Ai Takahashi joined Morning Musume in 2001 as part of the group's fifth generation, along with Makoto Ogawa, Asami Konno, and Risa Niigaki. Her debut appearance with the group was on their single "Mr. Moonlight ~Ai no Big Band~", and her first appearance on a Morning Musume full-length release was their fourth studio album, the appropriately named 4th Ikimasshoi!. Her first appearance within a Hello! Project shuffle unit release was on the 2002 single "Shiawase Beam! Suki Suki Beam!" under the group name Happy 7.
In 2003, Takahashi replaced Mari Yaguchi in the Morning Musume spinoff group Mini Moni, first appearing in the group's movie Mini Moni ja Movie: Okashi na Daibōken! and its accompanying soundtrack. Her best-known nickname amongst non-Japanese fans, "Takitty", was derived from the cat suit (complete with tail) which she wears in the movie.
Later in 2003, she was part of the Morning Musume splinter group Morning Musume Sakuragumi, which performed mainly slower numbers on the group's two EPs, "Hare Ame Nochi Suki" and "Sakura Mankai", and the shuffle group 7Air, an R&B-inspired septet.
Takahashi's vocals became more prominent on the second and final Mini Moni album, Mini Moni Songs 2 (2004), as well as on Morning Musume's singles from their Spring 2004 release "Roman ~My Dear Boy~" onward. She also had a duet with Tsunku on the cover version of Tsunku and Ayumi Hamasaki's duet "Love ~since 1999~" on his solo album Take1.
In 2005, Morning Musume's first single release of the year, "The Manpower!!!", featured Takahashi in a prominent co-lead-vocal role, a role she has retained on subsequent singles since. In the summer of that year, she became part of the 2005 shuffle Group Elegies.
In 2006, Takahashi played the lead role, Sapphire, in the musical "Ribbon no Kishi The Musical" which was a collaboration work of Takarazuka Revue (a famous Japanese all-female musical group) and Hello! Project. The musical was based on Tezuka Osamu's manga and also starred v-u-den, Nozomi Tsuji, Aya Matsuura, and Natsumi Abe, as well as Marcia and Kaoru Ebira of the Takarazuka Revue. Soon thereafter, Takahashi released her first and only solo single to date, "Yume Kara Samete".
Following then-leader Hitomi Yoshizawa's graduation from Morning Musume on May 6, 2007, the current sub-leader, Miki Fujimoto ascended to the leader position, with Takahashi becoming the new sub-leader of the group. However, on June 1, 2007, after Fujimoto's resignation, Takahashi took over as the new leader.
Takahashi is also captain of the Hello! Project kickball team, Metro Rabbits H.P..
In 2008 Takahashi became a member of Hello Project's new unit High-King, a group created to promote Morning Musume's upcoming Cinderella the Musical.
Name: Takahashi Ai (高橋愛)
Nickname: Ai-chan, Lovely, Takitty, Tettekete
Birth date: September 14, 1986
Birthplace: Sakai, Fukui Prefecture, Japan
Blood type: A
Height: 153.3 cm
Hobbies: Watching plays, ballet
Specialty: Flipping her eyelids, bridge
Favorite food: Sauce katsudon, omelette rice
Disliked food: Mont blanc, eggplant, pineapple, musubi, perilla leaves
Favorite color: Black, white, pink
Favorite word: "Tomodachi" (友達 - "Friend")
Favorite season: Autumn
Favorite flowers: Roses
Favorite song: Tsumetai Umi / Start in My Life by Kuraki Mai
Subgroups:
Morning Musume (2001–)
Happy 7 (2002)
7AIR (2003)
Minimoni (2003–2004)
Morning Musume Sakura Gumi (2003–2004)
H.P. All Stars (2004)
Hello! Project Akagumi (2005)
Elegies (2005)
Wonderful Hearts (2006–)
High-King (2008)
Other:
POCKY GIRLS (2002)
Metro Rabbits H.P. (2006–)
Photobooks:
[2002.08.13] 5 モーニング娘。5期メンバー (5 Morning Musume. 5ki Members)
[2002.12.09] モーニング娘。―高橋愛 (Morning Musume - Takahashi Ai)
[2003.12.18] アロハロ!高橋愛 (AloHello! Takahashi Ai)
[2004.05.26] わたあめ (Wataame)
[2005.06.26] 愛ごころ (Aigokoro)
[2006.01.26] 19
[2006.10.28] 高橋愛 写真集全集 ai (Takahashi Ai Photograph Collection Complete Works ai)
[2007.03.14] ラブハロ!高橋愛inプーケット (Love Hello! Takahashi Ai in Phuket)
[2007.10.26] 水 (Mizu)
[2008.05.23] もうひとつの愛 (Mou Hitotsu no Ai)
Movies:
[2002] とっかえっ娘。 (Tokkaekko)
[2003] ミニモニ。じゃムービーお菓子な大冒険！ (Minimoni ja Movie Okashi na Daibouken!)
[2003] 子犬ダンの物語 (Koinu Dan no Monogatari)
DVDs:
[2007.04.11] ラブハロ! 高橋愛 DVD (Love Hello! Takahashi Ai DVD)
TV Dramas:
[2002] Angel Hearts
[2004] ミニモニ。でブレーメンの音楽隊 (Minimoni de Bremen no Ongakutai)
[2006] 天下騒乱〜徳川三代の陰謀 (Tenka Souran ~ Tokugawa Sandai no Inmou)
[2006] 道徳女子短大エコ研 (Doutoku Joshi Tandai Ecoken)
Radio:
[2003–] ヤングタウン土曜日 (Young Town Douyoubi)
Musicals:
[2006] リッボンの騎士ザ・ミュージカル (Ribbon no Kishi: The Musical)
[2008] シンデレラ the ミュージカル (Cinderella the Musical)
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