Moriagaro

Moriagaro
The large golden letters "MORIAGARO" are featured on a chain held at a left angle, taking up most of the image. This is held up on both corners by a woman, whose face you can see behind it. She is wearing a cap with pins in it, her hair is partially shaved and decorative red and white mascara.
Studio album by Ai
Released July 17, 2013 (2013-07-17)
(see release history)
Recorded 2012–2013; Studio MSR, Tokyo; Studioforesta, Tokyo; The Studio, West Hollywood; Wink2 Studio, Tokyo; Da Co-op Studios, Atlanta; Platinum Sound Recording Studio, NYC; Area 51, NYC
Genre R&B, hip hop, dance, electro
Length 46:26
Language Japanese, English
Label EMI Records Japan, Universal Music Japan
Producer Ai
Ai chronology
Independent
(2012)		 Moriagaro
(2013)
Singles from Moriagaro
  1. "Voice"
    Released: February 1, 2013
  2. "Mama e"
    Released: April 12, 2013
  3. "After the Storm (featuring Che'Nelle)"
    Released: May 22, 2013
  4. "Happiness (Ageyō Version)"
    Released: November 8, 2013

Moriagaro (stylized as MORIAGARO) (Japanese pronunciation: [moɽiaɡaɽoː], "Let's Get Down") is the 10th studio album by Japanese R&B musician Ai, released on July 17, 2013.[1] This is her second album with EMI, but the first since it became EMI Records Japan, a sublabel of Universal Music Japan.

Writing and production

The album was written by Ai, collaborating with American and Japanese producers. Ai collaborated with four singers: American R&B singers Jeremih, Lloyd and Bridget Kelly, as well as Malaysian Australian R&B singer Che'Nelle, who has based her career in Japan since 2011. Five of the songs are sung in Japanese, and three entirely in English. "Moriagaro," "Don't Turn Me Off" and "Gotta Get Mine" are sung in a mix of English and Japanese.

Album recording took place mostly in Tokyo, as well as in West Hollywood, Atlanta and New York City.[2]

Ai worked mostly with Japanese producer Uta (who she has worked with since Viva Ai (2009)) on the songs "Hanabi," "My Place," "Sogood" and "Voice." This is the first time that Ai only worked with a single Japanese producer on an album. Ai worked with five American producers on the remaining songs. Fifty 1 Fifty produced three songs, "For You," "Top of the World" and "After the Storm." De-Capo Music Group worked on "Moriagaro," C3prod on "Mama e" and Wonda Music on "Gotta Get Mine." Ai worked together with producer D.Clax and The Exclusives on the song "My Baby."[2]

Promotion and release

The first single released from the album was "Voice" in February 2013. The song was used as the theme song for the drama Yakō Kanransha, starring Kyōka Suzuki and Yuriko Ishida.[3] The single became a big hit, being certified by the RIAJ as a gold single a month after release.[4] It is currently her fourth most sold physical single since her debut.[5] It is also her last release under the then-independent EMI Music Japan.

Ai followed up the single with two digital singles. The first was "Mama e," used in a Lotte chocolate commercial campaign for Mother's Day, and "After the Storm," used as the theme for the Japanese release of the Hong Kong martial arts film The Grandmaster.[3] Three other songs were used for TV commercials. "Sogood" was used for KFC Japan commercials, "For You" for Kubota commercials, and "My Place" for Japan Rail in promotion of the Kyushu Shinkansen.[3] "Gotta Get Mine" was also used as the July opening theme for the TV Tokyo R&B/dance program Chōryūha.[3][6] "Top of the World" was later used as the opening theme for the TBS drama Higanjima in October 2013.[6]

Music videos were produced for the album songs "Gotta Get Mine," "Hanabi," "My Place," and "Sogood."[7][8][9][10]

The album was re-released on November 20, 2013, as Motto Moriagaro, featuring five additional tracks and a DJ mix CD by DJ Hirakatsu.[6] Two of the five tracks are unpublished songs that received TV commercial tie-ups. "Get Your Hands Up" was used as the Ya-man Dancing EMS CM song and "Run Free" was used as a song promoting Reebok Reebok Classic.[6]

Tours

Ai's Moriagaro Tour began in October in Kanagawa, Japan, and included 33 dates. The final concert will be held on December 18, 2013, at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo.[3]

Track listing

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Moriagaro.[2]

