Namie Amuro

So I wanted to write about one Japanese artist who could have made it to the Western music scene if she could speak English. 🙁 Every time I see her performances on youtube videos, I think to myself that she could have made it as the first Japanese artist. Many attempts have been made to break into the western music scene but even Utada Hikaru couldn’t succeed with her excellent English and stellar songs written in English..but for Utada, I think it has something to do with her presence and appearance. Unfortunately Hollywood is very biased toward Asian artists. But I have no doubt that Namie would have made it to the scene with her undeniable talent and looks. She has the look that could have captured the western audiences but oh well.

If you like J-POP, you have probably heard of Namie Amuro. She is one of the most successful Japanese singer and performer since her debut at the age of 14. Namie was born in Okinawa and attended the famous Okinawa Actor’s school. The talent agency quickly discovered Namie and she joined the the Japanese idol group, “Super Monkey’s” as the lead vocalist. Although the group itself did not do well, Namie’s undeniable beauty coupled with her talent captivated Japan at that time. She was destined to succeed and left the group to pursue a solo career. She was signed by Avex Trax and released many hit singles produced by Tetsuya Komuro. Namie became the sensation and high school students started to follow her fashion and they were called “Amuraa”. At the peak of her solo career, she again shocked Japan for announcing her pregnancy and marriage in 1997. While she briefly disappeared from the music scene, other charismatic female artists such as Ayumi Hamasaki and Hikaru Utada took over the Japanese music scene. Namie returned to the music scene with a number one hit song “I Have Never Seen” in 1998 but struggled to restore her popularity because of these female singers. In one of the videos, Namie was collaborating with TLC! Yes that famous TLC

What I really respect about Namie Amuro is her perseverance and strength. Her mother was brutally murdered by her relative when she returned from a year long break. She also ended her partnership with her long time producer, Komuro Tetsuya and transitioned into R&B and Hip Hop. Personally I love her music released around this time. She reclaimed her number one status and it took almost a decade but she received an award for “Best Artist From Asia”. She became the First Asian Female Artist to receive this prestigious award.

“natsukashii”..that’s all I can say. ^_^

Transitioned into R&B and Hip Pop

She is a great dancer..

“Tsuki” 2014