Born on 9 September 1982 in Osaka, Japanese multi-hyphenate Ai Ōtsuka has juggled multiple roles as a singer, songwriter, radio personality, and actor since the early 2000s. After learning the piano at a young age, she set her sights on writing and composing music as a teenager before entering the professional music arena in 2003 with her debut single, "Momo no Hanabira." The success of the track, which peaked at number 24 on Japan's Oricon chart, laid the foundation for her future music career and paved the way for her second single "Sakuranbo," released in 2003 and used as the ending theme for the TV show Mecha-Mecha Iketeru! The track ultimately became one of Japan's best-selling singles of 2004. Her debut album Love Punch arrived in 2004 on Avex Trax and went to number three in Japan. Over subsequent years, Ai Ōtsuka went on to amass a string of successful albums, including three consecutive chart-toppers: Love Jam (2004), Love Cook (2005)—propelled by the hit single "Planetarium"—and Love Piece (2007). She took a six-year break following the release of Love Letter in 2008, returning with Love Fantastic in 2014 and its successor, Love Tricky, in 2015. Following the release of her eighth studio album, Love Honey, in 2017, she took another short break between records before returning in 2021 with Love Pop. In 2023, Ai Ōtsuka released Marble, which charted at number 73 in Japan.