No. TitleLyricsMusic Length
1. "Moriagaro" (featuring Jeremih)Ai, Oretha LeeAi, Lee, De-Capo 3:22
2. "Don't Turn Me Off"  Michico, ScoopBopUta, Michico, ScoopBop 3:46
3. "Voice"  AiAi, Uta 5:13
4. "Hanabi" ("Fireworks")AiAi, Uta 4:01
5. "My Baby" (featuring Lloyd)Victoria Mwangi, Asian Bryant, Lloyd, The ExclusivesDavid "D.Clax" Claxton, Lloyd, The Exclusives, Mwangi, Bryant 3:36
6. "Mama e" (ママへ "Dear Mama")AiAi, C3prod, Ben-E 4:00
7. "Sogood"  AiAi, Uta 3:18
8. "Gotta Get Mine" (featuring Bridget Kelly)Blush, AiJerry Duplessis, Arden Altino, Akene Dunkley, Blush 3:29
9. "After the Storm" (featuring Che'Nelle)Matthew "Damario" Quinney, Joseph Macklin, Carlos "Los" Jenkins, David "Davix" Foreman, Dashawn "Happie" White, Thomas "Tom Jack" JacksonQuinney, Macklin, Jenkins, Foreman, White, Jackson 3:40
10. "For You (Piano Version)"  AiQuinney, Macklin, Jenkins, Foreman, White 4:28
11. "My Place"  AiAi, Uta 4:00
12. "Top of the World"  Quinney, Macklin, Derrick Curtis Vines, Jenkins, Foreman, WhiteQuinney, Macklin, Vines, Jenkins, Foreman, White 3:33
Total length:
 46:26
Deluxe edition bonus tracks
No. TitleLyricsMusic Length
13. "Get Your Hands Up"  Jenkins, MacklinJenkins, Macklin 1:24
14. "Run Free" (featuring Miliyah Kato, Verbal)Ai, Miliyah, VerbalAi, Miliyah, Verbal, Lucas Valentine, H.SU 4:48
15. "Gotta Get Mine (English Version)" (featuring Bridget Kelly)Blush, AiDuplessis, Arden Altino, Akene Dunkley, Blush 3:32
16. "Mama e (Piano Version)"  AiAi, C3prod, Ben-E 4:03
17. "Happiness (Ageyō Version)" (ハピネス - あげようバージョン Hapinesu Ageyō Bājon, "'Let's Give' Version")AiAi, Uta 4:13
Total length:
 64:26

Chart rankings

Charts (2013) Peak
position
Japan Oricon daily albums[11] 3
Japan Oricon weekly albums[12] 5
Japan Oricon monthly albums[13] 18

Sales and certifications

Chart Amount
Oricon physical sales[12] 49,000

Personnel

Personnel details were sourced from Moriagaro's liner notes booklet.[2]

Managerial

  • Yuki Arai – executive producer
  • Takeshi Fukushima – advance marketing chief
  • Shigetaka Haratake – sales promotion
  • Hiroyuki Jinno – legal rights and business affairs
  • Nozomu Kaji – marketing, promotion
  • Junji Kaseya – associate producer
  • Kimiko Kato – sales promotion
  • Saikan Kobayashi – project assistant
  • Kazuhiro Koike – executive producer
  • Toshiharu Kojima – artist management
  • Jiro Koyasu – associate producer
  • Kyosuke Ochiai – design coordination
  • Shinobu Ozawa – artist management
  • Koichi Sakakibara – artist manager
  • Satomi Takizawa – artist management
  • Seiichi Watanabe – A&R
  • Yusuke Yamamoto – project assistant

Performance credits
  • Bridget Kelly – vocals (#8)
  • Lloyd – vocals (#5)
  • Swiss Chris – drums (#8)

Visuals and imagery

  • Ambush – costume cooperation
  • Justin Davis – costume cooperation
  • Noriko Goto – stylist
  • Ayako Hishinuma – prop creator ('Moriagaro Bling Bling')
  • Manabu Honchu – design
  • Justin & Valley – logo design
  • Akio Kawabata – package coordination
  • Yasunari Kikuma – photographer
  • Akemi Ono – hair, make-up
  • Toshiya Ono – art direction
  • Shuma Saito – package coordination
  • Silver Face – prop creator ('Moriagaro Knuckle Rings')
  • Shigeaki Watanabe – prop creator ('Moriagaro Cap')
  • Wut Berlin – costume cooperation
  • X-Closet – costume cooperation
  • Eiji Yoshimura – design

