is the eleventh studio album by Japanese-American singer-songwriter Ai. It was released on June 7, 2017, through

EMI Records EMI Records (formerly EMI Records Ltd.) is a British multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was originally founded as a British flagship label by the music company EMI in 1972, and launched in January 1973 as the succes ...

, as a

double album A double album (or double record) is an audio album that spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically either records or compact disc. A double album is usually, though not always, released as such because the recording ...

. Wanting to express both her American and Japanese background, Ai recorded the ''Wa'' disc in Japanese with traditional Japanese sensibilities while the ''Yo'' disc was recorded in English with R&B and hip hop influences.

Background

After the release of '' Moriagaro'' in 2013, Ai was engaged to Hiro, the leader and vocalist of the rock band Kaikigesshoku. The pair had been dating for 10 years, and wed in January 2014. In August 2015, Ai gave birth to her first child. In November 2015,

EMI EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At t ...

released a greatest hits album, '' The Best''. A deluxe version was released in 2016. ''Wa to Yo'' was first teased on Ai's YouTube channel on April 20, 2017.

Development

Wanting to "convey the goodness of Japan" to the rest of the world and "the goodness of the overseas to Japanese people", Ai collaborated with several producers, artists and songwriters from both Japan and the west coast. The album combines traditional Japanese instruments with modern western genres. Majority of the songs on the album were used in commercial tie-ins, such as "Feel It", which was used by Japanese fashion brand Global Work. In a 2017 interview with

The Japan Times ''The Japan Times'' is Japan's largest and oldest English-language daily newspaper. It is published by , a subsidiary of News2u Holdings, Inc. It is headquartered in the in Kioicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo. History ''The Japan Times'' was launched by ...

, Ai explained Japanese record labels found her sound "too American" at the start of her career. She further added she loved "both (sides)" of her Japanese and American background equally. Regarding the lyricism of ''Wa to Yo'', Ai described the ''Yo'' disc as "sexier, and has more love songs" compared to the ''Wa'' disc. In an interview with her record label, Ai stated majority of the English songs from the ''Yo'' disc were recorded during her

Atlantic City Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of the Atlantic City- Hammonton metropolitan sta ...

session, originally intended for her tenth studio album, ''Moriagaro''.

Release and promotion

The album was released on June 7, 2017. Unlike most physical releases in Japan, no first press editions bundles were included. In promotion of the album, Ai embarked on the Wa to Yo Tour. A video album was released containing footage from the tour in June 2018.

Singles

Two singles were released from ''Wa to Yo''. The lead single " Justice Will Prevail at Last" was released a month prior to the album's release. The song served as the theme song for the Japanese drama ''Emergency Interrogation Room''. "Justice Will Prevail at Last" failed to enter Japanese charts until the release of ''Wa to Yo'', debuting and peaking at number 74 on the ''

Billboard Japan ''Billboard Japan'' is a sister organization of the U.S.-based music magazine '' Billboard''. It is operated by the Japanese Osaka-based company Hanshin Contents Link (a subsidiary of Hanshin Electric Railway), holding an exclusive licence fr ...

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...

''. Within the same month of ''Wa to Yo'' being released, Ai announced she would be providing a new song featuring Japanese comedian Naomi Wantanabe for the Japanese comedy show ''Kanna-san!''. The song, " Kira Kira", was later serviced to Japanese radio and released digitally shortly after. "Kira Kira" was a commercial success in Japan, peaking at number 19 on the ''Billboard Japan'' Hot 100 and being nominated for the Grand Prix award at the 59th Japan Record Awards.

Critical reception

Patrick ST. Michel of the Japan Times gave Wa to Yo a positive review, noting how well the ''Wa'' and ''Yo'' disc connects "despite its two distinctive sides". He added that part of the ''Wa'' disc falls short when it "embraces a staple of J-pop ''–'' the ballad."

Track listing

All tracks written by Ai Uemura except where noted. Deluxe edition

Notes

* The deluxe reissue of ''Wa to Yo'' is titled ''Wa to Yo to''. * "Wonderful World" samples "Kamigami no Uta" by Himekami. * Tracks 4, 7, 12, 15, and 16 are titled in Japanese. * Tracks 5, 8, 9 and 11 of disc two are stylized in all upper case lettering. * Tracks 4 and 7 of disc two are stylized in all upper case lettering.

