, real name is a

J-Pop J-pop ( ja, ジェイポップ, ''jeipoppu''; often stylized as J-POP; an abbreviated form of "Japanese popular music"), natively also known simply as , is the name for a form of popular music that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1 ...

singer from

Hokkaidō is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The la ...

, Japan. She is a talent of the Fit One management company and part of the artists' roster of

Rhythm Zone (RZN) is a record label in the Avex Group that releases urban contemporary Japanese music. History The label was founded in 1999 by Max Matsuura with a focus on urban music, signing M-Flo as its first artist, then followed by Exile. In 2000, ...

owned by Avex Entertainment Inc. She originally debuted as "Ruppina". As Ruppina, she recorded the song "Free Will" which was used as the 9th ending theme of the Japanese

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

series

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History

* December 2002: Released her first single as Ruppina: Free Will (One Piece 9th ending theme) * January 2003: Officially debuts as Ruppina. * August 2004: Released final single as Ruppina: in the name of love * December 2005: Her music video for "Reborn" is used for the closing theme song of the Japanese TV show ''

Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ ''Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ'' was a Japanese music variety show on Fuji Television hosted by the comedy duo Downtown, which consists of Hitoshi Matsumoto and Masatoshi Hamada. It is a very popular show with comical hosts who like to pick on thei ...

'' beginning with the December 5 episode. She is in the nude throughout the music video. The song is also used as the theme song for the

Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation ...

game " eM" by

FromSoftware FromSoftware, Inc. is a Japanese video game development and publishing company based in Tokyo. Founded by Naotoshi Zin in November 1986, the company developed business software before releasing their first video game, ''King's Field (video game) ...

. Heavy promotion by Avex continues throughout the month prior to her single debut as Mai at the end of the month. * April 2006: Her second single "Eyes", released on April 12, 2006, seems to continue the "au naturel" theme from the first single, which is reflected in its video. * August 2006: Her third single, Princess ∞ Candy appears in the entire nude music video Singles * Reborn / Squair (December 28, 2005) * Eyes / Rainbow (April 12, 2006) * Princess Candy / Moon Tears (August 16, 2006) Albums * Maiself (September 6, 2006)

Discography

Singles

* Reborn / Squair (December 28, 2005) * Eyes / Rainbow (April 12, 2006) * Princess Candy / Moon Tears (August 16, 2006)

Albums

* Maiself (September 6, 2006)

References

External links

Sites in Japanese

Mai Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mai Japanese women pop singers Japanese television personalities 1984 births Living people Avex Group artists Musicians from Hokkaido 21st-century Japanese singers 21st-century Japanese women singers