of My Heart", released April 26, 2000 debuted at #2. "Secret of My Heart" was certified million by the Recording Industry Association of Japan and won a Japan Gold Disc Award for "Song of the Year".

In June 2000, Kuraki released her fourth single, "Never Gonna Give You Up" and her debut album Delicious Way. The former debuted at #2 while the latter debuted at number-one on the album chart selling over 2,210,000 copies in its first week. Delicious Way sold over three million copies and was certified 3x million by the and won "Rock album of the Year" at the 16th annual Japan Gold Disc Awards.

From September 2000 to June 2001, Kuraki released five singles: "Simply Wonderful", "Reach for the Sky" (both 2000), "Tsumetai Umi/Start in My Life", "Stand Up" and "Always" (all 2001). All of the singles had entered the Top 3. After the string of releases, Kuraki's second album Perfect Crime (July 2001), which included all the singles expect "Simply Wonderful". Perfect Crime topped the album chart and was another million-selling album for the artist. The album was certified million by the RIAJ and like her debut album it won "Rock album of the Year". A month after the release of Perfect Crime, Kuraki released her last single of 2001, "Can't Forget Your Love/Perfect Crime: Single Edit", which debuted at #2 on the single chart.

2002-2008: Decline in sales
Kuraki started 2002 with her eleventh single, "Winter Bells" in January. "Winter Bells" debuted atop of the charts and was the tenth opening for the anime adaptation of the manga Case Closed. Before releasing her third album, Fairy Tale (October 2002), Kuraki released two single: "Feel Fine!" (April) and "Like a Star in the Night" (September) both singles entered Top 2. Like it's predecessors Fairy Tale debuted atop of the Oricon. The album won the "Rock & Pop album of the Year" award at the Japan Gold Disc Awards. Kukari once again tried her hand in the U.S. market. She released her debut English-language album, Secret of My Heart, and like her single "Baby I Like" the album failed to chart.

Her fourth album If I Believe was released on July 9, 2003. Prior to the albums release, Kuraki released four singles: "Make My Day" (2002), "Time After Time: Hana Mau Machi de", "Kiss" and "Kaze no Rarara"; all of which were Top 3 singles. If I Believe continued Kuraki's number-one album streak and was certified 2x platinum.

In 2004 on New Year's Day, Kuraki released her first greatest hits album, Wish You the Best. The album debuted atop the chart and was certified million and would become her last album to achieve that status. After Wish You the Best, she released her fifth studio album Fuse of Love (2005). The album spawned four singles: "Ashita e Kakeru Hashi" (明日へ架ける橋) (2004), "Love, Needing", "Dancing" and "P.S My Sunshine" (all 2005). "Ashita e Kakeru Hashi" debuted in the Top 3; while the others debuted outside the Top 3, a first for Kuraki. Fuse of Love debuted at #3 on the album chart ending Kuraki's number-one album streak. It was later certified gold by the RIAJ. In 2006, Kuraki released a new album, Diamond Wave. The album debuted at #3 on the charts and was certified gold. The singles from the album, "Growing of My Heart" (2005), "Best of Hero" (ベスト オブ ヒーロー) and "Diamond Wave" were Top 10 singles.

Kuraki ended the year with a new single, "Shiroi Yuki", which placed #4 on the single chart. In 2007, Kuraki released her last single under Giza Studio, "Season of Love". The single charted at #6. After releasing "Season of Love", Kuraki transfer from Giza Studio to Northern Music. Under Northern she released her twenty-seventh single, "Silent Love: Open My Heart/Be With U" before releasing her seventh album, One Life on New Year's Day 2008. "Silent Love: Open My Heart/Be With U" debuted at #9 and One Life debuted at #14, on their respective charts. One Life is Kuraki's only album to not be certified by the RIAJ. Kuraki released three singles in 2008: "Yume ga Saku Haru/You and Music and Dream", "Ichibyōgoto ni Love for You", "24 Xmas Time" the singles like their predecessors entered the Top 10.

2009-present: Revival in popularity
Kuraki's eighth studio album, Touch Me!, was released on January 21, 2009 and contained the singles released in 2008. Selling a little over 50,200 copies, Touch Me! debuted atop of Oricon album chart. Touch Me became Kuraki's first number-one album in five years, with her last number-one occurring in 2004 with her greatest hits album, Wish You the Best. The album was later certified Gold by the RIAJ. On April 1, 2009, Kuraki released her thirty-first single a double A-side "Puzzle/Revive". Both songs were used as tie-ins for Case Closed. "Puzzle" was used as the ending theme for the thirteenth movie Case Closed: The Raven Chaser, while "Revive" was used as the twenty-fifth opening theme song for the series seventeenth season. "Puzzle/Revive" debuted at #3 on the Oricon single chart, making it her first single to enter the Top 3 since 2004's "Ashita e Kakeru Hashi".

Kuraki released her thirty-third single "Beautiful" on June 10, 2009. "Beautiful" was used as the commercial song for cosmetic company Kose's Coseport Salon Style. "Beautiful" debuted at #2 on the Oricon single chart making it Kuraki's third-second single to debut in the Top 10, extending her record.

Studio albums

 * 2000: Delicious Way
 * 2001: Perfect Crime
 * 2002: Fairy Tale
 * 2003: If I Believe
 * 2005: Fuse of Love
 * 2006: Diamond Wave
 * 2008: One Life
 * 2009: Touch Me!

Compilation albums

 * 2004: Wish You The Best

Number-one singles

 * 2000: "Stay by My Side"
 * 2002: "Winter Bells"