It's All Me, Vol. 1 is the first extended play by Japanese-American singer-songwriter Ai. It was released on July 8, 2020, through EMI Records. Primarily recorded in Los Angeles, the EP was preceded by the release of five digital singles, including the lead single "Summer Magic".
Background
To celebrate her twenty-year anniversary in the music industry and the then upcoming 2020 Summer Olympics, Ai began production for an album in 2019. Additionally, a greatest hits album, Kansha!!!!! – Thank You for 20 Years New and Best, was released by EMI on November 6, 2019, which included tracks previously not available in countries outside of Asia and new material.
The EP's first single, "Summer Magic", was released in May 2019. "Summer Magic" gained attention in Japan following a poster advertisement of the song on display at Shinjuku Station. The advertisement featured a screenshot of a search engine result of "Ai", with artificial intelligence being the top result while a cut-off photo of Ai herself is at the bottom of the query. "Summer Magic" was later used as a commercial tie-in for the Amazon Echo. The second single, "You Never Know", was released in August 2019, featuring Taiwanese group MJ116. The third single, "I'm Coming Home", was released in January 2020 and the fourth single, "Good as Gold" in March 2020. The fifth single, "Gift" was released in April 2020.
In May 2020, Ai announced on her social media the title and release date of the EP. Pre-add for Apple Music and Spotify began on June 26, 2020.
Track listing
Personnel Credits adapted from Tidal and album's liner notes.It's All Me, Vol. 1 (CD). Ai. EMI Records/Universal/Def Jam Recordings. 2020. UPCH-29369
Musicians
Ai Carina Uemura – lead vocals, songwriting, production Uta – production, songwriting Rogét Chahayed – production, songwriting Taylor Dexter – production, songwriting Lindy Robbins – songwriting Jenn Morel – featured artist, songwriting Gedrin Joely Morel – featured artist, songwriting Mario Parra – songwriting Dijonn Gary Grizzell – songwriting Silver Age – production Leon Thomas III – songwriting Khris Riddick-Tynes – songwriting The Rascals – production MJ116 – featured artist Vava – producer, composer Mu Yuan Lin – songwriting, vocals Wen Jie Zhou – songwriting, vocals Yu Rong Chen – songwriting, vocals Jin – production Ruri Matsumura – songwriting Futoshi Kawashima – arrangement
Technical
Keisuke Fujimaki – vocal engineering Keisuke Suwa – vocal engineering Shiori Maruoka – vocal engineering Zachary Lin – vocal engineering Mario Parra – vocal engineering D.O.I – mixing Boris Milan – mixing Randy Merrill – mastering Ai Carina Uemura – vocal engineering MJ116 – vocal engineering
Visuals and imagery
Ran Tondabayahsi – art director Yousuke Tsuchida – designer Hiroki Watanabe – photographer Moemi Odo – retouching Ai Carina Uemura – hair, makeup artist Akemi Ono – hair, makeup artist Noriko Gota – stylist Akio Kawabata – design coordination Shuma Saito – design coordination
Charts + Chart performance for It's All Me, Vol. 1Chart (2020)Peak positionJapanese Albums (Oricon)18Japanese Combined Albums (Oricon)27Japanese Digital Albums (Oricon)27Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)20
Release history + Release history and formats for It's All Me, Vol. 1RegionDateFormat(s)VersionLabelVariousJuly 8, 2020StandardJapanCDLimited
Notes
References