Biography
Who is Mai Shiraishi?
Early life and career beginnings
Mai Shiraishi was born in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. Following her high school graduation, she enrolled in music college with the goal of becoming a singer. A teacher encouraged her to try out for the idol group Nogizaka46.
She joined the group as a first-generation member on August 21, 2011. This group served as an official rival to AKB48. She debuted with the group on their first single, Guruguru Curtain, released in early 2012. She continued to perform with the group on their second single, Oide Shampoo.
Rise to fame and modeling work
Her modeling career took off after participating in the Girls Award 2012 Autumn/Winter event alongside Nanase Nishino. By March 2013, she became the youngest model for the fashion magazine Ray. This role secured her status in the Japanese fashion industry.
Mai Shiraishi also achieved popularity through television appearances. She became a permanent presenter on the show Uma Zuki! Starting in early 2013. Also, she joined the Bachi Bachi Elekiteru program in April 2013. Her presence in media grew rapidly during this period.
Nogizaka46 success and solo projects
She served as the center performer for the Nogizaka46 single Girl's Rule, released in July 2013. This marked a significant milestone as she took over the center position from Rina Ikoma. She later held the center spot again for the 2018 single Synchronicity, which sold over one million copies in its first week.
Shiraishi also achieved success with her solo photo books. Her first book, Seijun na Otona Shiraishi Mai, launched in December 2014, making her the first member of her group to publish a solo photo book. Her second book, Mai Style, was released in January 2015 and performed well on the Oricon charts. Her third book, Passport, was published in February 2017 and saw immense commercial success with over 310,000 copies printed by June 2018.
Recent career and YouTube
In 2016, she appeared in a supporting role for the film Ushijima the Loan Shark 3. By 2018, she led all other Japanese television personalities in the number of commercial appearances. She announced her departure from Nogizaka46 in early 2020.
Her farewell performance was originally planned for May 2020 at the Tokyo Dome but faced delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The event was eventually held via livestream on October 28, 2020. That same year, she launched her personal YouTube channel, My Channel, which gathered over 1.35 million subscribers by August 2021.
Birthday and age
Mai Shiraishi was born on August 20, 1992, which makes Mai 34 years old today. That birthday falls under the Leo sign. Mai shares the date with 33 other famous people.
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