Charts

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from album's

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or cassette j-cards. Origin Liner notes are descended from the prog ...

.''Wa to Yo'' (CD). Ai. EMI Records/Universal/Def Jam Recordings. 2017. UPCH-20451/2. * Ai Carina Uemura – lead vocals, songwriting, producer * Uta – producer, songwriting * Julian Le – producer, songwriting * Gakushi – producer, songwriting * Da Beatfreakz – producer * Tha Gutbangaz – co–producer * Taji Okuda – vocal editing *

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. A Pop music, pop and hip-hop-influenced contemporary R&B, R&B musician who works in a variety of genres, he has been called the "Honorific nic ...

– featured artist, songwriting * Eric Bellinger – featured artist, songwriting * Junior Reid – featured artist, songwriting * Jinmenusagi – featured artist, songwriting * Himekami – featured artist, sound production, songwriting * Victoria Emily Hogan Marshal – songwriting * Matthew "Damario" Quinney – songwriting * Carlos "Los" Jenkins – songwriting * Uche Ben Eble – songwriting * Obi Fred Eble – songwriting * Keisuke Fujimaki – vocal editing * Yoshinori Morita – vocal editing * Satoshi Yoneda – vocal editing * Sayaka Ogoshi – vocal editing * Tomoe Nishikawa – vocal editing * Black the Beast – producer, vocal editing, mixing * Don City – producer, vocal editor, mixing * Neeraj Khajanchi – vocal editing * Hitoshi Sato – vocal editing * D.O.I – mixing * Tyrone Wright – songwriting * Victoria Kimani – songwriting * Issa – songwriting * Derrick D. Beck – songwriting, producer * Arin Ray – songwriting * Vincent Berry – songwriting * Joshua Berry – songwriting * Jamal Gaines – songwriting * Anthony Charles Williams II – songwriting * Ty Steez – songwriting * Vakseen – songwriting, producer * Alex Geringas – songwriting, producer * Samantha Nelson – songwriting * Latisha Hyman – songwriting * David Claxton – songwriting * Lynne Hobday – songwriting * Donameche Jackson – songwriting * Seiichi Watanabe – A&R (

) * Daisuke Fujikawa – marketing * Yoko Tsunashima – marketing * Kimiko Kato – sales promotion ( Universal) * Kotaro Suzuki – media promotion * Norio Eguchi – media promotion * Mika Mitsumochi – media promotion * Masayoshi Abe – media promotion * Mitsuru Sekiya – media promotion * Rie Deguchi – media promotion * Sae Yamamoto – media promotion * Takeshi Okada – digital & web promotion * Sayaka Abe – digital & web promotion * Yoshiaki Ando – digital & web promotion * Mina Hosojima – digital & web promotion * Runa Hayasaka – digital & web promotion * Takeshi Okada – digital & web promotion * Yuka Tsukada – digital production * Yuka Sato – digital production * Masao Eto – area promotion * Shintaro Ishihara – area promotion * Sayoko Okuno – legal * Yukari Kuwahara – legal * Aiichiro Kiyohara – UM & brands * Nobuo Kobayashi – UM & brands * Akihito Watanabe – master localization * Taku Nakamura – project producer * Naoshi Fujikura – supervisor * Koichi Sakakibara – manager * Yuki Arai – executive producer * Kate Moross – art director * Ina Jang – photographer * Akemi Ono – makeup artist, hair artist * Noriko Goto – stylist * Risa Nakazawa – visual coordinator * Shuma Saito – package coordinator * Akio Kawabata – package coordinator *

Randy Merrill Randy Merrill is an American mastering engineer who has worked with international artists including Blink-182, DAY6, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Maroon 5, Harry Styles, One Direction, Adele, Imagine Dragons, Beck, Liam Gallagher, Jonas Brothers, Muse ...

– mastering * Tom Coyne – mastering

Release history

Notes

References

External links

''Wa to Yo'' Special Site
* {{Authority control 2017 albums Ai (singer) albums 2010s concept albums 2010s Japanese-language albums EMI Records albums Albums produced by Ai (singer)