Yui Aragaki Gained A Large Fanbase In And Out Of Japan

Yui Aragaki (新垣結衣, Aragaki Yui, born June 11, 1988) is a Japanese model, actress, singer, seiyū and occasional radio show host of Ryukyuan ancestry. She is a well-loved Japanese idol.
Because of her fashion sense and logical personality, she gained a large fanbase in and out of Japan. Her beauty, particularly her smile, is well-regarded in her home country. She is also considered as one of Japan's local celebrities who possess beautiful faces.
To date, Aragaki has won five Newcomer awards from various award-giving bodies for the roles she played in each of her three 2007 movies Waruboro, Tokyo Serendipity and Koizora/Sky of Love. Her fifth Newcomer recognition was in honor of her character in the ¥3.6 billion-grossing movie, Sky of Love. The peak of her winning streak was a major award she won from the prestigious Golden Arrow Awards on March 2008; she won the Film prize for acting in three different roles in a year.
Aragaki also made her singing debut in 2007. The ballad called Memories, the theme song for Tokyo Serendipity, marked the beginning of her career as a singer, which was included in her debut album Sora, released on December 5. She also performed her debut performance in Budoukan. Her performance in the said stage made her the third singer to debut in the stadium. Moreover, it is very rare for Japanese artists to release an album before releasing a single.
She has also released two new singles in 2008, Make my day and Akai Ito. Make my Day (released August 2008) was used as the opening theme in the NHK drama Hachi-One Driver, while Akai Ito (released October 2008) is a cover of a song written and performed by Kobukuro during their indie days. Her revival of the song is a collaboration project with the Japanese singing duo Kobukuro, in commemoration of the duo's tenth year anniversary in the Japanese music industry.