The album was recorded over a period of seven months in Los Angeles , New York City and Tokyo . The bulk of the album was recorded at Eagle Rock , Los Angeles . " Letter in the Sky " was recorded in Hollywood , and " Happiness , " " Yume no Mukou " and " Utsukushiki Mono " were recorded in Tokyo . Ai felt that moving to a new label was a chance to refresh her music . In the album sessions , Ai felt challenged in many ways . " Dance Together , " an electronic song , was something she had never thought of making , as she previously thought she did not enjoy the genre . Ai considered " Utsukushiki Mono " as the most vocally challenging song she had recorded . She used much more of her falsetto range on the album than in previous works . The lyrics of the album were more " heartfelt " than her previous albums , in particular " One Love " and " Happiness . " " Happiness " was written with the feelings and mindset Ai had in the aftermath of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
Independent (Ai album)