Original Ai

Original Ai (stylized in caps) is the second studio album by Japanese–American singer-songwriter Ai. It was released on July 23, 2003, by Def Jam Japan. The album features guest appearances and collaborations from Dabo, American rapper Joe Budden and Sphere of Influence.

Original Ai
Standard edition cover[note 1]
Studio album by
Ai
ReleasedJuly 23, 2003 (2003-07-23)
Recorded2003
Studio
Genre
Length48:57
Language
  • Japanese
  • English
LabelDef Jam Japan
Producer
  • Lofey
  • Skane
  • Desert Storm
  • 813
  • Carsten Lindberg
  • Joachim Svare
  • Ryousuke Imai
  • Swing-O
  • Fatin Horton
  • Robert Tewlow
  • Stephanie Stokes Fountain
  • Kazunori Fujimoto
Ai chronology
My Name Is Ai
(2001)		 Original Ai
(2003)		 2004 Ai
(2004)
Singles from Original Ai
  1. "Last Words"
    Released: January 28, 2003
  2. "Thank U"
    Released: June 25, 2003
  3. "My Friend" / "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence"
    Released: October 15, 2003

Four singles were released from Original Ai. The lead single "Last Words" became Ai's best performing single on the Oricon singles chart until her 2005 single "365".

Background

Ai previously released her debut studio album, My Name Is Ai in 2001 under BMG Japan. Following its very little commercial success, Ai moved to Def Jam Japan and became the first woman signed to the label.[1] Compared to her previous label, Ai stated she felt more at home with Def Jam Japan.[2] Her first release under the label was the lead single "Last Words", which peaked at number 27 on the Japanese Oricon singles chart.[3] The second single "Thank U" was released in June 2003, peaking at number 37 on the Oricon singles chart.[4]

Impact

Original Ai was released in a time where very little female artists were in the hip hop scene in Japan.[5] In 2021, OKMusic's editorial department described Original Ai as "a fine work that shows the high potential of Ai".[5] The journalist noted Ai made history as the first woman signed to Def Jam's Japanese division and helped pave the way for the hip hop and R&B scene in Japan to grow.[5]

Track listing
Original Ai – Standard edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Last Words" (最終宣告)
  • Lofey
  • Skane
  • Desert Storm
3:23
2."2Hot" (featuring Sphere of Influence)
8134:16
3."Summer Time"Uemura8133:37
4."Thank U"
  • Uemura
  • Emanuel Officer
  • Carsten Lindberg
  • Joachim Svare
  • Lindberg
  • Svare
4:16
5."Paradise"
  • Uemura
  • Ryousuke Imai
Imai4:42
6."Playboy" (featuring Dabo)
  • Uemura
  • Ashida Daisuke
  • Lofey
  • Skane
  • Desert Storm
  • Lofey
  • Desert Storm
  • Skane
4:00
7."Girl's Talk"
  • Uemura
  • Michico
  • Lofey
  • Desert Storm
  • Skane
3:12
8."2 Face"
  • Uemura
  • Swing-O
3:57
9."Kotonone" (言ノ音)
  • Uemura
  • Rob "Reef" Tewlow
Teelow3:45
10."Life"
  • Uemura
  • Stephanie Stokes Fountain
  • S. Fountain
  • Michael Fountain[a]
4:56
11."My Friend"
  • Uemura
  • Kazunori Fujimoto
Fujimoto4:23
12."Last Words" (featuring Joe Budden)
  • Uemura
  • Budden
  • Lofey
  • Skane
  • Desert Storm
  • Lofey
  • Desert Storm
  • Skane
4:24
Total length:48:57
Original Ai – Physical deluxe edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence" (戦場のメリークリスマス)Ryuichi Sakamoto 

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies a co-producer
  • Tracks 1, 9 and 13 are titled in Japanese.
  • Tracks 2, 5, 6, 10, and 12 are stylized in all capitals.
  • "2Hot" interpolates Kool & the Gang's 1979 song "Too Hot" written by Brown.
  • "Summer Time" interpolates R. Kelly's 2002 song "Ignition (Remix)" written by Kelly.

Personnel

Credits adapted from album's liner notes and Tidal.[6][7]

Musicians

  • Ai Carina Uemura – vocals
  • Cartsen Lindberg – instrumental (4)
  • Joachim Svare – instrumental (4)
  • Mine-chang – electric guitar (5)
  • Michico – background vocals (7)
  • DJ Miz – cuts (8)
  • Damon Bennet – keyboard (8), flute (10)
  • Swing-O – keyboard (8)
  • Eric Harvey – cuts (10)
  • John Kegler – bass guitar (10)

Technical

  • Bob Horn – engineering, mixing (1, 12)
  • Yukiko Matsushita – engineering (2, 6, 7)
  • Sumiya Ishikawa – engineering (2)
  • Chisaki – mixing (2)
  • Troy Staton – engineering, mixing (3)
  • Joachim Svare – engineering, mixing (4)
  • Carsten Lindberg – engineering, mixing (4)
  • Yoshiaki Onshi – engineering, mixing (5, 11)
  • Makoto Hoshino – rap recording (6)
  • Chris Conway – mixing (6)
  • Bob Iadeluca – mixing (7)
  • Swing-O – chorus arrangement (8), programing (8)
  • Masato Watanabe – mixing (8)
  • Blair Wells – engineering (9)
  • Chris Conway – mixing (9)
  • Michael Fountain – engineering (10)
  • Stephanie Stokes Fountain – engineering (10)
  • Carlos "Storm" Martinez – engineering (10)
  • Takeshi Hirata – engineering (11)
  • Masaki Shmizu – engineering assistance (11)
  • Chris Gehringer – mastering

Visuals and imagery

  • Hiroaki Doi – art direction, design
  • Toru Wada – design
  • Satoshi Minakawa – photography
  • Rie Inada – hair, makeup
  • Noriko Gotoh – stylist
  • Teknical – tag
  • Mayuko Sudo – cooridination

Charts
Chart performance for Original Ai
Chart (2003) Peak
position
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[8] 15

Release history
Release history and formats for Original Ai
Region Date Format(s) Version Label Ref.
Japan July 23, 2003
Standard
[9]
CD Universal Japan
November 26, 2003
  • Digital download
  • streaming
 Deluxe
  • Def Jam Japan
  • Universal
 [10]
CD Universal Japan
Various December 5, 2012
  • CD
  • digital download
  • streaming
 Standard USM Japan [11]

Notes
  1. On the deluxe edition cover, the clothing is red instead of beige.

References
  1. "Biography" (in Japanese). Universal Music Japan. Archived from the original on August 13, 2012. Retrieved August 18, 2012.
  2. "Special Interview Vol. 5 – Ai talks about Boombox" (in Japanese). TDK. Archived from the original on April 18, 2012. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
  3. "最終宣告 | AI". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
  4. "Thank U | AI". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
  5. "AIがR＆Bの真髄とその潜在能力の高さを見せた佳作『ORIGINAL A.I.』". OKMusic (in Japanese). 2021-03-03. Retrieved 2023-06-21.
  6. Original Ai (CD). Ai. Def Jam Japan. 2003. UICJ-1012.
  7. "AI / Original AI". Tidal. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  8. "AIのアルバム作品". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
  9. "ORIGINAL A.I. | AI". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
  10. "「ORIGINAL A.I.」デラックス・エディション | AI". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
  11. "『ORIGINAL A.I.』 | AI". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2022-07-18.
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