65 Facts About Mai Kuraki

Mai Kuraki's succeeding albums, Fuse of Love, Diamond Wave, and One Life were released to less commercial success.

In 2009, Mai Kuraki saw a revival in her popularity with the increased television appearances and the promotion.

In 2021, Mai Kuraki released her fourteenth studio album Unconditional Love, which peaked at number four in Japan and spawned a number-one single "Zero kara Hajimete".

Mai Kuraki's first extended play Forever for You was released in 2024 to commercial success, reaching number three in Japan.

Mai Kuraki is best known for singing the theme songs for the Japanese television anime series, Case Closed.

Mai Kuraki holds the record for being the only female artist to have all of her singles consecutively debut in the Top 10 since her debut in 1999, and is the 38th best-selling Japanese music artist of all time.

Mai Kuraki was born on October 28,1982, to entrepreneur, film director and actor, Isomi Yamasaki.

Mai Kuraki's grandfather is Saneharu Yamasaki, a poet, and her aunt is Reiko Takizawa, an actor.

However, before Mai Kuraki made her debut in Japan, she made her American debut.

Mai Kuraki released her Japan debut single, "Love, Day After Tomorrow", on December 8,1999.

In 2000, Mai Kuraki sent six singles inside the top 100 on the Oricon Yearly Singles chart.

In July 2001, Mai Kuraki released her second album, Perfect Crime.

In January 2002, Mai Kuraki released her first English-language album, Secret of My Heart in the United States.

In December 2002, Mai Kuraki published her first autobiographical book, Myself Music.

Mai Kuraki released her fourth studio album, If I Believe, in July 2003.

In October 2003, Mai Kuraki was featured as a guest vocalist for Tak Matsumoto's single, "Imitation Gold", the cover of Momoe Yamaguchi.

In December 2003, Mai Kuraki made her first appearance at the Kohaku Uta Gassen and performed "Stay by My Side" at To-ji in Kyoto.

In December 2005, Mai Kuraki made her third appearance at the Kohaku Uta Gassen, perfotming her debut single, "Love, Day After Tomorrow".

In June 2007, Mai Kuraki left Giza Studio in Osaka and made a new record contract with the newly founded record label, Northern Music in Tokyo, although the labels are both under the Being Inc, group.

On 7 June 2007, Mai Kuraki performed "Born to Be Free" at the A3 Champions Cup 2007 in Shandong, China.

In September 2007, Mai Kuraki made her first appearance at the Asia Song Festival in Seoul, South Korea.

In January 2008, Mai Kuraki released her seventh studio album, One Life.

In November 2010, Mai Kuraki performed at Kamigamo Shrine in Kyoto, the UNESCO World Heritage Site, as a part of the Tokyo FM's 40th anniversary campaign.

The match was held again in August 2011, where Mai Kuraki performed the anthem.

In November 2011, Mai Kuraki released her first video single, "Strong Heart".

In February 2013, Mai Kuraki released a single "Try Again", which was used as the theme song to the anime series Case Closed.

In May 2015, Mai Kuraki released a promotional single "Serendipity" in celebration of 40th anniversary of West Japan Railway Company's San'yo Shinkansen.

In May 2016, Mai Kuraki signed an ambassador deal with Nihon Unisys and wrote the image song to the company, "Make That Change".

In January 2017, Mai Kuraki released "Yesterday Love" as the first VR single in Japan.

In December 2017, Mai Kuraki made her first appearance at the Kohaku Uta Gassen in twelve years, performing "Togetsukyo ".

In September 2018, Mai Kuraki appeared on the television commercials of Kyoto City, as an Kyoto sightseeing ambassador.

In October 2018, Mai Kuraki was chosen as an image character for the department store chain Parco, for their Chinese New Year campaign.

In October 2020, Mai Kuraki wrote All at Once's song, "Just Believe You", which sampled Mai Kuraki's single, "Secret of My Heart".

On 6 March 2021, Mai Kuraki released the first single in approximately two years, "Zero kara Hajimete".

