,
known mononymously as
Ai (, stylized as
AI or
A.I. ) is a
Japanese-American singer and songwriter. Born in
Los Angeles in 1981, Ai spent her childhood in both
Kagoshima, Japan and Los Angeles. She debuted as a singer in 2000, later moving to Def Jam Japan and rising to fame with her album
2004 Ai. Her single "Story" (2005) became one of the biggest singles of the 2000s in Japan, and was the sixth single in history to receive a triple million digital certification by the
Recording Industry Association of Japan.