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Namie Amuro

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Namie Amuro

Namie Amuro (安室奈美恵, Amuro Namie, born September 20 1977) is a Japanese pop singer and occasional songwriter. In the Japanese press she was referred to as the "Queen of J-pop" before Ayumi Hamasaki eclipsed her popularity in the mainstream pop scene, now she is the Queen. She was noted in her early years for her Westernized dance music and popularized fashion whose followers came to be nicknamed Amurā (Amurer in English).[1]

Debuting in 1992 as part of the quintet, Super Monkey's, she later debuted solo in 1995 to phenomenal success with producer Tetsuya Komuro. Severing her ties with Komuro in 2001, Amuro has reestablished herself as a R&B artist. Her latest album, PLAY (2007) debuted at #1. [2]She has nine #1 singles, five of which have sold over a million copies.

Biography

Early life

Namie Amuro was born in Naha City, Okinawa, Japan. She is the daughter of Emiko Taira who is Japanese-Italian. Emiko's father's ethnic identity is Japanese. Amuro's parents divorced when she was a toddler; Amuro is the last of three children her mother had with her biological father before their divorce.

Amuro was discovered at age 12 by Masayuki Makino, the president of Okinawa Actors' School, while visiting the school with a friend who was currently enrolled there.[3] When she was 14, he placed her in a group called Super Monkeys along with Minako Ameku, Nanako Takushi, Hisako Arakaki and Anna Makino. They made their major label debut with the double a-side single, "Koi no Cute Beat / Mr. USA" on September 15, 1992 on Toshiba-EMI A year later, along with the other members of the Super Monkeys, Namie moved from her home in Okinawa to the busy city of Tokyo.

1992-1994: Meager beginnings

Amuro started her career within the group Super Monkeys, who throughout their time together suffered several setbacks. Although their debut single peaked within the top 30, subsequent singles failed to match its success. The group also went through several member changes. After their initial debut, Anna Makino left the group. She would be replaced by Rino Nakasone who left the group without recording any material.[4] In 1993, they changed their name from Super Monkey's to Super Monkey's 4 and released the single "Dancing Junk" and "Aishite Masukatto." The group later became regulars on music television program, Pop Jam, as part of the dancing and singing troupe PJG. Between the group, Amuro acted in television dramas and even starred in a children's program called Ponkikies dressed in a rabbit suit.[3] The group changed its name again in 1994 to Namie Amuro with Super Monkey's and released the single, "Paradise Train." It did not chart. Hisako Arakaki left the group soon after the release of the single.

1995-1997: The Amuro boom

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After the departure of Arakaki, Reina Miyauchi and Ritsuko Matsuda replaced her in the group. Back as a quintet the group released the single, "Try Me ~Watashi wo Shinjite~" in January of 1995. A cover of the Eurobeat song "Try Me" by Italian singer Annerly Gordon, the single peaked at #8 in April[5] and was the beginning of her rise to super stardom. Following the success of "Try Me" the group with the newly realized popularity of their lead singer, released the single "Taiyou no Season" in April solely as Namie Amuro. The following month, the remaining members of the Super Monkey's debuted as the group, MAX, on the avex trax label. After a final single and their first album together released in October of that year, the group stopped recording music together. Amuro followed MAX and signed to avex trax releasing the single, "Body Feels Exit" under the wing of super producer Tetsuya Komuro. Komuro actually approached Amuro in 1993 after seeing a commercial the group had starred in.[6] It was through producer Max Matsuura who had produced all of the Super Monkey's final singles that Amuro switched labels and came to be produced by Komuro.

Throughout 1995 and 1996, Amuro accumulated three consecutive #1 million selling singles including "Chase the Chance," "Don't wanna cry," and "You're My Sunshine". Following four successful singles, she released the groundbreaking Sweet 19 Blues (1996) album to massive success selling over 3,000,000. By then Amuro's success had transcended her music into Japanese fashion culture. Her signature tanned skin, dyed hair, miniskirts and boots created a generation of imitators dubbed Amuraa by the media.[3][7][8][9] Amuraa often romanized as Amurer or Amuler. Amuro is often accredited for the creation of Ganguro which is said to be an offspring of the Amura boom.[10]

At the end of 1996, she was nominated for, and won the Grand Prix Award, the highest honor at the Japan Record Awards, (Japan's equivalent to the Grammy's Best Song Award.) for her hit "Don't wanna cry". She is the youngest artist to have won the award.[11]

Amuro began 1997 with her career defining single, "Can You Celebrate?" Released in February, the single sold over 800,000 copies its first week.[12] In 2005, Oricon, Japan's equivalent to America's Billboard charts, recognized the single as the largest selling single from a female artist between 1996 and 2005. After the release of another single "How to be a girl" and a second album, "Concentration 20" Amuro toured Japan's four domes during the summer of that year.

