Mai Shiraishi

Mai Shiraishi (白石 麻衣, Shiraishi Mai, born 20 August 1992 in Gunma) is a Japanese actress, model, YouTuber, and a former first generation member of the Japanese idol girl group Nogizaka46.^[3][4] She was an exclusive model for the women's fashion magazines LARME and Ray.^[5][6]

Mai Shiraishi
白石 麻衣
Shiraishi in Taiwan in 2014
Born	(1992-08-20) 20 August 1992 (age 32) Gunma, Japan
Other names	Maiyan (まいやん)[1]
Occupations	Actress model YouTuber
Years active	2011–present
Agent	Nogizaka46.LLC
Height	164 cm (5 ft 5 in)
Musical career
Genres	J-pop
Instrument	Vocals
Years active	2011–2020
Labels	Sony Records/N46Div
Formerly of	Nogizaka46
YouTube information
Channel	my channel
Years active	2020–present
Genre	Vlog
Subscribers	1.37 million[2]
Total views	102 million[2]
Creator Awards 100,000 subscribers 2020 1,000,000 subscribers 2020
Last updated: 4 Sept, 2024
Website	maishiraishi-official.com

Career

After graduating from high school, Shiraishi attended music college as she desired to be a singer. Later on, one of her teachers persuaded her to audition for Nogizaka46.^[7]

Shiraishi's singing career started when she was accepted as one of the first generation members of AKB48's official rival group, Nogizaka46, on 21 August 2011. She was chosen as one of the members performing on the group's debut single "Guruguru Curtain" on 22 February 2012. When Nogizaka46 released their second single "Oide Shampoo", she was once again chosen to perform. Her career as a model started when she participated in Girls Award 2012 Autumn/Winter alongside former Nogizaka46 bandmate Nanase Nishino.^[8]

Shiraishi achieved further popularity when she appeared on the 1 January 2013 episode of Count Down TV^[9] and the 16 March 2013 episode of Uma Zuki!.^[10] Shiraishi has been a permanent presenter on the latter since the 5 January 2013 episode^[10] and Bachi Bachi Elekiteru since the 16 April 2013 episode.^[11]

She became the youngest model for women's fashion magazine Ray, issued by Shufonotomo, since 23 March 2013.^[12]

Shiraishi was chosen as the center position in Nogizaka46 for their sixth single "Girl's Rule", released on 3 July 2013. She took over the center position from Rina Ikoma.^[13]

Shiraishi performing with Nogizaka46 at the Japan Expo held in Paris, France in 2014

On 17 December 2014, Shiraishi held an event for her first photo book, Seijun na Otona Shiraishi Mai. Shiraishi is the first Nogizaka46 member to publish a solo photo book. "I'm happy to be the first one," she said.^[14] Her second photobook, Mai Style, was published on January 23, 2015.^[15] It ranked fourth on the Oricon general book ranking and first in the photobook category selling 19,000 copies in the first week.^[16]

In September 2016, Shiraishi played a supporting role in the film Ushijima the Loan Shark 3.^[17]

On 7 February 2017, her third solo photo book, Passport, was published. It was reprinted twenty times, and the total printing volume exceeded 310,000 copies until June 2018.^[18] Moreover, in the first half of the year 2018, she made the highest number of appearances in television commercials among any other tarento in Japan.^[19]

Shiraishi was in charge of the center position for Nogizaka46's twentieth single "Synchronicity" which was released on 25 April 2018. It sold 1,116,852 copies in the first week.^[20]

On 9 January 2020, Shiraishi announced that she would graduate from Nogizaka46 after the release of their 25th single, "Shiawase no Hogoshoku",^[21] with a farewell performance during the group's Tokyo Dome concert scheduled in May. On 28 April, she announced that this has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[22][23] On 20 August, the performance date was rescheduled for 28 October and was a livestreamed event.^[24]

In August, Shiraishi launched her YouTube channel, called "My Channel" (stylized in all lowercase and a homophone of her given name).^[25] As of August 2021, it has reached 1.35 million subscribers.

