Chisato Okai

Chisato Okai (岡井 千聖, Okai Chisato) (born June 21, 1994, in Saitama, Japan)[1][2] is a former Japanese pop singer, actress, model, and television personality. She first gained recognition when she joined Hello! Project Kids and later became one of the main vocalists of the Japanese idol girl group Cute which she joined in 2005 and engaged in until 2017.

Chisato Okai
岡井 千聖
Chisato Okai at Japan Expo 2014
Born (1994-06-21) June 21, 1994
Saitama, Japan
Occupation
Musical career
Genres
Years active2002-2020
Labels
Associated acts
WebsiteHello! Project.com

Career

2002–2005: Hello! Project Kids

In 2002, Okai auditioned for Hello! Project Kids with the song "Country Road" by Yoko Honna. Her audition tape was aired on Morning Musume's variety show Hello! Morning.[3] She was placed in the group with fourteen other girls.[4] In the same year, she appeared in the movie Koinu Dan no Monogatari.[5][6]

2005-2017: Cute
Main article: Cute (Japanese idol group)

In 2004, Berryz Kobo was created with the intention of rotating all of the members of Hello! Project Kids to make time for school,[7] but the idea was later scrapped, and the remaining girls who were not chosen were re-branded under the name Cute on June 11, 2005.[8]

In September 2007, Okai was added to a new unit called Athena & Robikerottsu with Risa Niigaki, Aika Mitsui, and Saki Nakajima. They sang the opening and ending theme songs for the A-1 Pictures anime Robby & Kerobby. The unit was effectively disbanded in March 2008, entering into an indefinite hiatus when the series ended.

In 2009, Okai joined a newly formed unit called Tanpopo#, a revival of former Hello! Project unit Tanpopo, with Eri Kamei, Yurina Kumai, and Aika Mitsui.

On November 9, 2010, a solo video of Okai performing the dance to Cute's then-latest single "Dance de Bakōn" was released on the group's official YouTube channel. The video received more than 100,000 views in two days,[9] and had received over 1.2 million views by May 2011.[10] Following the video's success, more solo "dance-cover" videos of Okai were uploaded, including her cover of Aya Matsuura's song "Love Namidairo", which was released on iTunes on November 27 as Okai's first digital single.[11] Her first solo live event, "Chisato Okai (Cute) Solo Live 2011 Vol.1: Kaisha de Odotte Mita!!" was held on January 25, 2011, at Pacific Heaven.[12] A CD containing Okai's cover of Miki Fujimoto's "Romantic Ukare Mode", with "Love Namidairo" as the coupling track, was sold exclusively at the venue of her second solo live, but was also released digitally as part of Hello! Project's Hello Cover series.

In August 2016, Cute announced plans to disband in June 2017.[13] Okai expressed interest in becoming a television personality on variety shows following disbandment.[14]

Personal life

Okia announced in April 2019 that she would be taking time off from all entertainment activities. She noted that she had been in entertainment for 17 years, and sought to experience life from outside of the industry.[15]

Okai's sister, Asuna Okai, was a member of Hello Pro Egg.

Discography
For Chisato Okai's releases with Cute, see Cute discography.

Singles
Title Year Peak position Sales Album
JPN
"Love Namidairo" 2010 — — Digital single
"Egao ni Namida (Thank You! Dear My Friends)" 2010 — — Digital single
"Manatsu no Kōsen" 2010 — — Digital single
"Romantic Ukare Mode" 2011 — — Indie single
"Furusato" 2011 — — Digital single
"Oolong High no Onna"[16] 2017 — — Digital single

Digital albums
  • Okai Chisato Solo Collection Vol. 2 (2012)

Other solo songs
  • Tokai no Neon ga Odoroku Kurai no Utsukushisa ga Hoshii (都会のネオンが驚くくらいの美しさがほしい) (February 2, 2012)
  • Kimi wa Jitensha Watashi wa Densha de Kitaku (君は自転車　私は電車で帰宅) (Cute cover) (April 18, 2012)
  • Kanashiki Heaven (Okai Part Version) (悲しきヘブン) (April 18, 2013)

Appearances

Movies
  • Koinu Dan no Monogatari (仔犬ダンの物語, "Puppy Dan's Story") (December 14, 2002)
  • Hotaru no Hoshi (ほたるの星) (June 5, 2004)
  • Ōsama Game (王様ゲーム) (December 17, 2011) as Kaori Maruoka
  • Gomennasai (ゴメンナサイ) (2011)

TV series
  • Tokusō Shirei! Aichi Police (特捜指令！アイチ★ポリス) (2011) as Mai
  • Sūgaku♥Joshi Gakuen (数学♥女子学園) (2012)

TV shows
  • Hello! Morning (ハロー! モーニング) (2002–2007)
  • Haromoni@ (ハロモニ@) (2007–2008)
  • Berikyǖ! (ベリキュー!) (2008)
  • Yorosen! (よろセン!) (2008–2009)
  • Bijo Gaku (美女学) (2010–2011)
  • Hello Pro! Time (ハロプロ！ＴＩＭＥ) (2011–2012)
  • Hello! Satoyama Life (ハロー！ＳＡＴＯＹＡＭＡライフ) (2012–2013)
  • GOGO! Smile! (ゴゴスマ) (2013–?)