In the fall, Amuro shocked Japan when she announced at a press conference that she was married to Masaharu Maruyama, known as Sam, and was three months pregnant. Sam was already a familiar name to the public as part of the popular group, TRF.[13] At the end of the year she would win the Grand Prix Award again for "Can You Celebrate?" and make her final appearance on Kouhaku Uta Gassen (Kouhaku singing contest) before beginning her one year leave of absence .

1998-2001: Decline

Template:Sound sample box align left Template:Multi-listen start Template:Multi-listen item Template:Multi-listen item Template:Multi-listen item Template:Multi-listen item Template:Multi-listen endTemplate:Sample box end After taking a hiatus for the majority of 1998 to have her child, Amuro returned to the music scene with the single "I Have Never Seen" (1998). She made her first televised appearance on Kouhaku Uta Gassen days later performing a tearful rendition of her hit Can You Celebrate? (1997). On the first week of the Oricon year, the new single debuted at the top position.

As a second single entitled "Respect the Power of Love" (1999), was released on March 17, 1999, news had broken out that Amuro's mother had been slain the same day in Okinawa. Upon hearing the news, Amuro cancelled her promotional schedule and flew back to Okinawa in order to identify her mother's body.[14] A week later, the single debuted at number two breaking a string of consecutive number one hits. A third comeback single, "Toi et Moi" was released in July of that year and was quickly followed by another single, "Something 'bout the Kiss." The latter single featured production by American Hip-hop/R&B producer, Dallas Austin. Austin along with longtime producer, Tetsuya Komuro, would produce her first album since her hiatus Genius 2000 (2000) released in January of 2000. Upon release the album debuted at number one but came short of selling a million copies.

Amuro spent the first half of 2000 touring in support of the Genius 2000 album. She would begin the second half with a single entitled, "Never End" released in July. The single was used as part of the G8 Summit taking place in Okinawa, Japan that year. It was commissioned by late Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi who asked producer Tetsuya Komuro to write a song conveying "a vision of harmony and interaction in the world in the 21st century".[15] Obuchi later asked Amuro to perform the single at the summit.[16] Amuro ended 2000 with a new album entitled, Break the Rules, released in December. The album was a commercial disappointment peaking at number two and selling just 334,520 copes, a sharp decline from her previous album. A double a-side single cut from the Break the Rules album, entitled "Think of Me / No More Tears" was released in January, 2001. It charted in the lower half of the top ten. Amuro went on a national tour to support the album in March and ending in May.

In August, Amuro released the single "Say the Word." For the first time, she took an active role in the production of the song and wrote the lyrics herself. The single also unofficially marked an end to the working relationship between her and longtime producer, Tetsuya Komuro. However, in December she worked with Komuro for the last time on a charity single entitled, "Lovin' It." The charity single featured Hip-hop artist VERBAL of the group m-flo who would later help her make a transition from pop to R&B.

2002-2003: Interim period

In 2002, Namie fully immersed herself into the Japanese R&B scene releasing music in the musical project, Suite Chic. Under the Suite Chic project she collaborated with several of Japan's popular hip hop and R&B artists. They released two singles, an original album and one remix album before ending the project in 2003.

Namie returned to solo activities on her own in 2003 with the single shine more. The subsequent singles Put 'Em Up and So Crazy were produced by American R&B producers Dallas Austin and Full Force respectively. At the end of the year, she released her first original album in three years, Style.

2004-2005: Return to prominence

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From November 29 2003 to May 15 2004 she performed throughout Asia on the Namie Amuro SO CRAZY tour featuring BEST singles 2003-2004, where she wrapped it up with 3 concerts in Seoul, South Korea and Taipei, Taiwan. She was the first major Japanese artist to hold a concert in South Korea after the normalization of cultural relations. Shortly following the tour, she released the ballad "ALL FOR YOU." The song peaked at #6, but sold double the amount of her last single. In late August, she went on a private fan club tour focusing on the songs from her latest album which were not performed on her current public tour. She also unveiled two new songs on the tour, "GIRL TALK" and "the SPEED STAR", which would be released the next month as a double a-side single. When it was released the song charted at #1 on the Oricon daily chart for three days. It was the first time any of her singles had placed #1 in 5 years. The song ultimately placed #2 for the week and repeated the sales success of her previous single.

