Ai

An American-born yet Japanese-signed dancer turned pop star, Ai began her music career as a backup dancer in a Janet Jackson video. While trained professionally as a dancer, it wasn't until she made her way to Japan that she was able to land a record deal as a singer. First signed to BMG, she eventually switched to Def Jam Japan and released her debut, Original Ai, for that label in 2003. Her 2005 single (from the 2004 album 2004 Ai) "Story" was a huge hit that year, selling over 300,000 copies, and its momentum helped propel her third album, Mic-A-Holic Ai to sales in the 500...