Other

Theatrical plays
  • 34 Chōme no Kiseki-HERE'S LOVE- (34丁目の奇跡 -HERE'S LOVE-, "Miracle on 34th Street: Here's Love") (November 27 — December 28, 2004)
  • 1974 (Ikunayo) (1974(イクナヨ)) (March 17–22, 2011)
  • Stronger (ストロンガー) (2012)
  • Theater in The Round (青山円形劇場) (2012)
  • Sakura no Hanataba (さくらの花束) (2013) as Mei Koyamada

Solo events
  • Chisato Okai (Cute) Solo Live 2011 Vol.1: Kaisha de Odotte Mita!! (岡井千聖（℃-ute）Solo Live 2011 Vol.1〜会社で踊ってみた!!〜, "... Dance Covers at Work!!") (January 25–26, 2011)
  • Chisato Okai (Cute) Solo Live 2011 Vol.2: Hanzōmon de Odotte Mita!! (岡井千聖（℃-ute）Solo Live 2011 Vol.2〜半蔵門で踊ってみた!!〜, "... Dance Covers at Hanzōmon!!") (February 13–14, 2011)

YouTube

Photobooks
No. Title Release date
1 Chisato" (千聖)
  • 1st solo photobook
 December 24, 2010

Digital photobooks
  • Alo-Hello! C-ute (Chisa Version) (アロハロ！℃-ute)) (October 5, 2010)
  • Cutest (Chisa Version) (March 6, 2012)
  • Alo-Hello! C-ute 2012 (Chisa Version) (アロハロ！℃-ute 2012)) (October 22, 2012)

Solo DVDs
No. Title Release date
1 Chissā (ちっさー) December 24, 2010
2 IMP. GIRL December 9. 2011

References
  1. "℃-uteメンバープロフィール > 岡井 千聖" (in Japanese). Up Front Works. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  2. "Up-Front Works" 岡井千聖 (in Japanese). Up Front Works. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  3. ハロー!モーニング。 (in Japanese). June 30, 2002. TV Tokyo.
  4. ハロープロジェクト・キッズ (in Japanese). Hello! Project. Archived from the original on November 26, 2005. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  5. 仔犬ダンの物語 東映ビデオ株式会社 (in Japanese). Toei Video. Retrieved June 20, 2017.
  6. "テレビ東京 CINEMA STREET / 仔犬ダンの物語/ミニモニTHEムービーお菓子な大冒険" (in Japanese). TV Tokyo. Retrieved June 20, 2017.
  7. ハロプロ史上最年少グループ「Ｂｅｒｒｙｚ工房」誕生 (in Japanese). ZAKZAK. January 15, 2004. Archived from the original on September 6, 2012. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  8. "つんく♂から「℃-ute（キュート）」に関してコメント" (in Japanese). Hello! Project Official Site. June 13, 2005. Archived from the original on September 23, 2012. Retrieved May 8, 2012.
  9. "℃-ute千聖の"踊ってみた"が話題沸騰「また挑戦したい」" (in Japanese). November 11, 2011. Retrieved May 16, 2011.
  10. "Danceでバコーン！を踊ってみた 【岡井千聖（本人）】". Retrieved May 16, 2011.
  11. "LOVE涙色岡井千聖(℃-ute)" (in Japanese). Retrieved May 16, 2011.
  12. "FC限定「岡井千聖（℃-ute）Solo Live 2011 Vol.1～会社で踊ってみた!!～」受付のお知らせ" (in Japanese). Retrieved May 16, 2011.
  13. Up Front Link (August 19, 2016). "[EN] Announcement concerning ℃-ute". Facebook. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  14. Chisato Okai (May 27, 2017). 今後について。岡井ちゃん (in Japanese). Ameba Blogs. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  15. kame (April 28, 2019). "Okai Chisato is taking a break from all entertainment activities". Kimi.Kame. Retrieved July 29, 2019.
  16. "ウーロンハイの女" (in Japanese). Up Front Works. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
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