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Namie Amuro

Namie Amuro

Namie Amuro ( NAH-mee-AY; Japanese: 安室 奈美恵, romanized: Amuro Namie; born September 20, 1977) is a retired Japanese singer. She rose to prominence as a teen idol, and transitioned into a leading pop artist due to her versatility across music styles and visual presentation. Due to her career reinventions and longevity, she is known as an icon across Japan and Asia. She has been referred to as the "Queen of Japanese Pop", and her influence domestically has drawn equivalent comparisons to artists such as Janet Jackson and Madonna in Western pop culture.

Born in Naha, Okinawa, Amuro debuted as the lead singer of the idol group Super Monkey's in 1992 when she was 14 years old. Despite early sales disappointments, Amuro's rising popularity helped to score a major hit with the 1995 Eurobeat single "Try Me (Watashi o Shinjite)". Signing to Avex Trax for her solo career, Amuro catapulted to fame with a string of number one singles including "Chase the Chance" and "Don't Wanna Cry". A close partnership with renowned producer Tetsuya Komuro resulted in a dance-pop sound with Western influences. Her first four releases, including Sweet 19 Blues (1996) and Concentration 20 (1997), each received multi-million certifications. Her 1997 single "Can You Celebrate?" remains as the best selling single by a solo female artist in Japanese music history.

In the early 2000s, "Never End" became Amuro's last successful single before a decline in sales, and her music began evolving from pop to R&B as she reined in creative control of her career. This transition was marked by the Suite Chic project in 2002 and her sixth studio album Style (2003). Amuro's eighth studio album, Play (2007), with the hit single "Baby Don't Cry", began a period of commercial resurgence. Her comeback was solidified with the 2008 single "60s 70s 80s" and its parent release Best Fiction. She continued to experiment musically in the 2010s, dabbling in EDM and recording in English, beginning with her tenth studio album Uncontrolled (2012). It featured the million-certified single "Love Story". She later founded her own management company, Stella88, and record label, Dimension Point.

Amuro finished her career with the 2017 greatest hits album Finally, which became the best selling album of the decade and made her the only artist to achieve a million-seller in each of their teens, 20s, 30s and 40s. She officially retired from the music industry on September 16, 2018. As it coincided with the closure of the Heisei era (1989–2019), she became labelled as the representative "Heisei diva" with many calling it the "end of an era", in both senses.

Having sold more than 40 million records, Amuro is recognized as one of the best-selling artists in Japan by Oricon. She has received accolades from the Japan Record Awards, Japan Gold Disc Awards, MTV Video Music Awards Japan and the World Music Awards.

Namie Amuro 25th Anniversary Live in Okinawa at Ginowan Kaihin Koen Yagai Tokusetsu Kaijo

2018

as herself

Namie Amuro Final Tour 2018 ~Finally~ at Tokyo Dome (Final Performance)

2018

as herself

Namie Amuro Final Tour 2018 ~Finally~ at Nagoya Dome

2018

as herself

Namie Amuro Final Tour 2018 ~Finally~ at Kyocera Dome Osaka

2018

as herself

Namie Amuro Final Tour 2018 ~Finally~ at Fukuoka Yahuoku! Dome

2018

as herself

Namie Amuro Final Tour 2018 ~Finally~ at Sapporo Dome

2018

as herself

Namie Amuro Final Tour 2018 ~Finally~ at Tokyo Dome (May Performance)

2018

as herself

NAMIE HANABI SHOW

2018

Namie Amuro Live Style 2016-2017

2017

as herself

namie amuro LIVEGENIC 2015-2016

2016

as herself

Namie Amuro Live Style 2014

2015

Namie Amuro Live Style 2014

2015

as herself

Namie Amuro FEEL Tour 2013

2014

as herself

Namie Amuro FEEL Tour 2013

2014

Namie Amuro 5 Major Domes Tour 2012 ~20th Anniversary Best~

2013

as herself

Namie Amuro Live Style 2011

2011

as herself

Namie Amuro Past<Future Tour

2010

as herselft

Namie Amuro Best Fiction Tour 2008-2009

2009

as herself

DOUBLE BEST LIVE We R&B TOUR FINAL @ STUDIO COAST

2008

as Self

Namie Amuro Play Tour 2007

2008

as herself

Namie Amuro Play Tour 2007

2008

m-flo Tour 2007 COSMICOLOR at Yokohama Arena

2007

as Self

Namie Amuro Best Tour Live Style 2006

2007

as herself

Namie Amuro Space of Hip-Pop Tour 2005

2006

as herself

Namie Amuro SO CRAZY tour featuring BEST singles 2003–2004

2004

as herself

Namie Amuro Break the Rules Tour 2001

2003

as herself

Namie Amuro GENIUS 2000 Tour

2000

as herself

Namie Amuro Concentration 20 Live in Tokyo Dome

1997

as herself

Namie Amuro First Anniversary Live in Marine Stadium

1996

as herself

That's Cunning! Shijo Saidai no Sakusen?

1996

as Yumi Morishita

I Will Always Stand by You

1995

A Voyage to the Future

1994