2000–2004: Morning Musume and Mini-Moni At age 12, Kago won the 4th National Audition of
Morning Musume held by the
Up-Front Works in 2000. On April 15, she, along with
Rika Ishikawa,
Hitomi Yoshizawa, and
Nozomi Tsuji, were inducted into the idol group Morning Musume as its fourth generation. Their recording debut was in the group's ninth single "
Happy Summer Wedding". Kago and Tsuji's addition to the group received positive critical response. With an increasing fan base, they, along with Morning Musume member
Mari Yaguchi and
Coconuts Musume member
Mika Todd, formed a new subgroup named
Mini-Moni. In addition to this, Kago was also admitted into established subgroup
Tanpopo as a second generation member. From 2001 to 2004 Kago participated in the annual
Hello! Project shuffle units (3-nin Matsuri in 2001, Happy 7 in 2002, Salt5 in 2003, and H.P. All Stars in 2004).
2004–2007: W In August 2004, Kago and Tsuji graduated from Morning Musume together after Mini-Moni began their indefinite hiatus. Under orders from her agency, Kago spent the remainder of the year "
grounded" at her family's residence in Nara, "self-reflecting". During this time, she was not allowed to have contact with Tsuji or any other girls from her agency. She was caught smoking again during her probation period. In early 2007, Up-Front Works reported that they were working on her comeback. On 23 January 2007, Kago had moved to Tokyo and started helping at the agency's office. On the same day, Yūkichi Kawaguchi, the director of Up-Front Works, issued a statement announcing that she had been dismissed from the agency. Kago herself later revealed that she had actually not gone to New York, but rather to Los Angeles for three months because she felt like a criminal in Japan. During her stay, she met people who encouraged her, including
Winona Ryder, and was able to reflect on her situation. She also considered suicide and cut her wrists. Kago made a well-publicized return to the entertainment industry in 2008 with plans of pursuing an acting career. During 2009, Kago also focused on rebuilding her music career. On June 24, 2009, she released her first solo single "No HesitAtIon" [sic] on
independent record label In Da Groove. On February 16, 2010, she held her first jazz concert at bar JZ Brat in Tokyo. Kago's first jazz album,
Ai Kago meets Jazz: The First Door, was released on March 31, 2010 through
P-Vine Records and
Avex Marketing. In August 2010 she was invited to perform at music festival
Summer Sonic.
2011–present: Personal struggles and Girls Beat!! Throughout the second half of 2010, Kago became unhappy with the direction of her work. Around the same time, she began dating restaurant owner Haruhiko Ando, who acted as a go-between for her agency and herself. Since beginning a relationship with Ando, Kago cancelled several jobs at the last minute, causing her agency to suspend her activities. Despite this, she participated in a live performance and opened a separate blog without permission. Kago parted ways with R&A Promotions in November 2010 despite her contract ending in March 2013. As a response, in 2011, Kazuyuki Ito, president of Mainstream (an associate of R&A Promotions), declared that the agency planned on suing for in damages for contract violations. During that time, Kago's career was also derailed by her personal life. After spending 2012 out of the public eye with the birth of her daughter, Minami, Kago transferred to a new agency in 2013. Planning to revive her music career, she formed an idol group, which was later named Girls Beat!! The group would be crowd-sourced using lyrics, music, and costume ideas submitted by fans. Remi Kita and Ryona Himeno were recruited as the other two members after passing the auditions. Girls Beat!! released their first single, "Sekai Seifuku" on July 22, 2014. Their activities were abruptly put on hold when an arrest warrant was put out for Ando in October on suspicions of loaning money at illegal interest rates. Kago later filed for divorce, planning to continue activities once the divorce was finalized. Although Kago was eventually successful in doing so, in August 2015, her contract with her agency expired, though she continued activities with Girls Beat!! in November. On February 29, 2016, she graduated from the group. ==Personal life==