Namie Amuro

Personal Profile

Name: Amuro Namie (Namie Amuro)

Japanese name: 安室奈美恵

Chinese name: 安室奈美惠

Birth name: Maruyama Namie

Birth date: September 20, 1977

Birth place: Naha, Okinawa, Japan

Height: 158cm

Blood type: O

Family member: Son (named Haruto), a brother and two sisters

Profession: Singer

Biography

Amuro Namie started performing at the age of 12 in a little Okinawan supermarket. At 15, Amuro and 4 classmates from her acting school formed a group called the “Super Monkeys,” and their songs received some public interest in Tokyo. The Super Monkeys also attracted the attention of music mogul Tetsuya Komuro, who decided to mentor Amuro into a superstar. The remainders of the Super Monkeys were later reformed as a girl group “MAX” and

achieved decent success of their own.

Tetsuya Komuro first production for Amuro, “Body Feels Exit,” exploded her into Japanese music scene. Amuro’s music dominated Japanese music charts and became Japanese music top seller in 1996.

Amuro Namie was not just famous for her music, but also her fashion & style. Amuro was a fashion icon among teenage girls with highlighted hair, thin eye brows, tan skin, short skirts and high boots. The trend (or followers) was named Amuras or Amuroers, and can still be seen everywhere in Asia nowadays.

In late 1997, Amuro shocked her fans by announcing her marriage (and pregnancy) with Sam, dancer from popular band TRF, she gave birth to her child Haruto in May 1998.

In December 1998 Amuro made her comeback with single “I Have Never Seen” which debuted as a #1 hit. Things were however not the same again, although still very popular, Amuro was no longer the pop-diva that dominated Japanese music, facing fierce rivalry from then rising star Ayumi Hamasaki.

In 1999, Amuro decided to make improvements with her music and worked with American producer Dallas Austin to bring more R&B into Japan music scene. Before she could produce anything, Amuro was shocked by terrible news that her mother (Japanese-Italian mixed) was brutally murdered and it slowed down Amuro’s ambition in her music career.

Amuro ended her collaboration with mentor Tetsuya Komuro in 2001 and in 2002 she shocked the Japanese music scene again with pseudonym “Suite Chic.” Suite Chic was an R&B project where Amuro worked with numerous Japanese R&B and Hip Hop artist to produce a few singles and an original album.

Amuro Namie divorced with her husband, Sam in July 2002.

Suit Chic project was ended in 2003 with success and Amuro was back to solo. She released her first original album in three years, “Style” end of 2003, followed by series of singles and 2005 album, “Queen of Hip Pop.”

Amuro Namie is also famous for her annual concert tour, she only missed it during her pregnancy, and her concert never failed to attract full house of fans and audience.

Amuro Namie created another record in early 2007 for becoming the first ever artist to have a Top 10 Singles at ORICON chart for 13 consecutive years.

Drama

Ichigo hakusho (TV Asahi, 1993)

Toki o Kakeru Shōjo (Fuji TV, 1994)

Watashi, mikata desu (TBS, 1995)

Station (NTV, 1995)

湘南リバプール学院 (Fuji TV, 1995)

Films

That's Cunning! Shijo Saidan no Sakusen (1996)

Gakko II: The Learning Circle (aka: A Class To Remember 2) (1996) (Cameo)

Studio albums

1995: Dance Tracks Vol. 1

1996: Sweet 19 Blues

1997: Concentration 20

2000: Genius 2000

2000: Break the Rules

2003: Style

2005: Queen of Hip-Pop

2007: Play

2009: Past

Compilation albums

1996: Original Tracks Vol.1

1998: 181920

2002: Love Enhanced Single Collection

2008: Best Fiction

2011: Checkmate!

Anime theme songs

"Toi et Moi" - ending theme for Pokémon: The Movie 2000 (1999)

"Come / So Crazy" - 7th ending theme song for InuYasha (2003)

"Four Seasons" - theme song for InuYasha 3rd movie (2003)

"Fight Together" - 14th opening for One Piece (2011)

Drama theme songs

"Chase The Chance" — theme song for The Chef (NTV, 1995)

"Can You Celebrate?" — theme song for Virgin Road (Fuji TV, 1997)

"I Have Never Seen" — theme song for Yonigeya Honpo (NTV, 1999)

"All for You" — theme song for Kimi ga omoi de ni Naru Mae ni (Fuji TV, 2004)

"Baby Don't Cry" — theme song for Himitsu no Hanazono (KTV, 2007)

"Sexy Girl" — theme song for Otome no Punch (NHK, 2008)

"The Meaning of us" — theme song for "Onnatachi wa Nido Asabu" (BeeTV , 2010)

Concerts and tours

August 31, 1996 - September 1, 1996: Summer Presents '96 Amuro Namie with Super Monkey's (sic)

March 23, 1997 - May 18, 1997: Namie Amuro tour 1997 a walk in the park

July 26, 1997 - August 13, 1997: Mistio presents Namie Amuro Summer Stage '97 Concentration 20

March 20, 2000 - May 7, 2000: Namie Amuro Tour "Genius 2000"

March 18, 2001 - May 27, 2001: Namie Amuro tour 2001 Break the Rules

October 17, 2001 - November 10, 2001: Namie Amuro tour "AmR" '01

November 29, 2003 - April 11, 2004: Namie Amuro So Crazy Tour Featuring Best Singles 2003-2004

August 27, 2004 - September 20, 2004: Namie Amuro tour "fan space '04"

September 1, 2005 - December 24, 2005: Space of Hip-Pop: Namie Amuro Tour 2005

August 13, 2006 - November 23, 2006: Namie Amuro Best Tour "Live Style 2006"

August 18, 2007 - April 13, 2008: Namie Amuro "Play" Tour 2007-2008

October 25, 2008 - May 31, 2009: Namie Amuro Best Fiction tour 2008-2009

April 3, 2010 - December 15, 2010: Namie Amuro Past

July 30, 2011 - December 4, 2011: Namie Amuro Live Style 2011

Trivia

Favorite cartoon character : Sonic the Hedgehog

Favorite colors: Blue, black and white

Favorite drink: Coca Cola

Favorite food: Ramen and BBQ

Favorite artists: Janet Jackson and Mariah Carey

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