Ai Nakajima held a free live concert for her return with an audience of 1,000 people!

On December 11, 2016, "TADAIMA", a free live performance by Ai Nakajima, aka "Mamegu", was held at the church square of Venus Fort in Odaiba. After an absence of about 3 years, Mamegu appeared in front of fans and performed 5 songs including "Watashi no Sekai", the first single of her comeback. The fans responded to her unchanged voice with loud cheers. We report on the live performance, which was filled with a mood of celebration!

I'm back, I'm Ai Nakajima!

On December 1, 2016, Ai Nakajima, aka "Mamegu," announced the resumption of her activities as a voice actress and singer. This was sudden good news for fans who had been waiting for her return after 3 years since her sudden hiatus.
This was followed by a free live concert "TADAIMA (I'm home)" on December 11. About 1,000 fans gathered at the church square of Odaiba Venus Fort and cheered loudly when Mamegu appeared on stage in a white costume with a smile on her face.

The live started with "Arigato (Thank you)," her last single before her hiatus. After the song, Mamegu smiled and said, "Thank you," to which many audience members said, "Welcome back.
I'm back, I'm Ai Nakajima," Mamegu said, bowing deeply.

Mamegu hadn't sung in front of an audience since her last live "Thank You" on March 20, 2014. However, with her unchanged smile and gentle singing voice, she immediately won the hearts of her fans. Venus Fort is a memorable place where she first performed as "Ranka Lee = Ai Nakajima. I cried as soon as I came out on stage," she recalls fondly.

The second song was "Hoshinanchu (Interstellar Flight)," the debut single of Ai Nakajima. At live performances, it is a standard practice to sing the chorus "Kira☆" with the audience, and that too was revived for the first time in about three years. After the song was over, the band went on to the third song, "TRY UNITE! The audience danced nimbly to the up-tempo rhythm.

I will never forget this view I saw today!

In the next MC session, she reiterated her feelings that led to her hiatus and her desire to return to the stage.
The time I spent as an artist and voice actor was fulfilling, but it exceeded the capacity of my body and feelings, and I decided to make the decision to take a hiatus. I thought it was naive to want to return to the stage since it was my own decision, but with the support of many people, including staff, family, and friends, I was able to come back to this stage.
I would like to continue my activities for all of you who continue to want to see Ai Nakajima."

The fourth song she performed was "Tenshi ni naritai (I want to be an angel)," her debut single under the name Ai Nakajima and "another starting point for me.
After finishing the song, she sang, "This has been an important day for me. Thank you very much." She bowed deeply to express her gratitude to the audience.

The last song of the live was of course a new song, "Watashi no Sekai," the ending theme of the TV anime "Kazatsu," which will start in January 2017 and will be released on CD on February 15.
This is the first time the song will be performed on stage. The song is a bouncy pop number that is appropriate for "Kazenatsu," a story about a band, and is full of energy that encourages Mamegu to start over again.

I will never forget this view I saw today!"
Mamegu was all smiles from start to finish. At the end, she said to the fans who had lined up for the numbered tickets, "Thank you for coming so early in the morning. Please take a warm bath tonight. Promising to be active from the beginning of the new year, the 40-minute free live concert came to an end.

After the live, it was announced on their official website that they would hold an event to celebrate the release of their single "Watashi no Sekai" and appear in the TV anime "Kazatsu" episode 1 advance screening and cast/artist talk show.

Ai Nakajima Profile

Megumi Nakajima / Born on June 5. Born in Ibaraki Prefecture.
She won the role of Ranka Lee, one of the heroines of the anime "Macross F", in an audition, and released "Hoshinanchu" on June 25, 2008, as Ranka Lee = Ai Nakajima. On June 25, 2008, she made her debut as an artist.
On January 28, 2009, she released the single "Tenshi ni naritai (I want to be an angel)" as the first single under the name of Ai Nakajima. Since then, she has sung theme songs for anime productions such as "Tamayura" series, "Rinne no Lagrange", and "Kotoura-san", etc. She has released 9 singles and 3 full albums.
She has been inactive since March 2014, but returned with the single "Watashi no Sekai" released in February 2017.

(Reporting and writing by Takashi Suzuki)