Technical and production

  • Ai – producer (#1, #3-4, #6-7, #9-10)
  • Arden 'Keys' Altino – co-producer (#8)
  • Ben-E – producer (#6)
  • Jo Blaq – mixing, vocal recording (#12)
  • C3prod – producer (#6)
  • Tom Coyne – album mastering
  • D.Clax – producer (#5)
  • De-Capo Music Group – producer (#1)
  • DOI – mixing (#1-7, #9-11)
  • Akene 'The Champ' Dunkley – co-producer (#8)
  • Jerry 'Wonda' Duplessis – producer (#8)
  • Fifty 1 Fifty – producer (#9-10, #12)
  • Keisuke Fujimaki – vocal recording (#4)
  • Seiji Itabashi – assisting (#8, #11)
  • Carlos 'Los' Jenkins – vocal recording (#12)
  • Neeraj Khajanchi – additional vocal recording (#8), vocal recording (#11)
  • T. Kura – vocal editing (#2)
  • Sean 'Pen' McMillion – engineering (#5), vocal producer for Lloyd (#5)
  • Michico – vocal producer (#2)
  • Yoshinori Morita – vocal recording (#1, #6-7, #9)
  • Taiji Okuda – Japanese production (#5), recording (#2-3, #10)
  • Mario Parra – Che'nelle's vocal recording (#9)
  • Lance Powell – assisting (#8)
  • Andrew Robertson – assisting (#8)
  • Mark Roger – vocal recording (#1)
  • Serge 'Sergical' Tsai – recording (#8)
  • Uta – producer (#2-4, #7, #11)
  • Satoshi Yoneda – vocal editing (#2)

Release history

Region Date Format Distributing Label Catalogue codes
Japan July 17, 2013[1] CD, digital download EMI Records Japan TOCT-29178, TOCT-29179
Taiwan August 9, 2013[1] CD Universal Music Taiwan 0634723
Japan August 13, 2013[14] Rental CD EMI Records Japan TOCT-29178
November 20, 2013[6] 2CD deluxe edition TYCT-60016/7

References

  1. 1 2 3 "MORIAGARO (初回生産限定盤:もりあがろうプライス) [Limited Edition]". Amazon Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved July 4, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Moriagaro (Media notes) (in Japanese). Ai. Tokyo, Japan: EMI Music Japan. 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "AI 、新作アルバム『MORIAGARO』7/17発売、初回限定　"もりあがろうプライス"2,500円！全国ツアーでAIと一緒にステージに立てる券など豪華抽選特典も封入！" [Ai, new album Moriagaro 7/17 release, first press "Get Down Price" of 2,500 yen! Featuring lottery ticket to go onstage with Ai on her all Japan tour!]. PR Times (in Japanese). Barks. July 4, 2013. Retrieved July 4, 2013.
  4. ↑ レコード協会調べ　3月度有料音楽配信認定 [Record Association Investigation: March Digital Music Download Certifications]. RIAJ (in Japanese). April 19, 2013. Retrieved April 19, 2013.
  5. ↑ ＡＩのシングル売り上げランキング [Ai's single sales ranking] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved July 4, 2013.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "最新アルバム「MORIAGARO」が更に盛り上がる豪華2枚組となって「MOTTO MORIAGARO」発売決定!!" [Ai's new album Moriagaro to be released again as a super moriagaru 2CD set Motto Moriagaro] (in Japanese). Ai Music. September 26, 2013. Retrieved September 29, 2013.
  7. ↑ "GOTTA GET MINE feat.BRIDGET KELLY（JP/Short Ver.）" (in Japanese). Space Shower. Retrieved July 4, 2013.
  8. ↑ "HANABI" (in Japanese). Space Shower. Retrieved July 4, 2013.
  9. ↑ "MY PLACE（Short Ver.）" (in Japanese). Space Shower. Retrieved July 4, 2013.
  10. ↑ "sogood（AI Ver.）" (in Japanese). Space Shower. Retrieved July 4, 2013.
  11. ↑ "2013年07月17日のCDアルバムデイリーランキング" [July 17, 2013 CD Album Daily Ranking] (in Japanese). Oricon. July 19, 2013. Archived from the original on July 19, 2013. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  12. 1 2 "オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」" [Oricon Ranking Information Service "You Big Tree"]. Oricon. Retrieved November 26, 2013. (subscription only)
  13. ↑ "CDアルバム月間ランキング" [CD albums Monthly Ranking] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on September 4, 2013. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
  14. ↑ "MORIAGARO/Ai" (in Japanese). Tsutaya. Retrieved July 4, 2013.
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