Mai Kuraki, pop singer
Name: Mai Kuraki (Kuraki Mai?),
birthday: 10-28, 1982, in Funabashi, Chiba)
Mai Kuraki is a Japanese pop singer.
Occupation: Singer, songwriter
Years active 1999–present
Label(s) Bip! Records (1999)
GIZA studio (1999 - 2007)
NORTHERN MUSIC (2007 -)
Official Website: Mai-Kuraki.com
Mai Kuraki Career
She was influenced at an early age by Whitney Houston's singing and Michael Jackson's dancing. In her second year of junior high school, she submitted a demo tape to the Giza Studio recording label and won a contract. She debuted in the United States in 1999 with the song "Baby I Like," released as Mai K. Her first Japanese single, "Love, Day After Tomorrow", was released later in the year. It sold 1,385,190 copies in Japan. The success of her debut was quickly followed by her second single "Stay by my side" which become her first no.1 single and eventually sold 922,140 copies. Mai's third single "Secret of my Heart" was also very successful reaching no.2 on the Oricon Weekly Ranking. The single charted for sixteen weeks and sold 968,980 copies. A few weeks before the release of her debut album Mai released her fourth single "Never Gonna Give You Up" featuring Michael Africk. The single peaked at #2 and sold 434,250 copies.
Following the release of four singles Mai Kuraki released her highly anticipated debut album "Delicious Way". The album was a massive success in Japan topping the charts and selling an impressive 3,451,660 copies. Delicious Way was the highest selling album in the year 2000 and officially the 9th best selling Jpop album of all time.[1] Delicious Way is also the second best selling studio album from a female artist after Utada Hikaru's First Love and the third best selling Jpop female album of all time ~ after First Love and Ayumi Hamasaki's A-Best compilation album. In addition, Mai Kuraki also holds the record of having all 27 of her singles in the top-ten since her debut according to the Oricon's female artists ranking record. Like her popular contemporary Utada Hikaru, Mai Kuraki also writes the lyrics to all her songs.
Mai Kuraki's English-language ventures, single "Baby I Like" and the album Secret of My Heart were both commercial flops, even though they were the flagship releases of the GIZA USA label. Her all-African-American tour band, Experience, is also somewhat prolific. They were featured in the music video for "Stand Up", and released one single featuring Kuraki Mai's vocals and a Michael Jackson tribute album.
Following the Delicious Way, Mai started releasing material for her second album. This was kicked off with the single "Simply Wonderful" which peaked no.2 and sold 384,820 copies. Mai's next single "Reach for the Sky" was also a success was peaking at no.3 at and sold 468,320 units. The single was used as the theme song for NHK TV series "Audrey". Reach for the Sky was Mai Kuraki's first single not to reach the no. 1 or 2 position on the Oricon Charts. Mai's third single form her second album was Tsumetai Umi / Start in my life. The single peaked at no.2, charted for eleven weeks and sold 356,310 copies. Next up was the single "Stand Up" an acoustic rock single. Stand Up peaked at no.2 and eventually sold 475,910 copies. A month before releasing her second album, Mai released the single "Always" an upbeat song. Peaking at no.2 the single went on to sell 219,940 copies.
Following the release of five new singles, Mai Kuraki eventually released her second album Perfect Crime in July 2001. Although the album did not match the phenomenal success of Delicious Way, it did fare well in its own right, peaking at no.1 on the Oricon Charts, and eventually went on to sell 1,317,170 copies.
Mai Kuraki Videos
FIRST CUT (8 November 2000 DVD/VHS)
Mai Kuraki & Experience First Live 2001 in Zepp Osaka (VHS 19 September 2001)
Mai Kuraki & Experience First Live Tour 2001 ETERNAL MOMENT (DVD/VHS 21 November 2001)
Mai Kuraki "Loving You..." Tour 2002 Final 2.27 in YOKOHAMA ARENA (VHS 3 April 2002)
Mai Kuraki "Loving You..." Tour 2002 Complete Edition (DVD 15 May 2002)
My Reflection (DVD 17 January 2004)
Mai Kuraki 5th Anniversary Edition Grow, Step by Step (DVD 5 January 2005)
Mai Kuraki Live Tour 2005 LIKE A FUSE OF LIVE (DVD 22 February 2006)
Brilliant Cut ～Mai Kuraki Live & Document～ (DVD 22 August 2007)
Mai Kuraki Musicians
Musical Director / Guitar: Yoshinobu Oga
Drums: Marvin Lenoar
Keys: Big Boyy T
Bass: Tamon Mori
This song is performed by Mai Kuraki.
shiroi yukigeshiki
shiawase o kazoeru BERU no oto ga hibiku yo
koyoi koso wa kimi o sasoi
futari dake no toki
itsumo ienai kara chiisa na KISS
toki o tomete kono mama
Need your love tonight
sagashiteita unmei no shunkan o
deatta kimi to futari
omoidasu yuki no HOOMU
kimi no kage ga chiisaku naru
zutto anata ni ageru yo WINTER BELL
mado ni tsumoru yuki ga futari o chikazukeru yo Day by day
ima dakishimete...
toori sugiru kaze ni
okubyou ni natteta yo
taisetsu na kimi dakara ima demo
Need your love tonight
RAITO ga hikaru shunkan mirai o
shinjite itai futari
yurete iru KYANDORU ga
mabushiku kono toki o terasu
zutto zutto matteita WINTER BELL
shizuka ni furu yuki ga futari o yasashiku suru Day and night
ima dakishimete...
fuyu ga sugi atarashii kisetsu ga kuru kimi o tsurete
Oh yes yozora ni todoku yo WINTER BELL
kirameku hoshi zora ni kono omoi o kanaeru Sweet starlight
hoshi furu yoru ni sou itsumademo...
Winter Bells La... Stay Forever I'll be with you
Winter Bells La... Stay Forever
Forever with you
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