Discography

Singles with Nogizaka46

Year	No.	Title	Role	Notes
2012	1	"Guruguru Curtain"	A-side	Debut as 1st Generation member; Also sang on "Nogizaka no Uta", "Aitakatta Kamoshirenai", "Ushinaitakunai kara" and "Shiroi Kumo ni Notte"
	2	"Oide Shampoo"	A-side	Also sang on "Kokoro no Kusuri", "Gūzen o Iiwake ni Shite" and "House!"
	3	"Hashire! Bicycle"	A-side	Also sang on "Sekkachi na Katatsumuri", "Hito wa Naze Hashiru no ka" and "Oto ga Denai Guitar"
	4	"Seifuku no Mannequin"	A-side	Also sang on "Yubi Bōenkyō" and "Shibuya Blues"
2013	5	"Kimi no Na wa Kibō"	A-side	Also sang on "Shakiism", "Romantic Ikayaki", "Shiroi Kumo ni Notte" and "Dekopin"
	6	"Girl's Rule"	A-side, center	Also sang on "Sekai de Ichiban Kodoku na Lover", "Kōmori yo" and "Ningen to Iu Gakki"
	7	"Barrette"	A-side	Also sang on "Tsuki no Ōkisa", "Watashi no Tame ni, Dareka no Tame ni" and "Sonna Baka na…"
2014	8	"Kizuitara Kataomoi"	A-side	Also sang on "Romance no Start", "Toiki no Method" and "Kodoku Kyōdai"
	9	"Natsu no Free & Easy"	A-side	Also sang on "Nani mo Dekizu ni Soba ni Iru" and "Sono Saki no Deguchi"
	10	"Nandome no Aozora ka?"	A-side	Also sang on "Korogatta Kane o Narase!" and "Tender days"
2015	11	"Inochi wa Utsukushii"	A-side	Also sang on "Tachinaorichū"
	12	"Taiyō Nokku"	A-side	Also sang on "Sakanatachi no LOVE SONG" and "Hane no Kioku"
	13	"Ima, Hanashitai Dareka ga Iru"	A-side, center	Shared center position with Nanase Nishino; Also sang on "Popipappapā" and "Kanashimi no Wasurekata"
2016	14	"Harujion ga Sakukoro"	A-side	Also sang on "Kyūshamen"
	15	"Hadashi de Summer"	A-side	Also sang on "Boku Dake no Hikari" and "Offshore Girl" (solo)
	16	"Sayonara no Imi"	A-side	Also sang on "Kodoku na Aozora"
2017	17	"Influencer"	A-side, center	Shared center position with Nanase Nishino; Also sang on "Igai BREAK"
	18	"Nigemizu"	A-side	Also sang on "Onna wa Hitori ja Nemurenai", "Hito Natsu no Nagasa Yori…" and "Naitatte Iijanaika?"
	19	"Itsuka Dekiru kara Kyō Dekiru"	A-side	Also sang on "Fuminshō" and "Māiika?"
2018	20	"Synchronicity"	A-side, center	Also sang on "Against" as 1st Generation member
	21	"Jikochū de Ikō!"	A-side	Also sang on "Soratobira", "Kokoro no Monologue" and "Anna ni Sukidatta no ni…"
	22	"Kaerimichi wa Tōmawari Shitaku Naru"	A-side	Also sang on "Chopin no Usotsuki"
2019	23	"Sing Out!"	A-side	Also sang on "No Yōna Sonzai"
	24	"Yoake Made Tsuyogaranakutemoii"	A-side	Also sang on "Boku no Koto, Shitteru?" and "Boku no Omoikomi"
2020	25	"Shiawase no Hogoshoku"	A-side, center	Last single to participate; Also sang on "Jyāne." which was her graduation song.
	—	"Sekaijū no Rinjin yo"	—	Charity song during the COVID-19 pandemic

Albums with Nogizaka46

Year	No.	Title	Participated song
2015	1	Tōmei na Iro	"Boku ga Iru Basho" "Kakumei no Uma"
2016	2	Sorezore no Isu	"Kikkake" "Taiyō ni Kudokarete" "Kūkikan"
2017	3	Umarete Kara Hajimete Mita Yume	"Skydiving" "Settei Ondo" "Ryūsei Discotic"
2019	4	Ima ga Omoide ni Naru made	"Arigachi na Ren'ai" "Hozue o Tsuite Nemurenai"

Other featured songs

Year	Artist	Title	Albums / Singles
2012	Mayu Watanabe	"Twin Tail wa Mō Shinai"	"Otona Jellybeans"
2016	AKB48	"Mazariau Mono"	"Kimi wa Melody"
2019		"Hitsuzensei"	"Jiwaru Days"

Filmography

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref(s)
2013–16	Umazuki!	Herself	Presenter	[26]
2013	Bachi Bachi Elekiteru	Herself	Presenter	[11]
2014	Kamen Teacher	Akari Hayase		[27]
2015	Hatsumori Bemars	Kirei		[28]
	Burning Flower		Taiga drama	[29]
2016	True Horror Stories: Summer 2016		Short drama	[30]
2017	Kyabasuka Gakuen	Herself	The final episode	[31]
2017–18	UmazuKingdom	Herself	Presenter	[32]
2018	Could Have Done It Committee	Ayako Tsuki		[33]
	Zettai Reido: season 3		Episode 8	[34]
2019	Where Have My Skirts Gone?	Moe Satomi		[35]
2022	Don't Call It Mystery	Anju Inudō		[36]
2023	Kazama Kimichika: Kyojo Zero	Michiko Kanera		[37]
2024	Okura: Cold Case Investigation	Rinko Yuki		[38]

Films

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref(s)
2013	Bad Boys J	Nao Masaki		[39]
2016	Ushijima the Loan Shark 3	Rina Asō		[40]
2017	Asahinagu	Maharu Miyaji		[41]
2020	Stolen Identity 2	Minori Matsuda		[42]
2022	Usogui: Lie Eater	Ranko Kurama		[43]
	Detective Conan: The Bride of Halloween	Erenika Lavrentyeva (voice)		[44]
2023	Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead	Shizuka		[45]
2024	Saint Young Men: The Movie	Benzaiten		[46]
	Stolen Identity: Final Hacking Game	Minori Kagaya		[47]
2025	Under Ninja	Suzuki		[48]

Commercials

Year	Product	Ref(s)
2013	Sony Music Distribution	[49]
	L'est Rose	[50]
	Samantha Thavasa	[51]
2015	Dariya	[52]
2017	Mouse Computer Japan	[citation needed]
	77 Bank CM
	Shiseido
2018	Kagome
	KIRIN

Bibliography

Magazines

• Larme, Tokuma Shoten 2012-, as an exclusive model since 2012^[53]
• Ray, Shufunotomo 1988-, as an exclusive model since 2013^[54]

Photobooks

• Kikan Nogizaka vol.2 Shoka (Tokyo News Service, 12 June 2014), ISBN 9784863364097^[55]
• Seijun na Otona Shiraishi Mai (Gentosha, 10 December 2014), ISBN 9784344026711^[56]
• Mai Style (Shufunotomo, 23 January 2015), ISBN 9784074020980^[15]
• Passport (Kodansha, 7 February 2017), ISBN 9784063528572^[57]