At the end of the year, Amuro chose not to appear on Kōhaku Uta Gassen. Her decision to decline the offer surprised fans and critics, who felt she had earned her right to perform at the event that year. She had previously attended the coveted event nine years in a row. Following the tsunami disaster in Southeast Asia, Amuro participated as the only Japanese representative at MTV Asia Aid. She secretly donated approximately 90,000 USD to UNICEF for children who were affected by the disaster. In January, the singer surprised fans again when a new song popped up in a Suzuki Chevrolet commercial. The new song entitled "Queen of Hip-Pop" was assumed to be her next single until in April, she released the song "WANT ME, WANT ME." The song was a well-received hit at home debuting at #2 and charting with her highest debut sales peak in 3 years.

In May, Amuro had both professional and personal gains. Following a three year split from her former husband SAM, she took back full custody of their child, Haruto. They had previously agreed that SAM would be the child's sole guardian. At the end of the month, she performed at the MTV Video Music Awards Japan for the fourth consecutive year in a row and this year, clinched two awards. She took home the award for "Best R&B Video" as well as a special award for most impressive performance in Asia becoming the first artist to take home awards four years in a row at the MTV Video Music Awards Japan. She took home the "Inspiration Award Japan" in 2002, Best Collaboration in 2003, "Best R&B Video" for 2004, and 2005 as well as "Most Impressive Asian Artist" in 2005. Between these two events, she announced the release of her sixth original studio album, entitled Queen of Hip-Pop.

In collaboration with MGM Studios, Namie has licensed for the use of the Pink Panther character to be used in conjunction with the album. A female panther counterpart has been created in her image for the album as well. There seems to be no connection with the usage of the Pink Panther and the possible Japanese release of the American remake. Upon release, the album charted at #2. The album has since become her best selling album in 5 years, eclipsing the sales of her three previous albums. In September, Namie kicked off her 7th national public tour entitled Space of Hip-Pop.

Shortly after the start of her tour it was announced that she would contribute to the Japanese theaterical release of the American motion picture adaptation of "Sin City." After viewing the movie, Namie made an offer to the Japanese distribution company to sing its theme song. The company felt that her image fit it and accepted her offer. When director Robert Rodriguez heard Namie's contribution to the film he asked to be a part of it. He can be heard speaking "Welcome to Sin City" in a distorted voice towards the end of the song. It was released as part of a double a-side single, "White Light / Violet Sauce" on November 16, 2005. The other a-side track, "White Light" is her first attempt at a Christmas ballad. Shortly after the single, she released "FILMOGRAPHY 2001-2005" a compilation of twelve of her music videos from 2001 to 2005. In March 2006, Oricon published an article stating that Namie had sold approximately 15,423,000 singles domestically, making her the second highest selling female artist in terms of singles, the first being Ayumi Hamasaki.

2006-Present: A New Beginning

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In early 2006, she recorded vocals for the track, "Do What U Gotta Do" by Zeebra. The song also featured contributions from Ai and MUMMY-D. In February, her music video for "WoWa" was nominated for "Best Female Video" at Space Shower TV music video awards, but lost to YUKI's video for Joy. In May, she released the double a-side single, "Can't Sleep, Can't Eat, I'm Sick / Ningyo." According to several interviews including ViVi magazine and S Cawaii, she spent the early summer in L.A. resting before her current tour. In August, she began her tour Namie Amuro Best Tour "Live Style 2006". On September 17, she performed to an audience of 12,000 at Yoyogi National Stadium in Tokyo, Japan. Media coverage of the concert stated that in 2007 she hoped to tour not only Japan, but Asia and America as well.[17][18] Amuro previously toured in Taiwan and South Korea during the Asian leg of her So Crazy tour in 2004. Namie mentioned that 'Live Style 2006' will be a mark for her 15 years' career and it will be a new beginning/stage for her career in 2007.

Amuro's next single, Baby Don't Cry, was released on January 24, 2007. It was used as the theme song of a Japanese Drama "Himitsu no Hanazono". 'Baby Don't Cry' is an up-beat R&B track produced by Nao'ymt. The single also featured a b-side, 'Nobody', a song which was at first supposed to be featured on the single White Light, released last year. Nobody, produced by Nao'ymt, is described as a follow-up to 'White Light', both lyrically and musically. Baby Don't Cry debuted at #3 and had the highest first week sales by Namie in over 5 years. Baby Don't Cry has since become Amuro's highest selling single in almost 6 years since the release of Say the Word. During a recent radio interview, Amuro revealed that she will be starting a new tour this summer and will be performing 53 shows nationwide. It will be her largest tour to date in terms of number of performances. Namie's newest single, "Funky Town", was released on April 4, 2007. The song is produced by Michico and T.Kura. The single is a hip-hop song with a funky disco dance vibe to it. The video is considered "different" for the Japanese. She will also be featured on M-flo's newest album, Cosmicolor, in a song titled Luvotomy.

