The Best (Ai album)

The Best is the second greatest hits album by Japanese-American singer-songwriter Ai, released on November 25, 2015, by EMI Records. It primarily features songs that were released as singles from her studio albums, including "Story" from Mic-a-holic Ai (2005), "Happiness" from Independent (2012), "Dear Mama" from Moriagaro (2013), and a solo cover version of K'naan's "Wavin' Flag (Coca-Cola Celebration Mix)". A deluxe version of the album was released in May 2016, which included "Minna ga Minna Eiyū" and other previously released songs from 2004 Ai (2004) and What's Goin' On Ai (2006).

The album sold over 121,000 copies since its release, receiving a Gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ). On the Oricon charts, the album debuted at number 3, charting for 118 weeks. On the Billboard Japan charts, the album debuted and peaked at number 2.

Background and release

In early 2015, Ai posted on Twitter revealing she was pregnant with her first child. Later that year in September, Ai shared the birth announcement of her child, a baby girl. She revealed she would be releasing a greatest hits album alongside a concert tour, The Best Tour. In October, the album cover was shared online along with a special website created by Universal Music Japan. Subsequently, a release date was revealed alongside the full track listing.

Promotion

Ai embarked on her tenth concert tour, The Best Tour, in promotion of the album. According to Billboard Japan, 130,000 people in total attended the tour. In 2017, Ai released a DVD and Blu-ray featuring footage from the tour. The video album was released on the same day as her eleventh studio album, Wa to Yo.

A new music video for "Story" was released prior to the album's release featuring sand art by Ai's cousin.

Commercial performance

Commercially, The Best charted strongly upon release in Japan. Selling over 121,000 copies, the album sold more copies than her previous two studio albums, Independent (2012), and Moriagaro (2013) combined. The album debuted and peaked at number 3 on the Oricon Albums Chart and number 2 on the Billboard Japan Hot Albums chart.