Mai Shiraishi

Mai Shiraishi is a Japanese actress, model, YouTuber, and former idol singer. Born on August 20, 1992, she is widely recognized as a first-generation member of the Japanese idol girl group Nogizaka46. She has also established a career in fashion modeling, serving as an exclusive model for the magazines LARME and Ray.

After graduating from high school, Shiraishi attended music college with the goal of becoming a singer. While studying there, one of her teachers persuaded her to audition for Nogizaka46, an official rival group to AKB48. She successfully passed the audition and was accepted as a first-generation member on August 21, 2011.

Shiraishi made her musical debut on Nogizaka46's first single, "Guruguru Curtain," released on February 22, 2012, and returned for their second single, "Oide Shampoo." She launched her modeling career at the Girls Award 2012 Autumn/Winter event alongside bandmate Nanase Nishino. On March 23, 2013, she became the youngest model for the Shufonotomo-issued fashion magazine Ray.

Her profile expanded in 2013 through television appearances, including Count Down TV and Uma Zuki!. She became a permanent presenter on Uma Zuki! in January 2013 and on Bachi Bachi Elekiteru in April 2013. On July 3, 2013, Shiraishi took over the center position for Nogizaka46's sixth single, "Girl's Rule," from Rina Ikoma. She later held the center position for their twentieth single, "Synchronicity," released on April 25, 2018, which sold 1,116,852 copies in its first week.

Shiraishi was the first Nogizaka46 member to publish a solo photo book, holding an event for "Seijun na Otona Shiraishi Mai" on December 17, 2014. Her second photo book, "Mai Style," was published on January 23, 2015, ranking fourth on Oricon's general book list and first in the photobook category after selling 19,000 copies in its first week. Her third solo photo book, "Passport," released on February 7, 2017, was reprinted twenty times and reached a total printing volume exceeding 310,000 copies by June 2018.

In addition to her music and print work, Shiraishi acted in a supporting role in the September 2016 film "Ushijima the Loan Shark 3." In the first half of 2018, she recorded the highest number of television commercial appearances among any tarento in Japan.

On January 9, 2020, Shiraishi announced her graduation from Nogizaka46 following the release of the group's twenty-fifth single, "Shiawase no Hogoshoku." A farewell performance at the Tokyo Dome planned for May was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and was later held as a livestreamed event on October 28, 2020.

In August 2020, she launched her official YouTube channel, titled "My Channel." By August 2021, the channel had grown to reach 1.35 million subscribers.