She also announced that her new album, Play, will be released on June 27, 2007. The album is set to include 12 songs, 4 of which are single tracks. The album is said to reflect Amuro's new style, and will feature a rock number, and a chic slow song. [19][20] One of her new songs, 'Top Secret' will be the theme song of the popular drama series in Japan, 'Prison Break 2'. On June 27, Namie took the #1 spot on the Oricon Daily Chart Rankings with an indicator number double her competition. The album is also her first #1 in over 7 years, with her last #1 occurring in 2000 with her album, GENIUS 2000. It is also her fourth studio album to reach #1.[21]. Play spent 2 consecutive weeks at the #1 position.

She is now in the midst of her concert tour in Japan 'PLAY Tour 2007-2008' which consisted initially of 53 performances but as of August 18, 2007 increased by 12 performances to an incredible 65 performances due to popular demand, making this her biggest tour in terms of number of performances by far.

Discography

Main article: Namie Amuro discography

Albums

Year Title Chart Positions
1995 Dance Tracks Vol. 1 1
1996 Sweet 19 Blues 1
1997 Concentration 20 1
2000 Genius 2000 1
2000 Break the Rules 2
2003 Style 4
2005 Queen of Hip-Pop 2
2007 Play 1

Concerts and tours

Filmography

  • 1994 Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo
  • 1996 That's Cunning! Shijo Saidai no Sakusen
  • 2000 Yonigeya Honpo (lit. trans Flight By Night)

Trivia

- Amuro tattooed her sons name on her left arm.
- The title of a Taiwanese TV serial 安室愛美惠 was derived from her full name 安室奈美惠.

References

  1. ^ "Amuro ties the knot". Okinawa Times. 1997-10-25. Retrieved 2006-09-30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ http://www.oricon.co.jp/rank/ja/w/
  3. ^ a b c Tim Larimer (2000-07-24). "The Songbird Who Made Okinawa Cool". TIME Asia. Retrieved 2006-09-30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ "Super Monkey's Member History". Retrieved 2006-09-30.
  5. ^ "1995.4.17付　シングルTOP20" (in Japanese). 1995-04-17. Retrieved 2006-09-30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ "(Q4-1)奈美恵さんはどうやって小室哲哉氏と出会い、エイベックスに移籍したの？" (in Japanese). Retrieved 2006-09-30.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference coverinterview was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "Baggy Socks (Schoolgirl Fashion)". 1997-04-06. Retrieved 2006-09-30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ Jim Frederick (2004-10-11). "Cracking the code of Tokyo's teens". TIME. Retrieved 2006-09-30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ Todd Joseph Miles Holden. "Japan's Mediated 'Global' Identities". Retrieved 2006-09-30.
  11. ^ "Singing sensation plans Hawaii concert". Honolulu Star Bulletin. 2000-03-31. Retrieved 2006-09-30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ "1997.3.3付　シングルTOP20" (in Japanese). 1997-03-03. Retrieved 2006-09-30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ Alexandra A. Seno (1997-11-07). "Lightning Strikes Once". AsiaWeek. Retrieved 2006-09-30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ "Tragedy; mom of Amuro slain". Okinawa Times. 1999-09-20. Retrieved 2007-01-16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. ^ "Kyushu-Okinawa Summit 2000 Reference Materials" (PDF). Retrieved 2007-01-16]. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  16. ^ Tim Larimer, Hiroko Tashiro (2000-07-18). "'There Were Times I Nearly Gave Up' Japanese pop diva Namie Amuro grows up". Time ASIA. Retrieved 2007-01-16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); line feed character in |title= at position 36 (help)
  17. ^ "安室が全国ツアー東京公演で熱唱 (Amuro sings enthusiastically at a national tour performance in Tokyo)" (in Japanese). Retrieved 2006-09-30.
  18. ^ "安室 超セクシーダンスで魅了 (Amuro enchants with super sexy dancing)" (in Japanese). Retrieved 2006-09-30.
  19. ^ http://amurox.com/
  20. ^ http://www.avexnet.or.jp/amuro/info.html
  21. ^ http://www.oricon.co.jp/rank/ja/d/

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Namie Amuro.

Official sites

Fan sites

Additional Resources

Additional Resources

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