Mai Kuraki has cited Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, and Lauryn Hill as being major influence in her career.

Mai Kuraki cites the live performance of Houston and the music videos of Jackson as the mains reasons why she started to dream of becoming a singer.

Mai Kuraki named Michael Buble, Shakira, Christina Aguilera, Janet Jackson, Stacie Orrico, Britney Spears, and Jennifer Lopez as sources of inspiration.

Mai Kuraki's songs are often written and produced by the fellow musicians from her label, Being Group, such as Aika Ohno, Akihito Tokunaga, and Yoko Blaqstone, and Cybersound, an engineering team in Boston and Michael Africk.

Mai Kuraki listed some American musicians on her eleventh studio album Smile, including Nash Overstreet and Porcelain Black.

The works of Mai Kuraki have been remixed by prominent DJs, including Johnny Vicious, Justin Strauss, Mark Kamins, and Ken Ishii.

Mai Kuraki's first performing took place at the first show on the Sokenbicha Natural Breeze 2001 Happy Live in August 2000.

Mai Kuraki her made her first appearance on the live broadcasting television show when she performed "Stay by My Side" on the Kohaku Uta Gassen in December 2003.

Mai Kuraki's works have earned her several awards and accolades, including seven Japan Gold Disc Awards.

Mai Kuraki is the only female artist in Japan who has sent all her forty-two singles within the top ten on the Oricon weekly singles chart, since her debut single "Love, Day After Tomorrow".

Mai Kuraki's music is known throughout East Asia, winning The Most Popular Asian Influential Japanese Singer at the Chinese Music Awards in 2012.

In March 2000, Mai Kuraki collaborated with entertainment company Konami and released a puzzle video game for the PlayStation, Techno BB.

In December 2001, Mai Kuraki appeared in the television advertisements for the Shiseido's product, Sea Breeze.

From August 2009 to 2011, Mai Kuraki was featured in five television advertisements for the collection.

Mai Kuraki has endorsed several brands, U-Can, Clevery Home, Icefield, JR-West, Parco, and Dwango.

Many of Mai Kuraki's songs have been used in television advertisements.

In 2009, "Top of the World", the Carpenters' cover by Mai Kuraki, was used in the advertisements by Lion Corporation, for their detergent brand Top.

Ahead of the performance, Mai Kuraki had a talk with a Kenyan social, environmental and political activist Wangari Maathai.

Mai Kuraki was among the first and biggest artists to work on the charities and philanthropies after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.

The match was played on March 29,2011, as well, and Mai Kuraki performed the national anthem again.

Mai Kuraki has visited the city several times since 2011, performing at the music festival Gareki Stock and including the city on her tours.

In June 2013, Mai Kuraki participated in the Green Wall Project, which aims to plant evergreen broad-leaved trees to work as natural tide embankments in Iwanuma, Miyagi, where the tsunami killed 180 people in March 2011.

In October 2017, Mai Kuraki visited the city again to participate in the conference titled "Mirai Talk", where the citizens in the city talked about the strategy for reconstruction.

In September 2019, after the Typhoon Faxai hit Chiba Prefecture, Mai Kuraki performed at the public school Nagasaku Gakuen to cheer up the elementary school students in the prefecture.

In June 2011, Mai Kuraki performed at the charity concert to encourage blood donation, Love in Action Meeting, as a headliner.

Mai Kuraki raised a fund by selling charity merchandises, raising a donation, and auctioning.

Mai Kuraki's single, "Stand by You" was written based on her experience in the country.

Mai Kuraki is the eldest daughter of the Japanese movie director and actor, Isomi Yamasaki.

In 2000, he published a book about Mai Kuraki, containing photos from her childhood, however the book was not published with the approval of Mai Kuraki herself.

Mai Kuraki owns a dog called "Benito spero", a mix of Papillon and Toy Poodle, since 2022.

Mai Kuraki previously owned a Border Collie, named "Casper", which died in 2016 at the age of 14.