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Namie Amuro Profile |
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Birth Date: September 20, 1977
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Birth Place: Okinawa, Japan
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Birth Name: Namie Amuro
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Height: 5'2"
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Biography |
Namie Amuro was born on September 20, 1977, in Okinawa,
Japan. Namie enjoyed a normal childhood and never gave a
second thought to pursuing a career within the entertainment
industry, though that changed after she was discovered while
visiting a friend at an institute for the arts. Masayuki
Makino, the president of the Okinawa Actors’ School,
recognized Namie’s innate yet dormant talent and immediately
suggested that she begin attending classes within his
establishment.
By the time she turned 14, Namie proved Masayuki’s instincts
correct and it wasn’t long before she -- along with Minako
Ameku, Nanako Takushi, Hisako Arakaki, and Anna Makino --
formed a pop act called Super Monkeys. The band quickly
started recording songs, and their debut single managed to
hit the Japanese top 30. Makino left the group shortly
after, however, and the remaining members decided to change
the name to Super Monkeys 4. The band subsequently
experienced quite a bit of success, releasing hit singles,
appearing on television shows, and the like, and it wasn’t
long before Namie emerged as a breakout star within its
ranks.
Namie’s burgeoning popularity made it necessary to change
the band’s name once again, this time to Namie Amuro with
Super Monkeys. A flurry of hit singles followed -- including
“Dancing Junk” and “Try Me” -- and it was also around that
time that Namie first toyed with the idea of going solo (her
song “Taiyou No Season” was well-received among the band’s
fans). Following some internal turmoil, the group -- which
had, by then, changed its name yet again to MAX -- decided
to disband and Namie was able to kick off her solo career.
Namie spent much of the mid-‘90s recording and releasing one
hit single after another, including “You’re My Sunshine” and
“Don’t Wanna Cry.” In 1996, Namie’s first album, Sweet 19
Blues, was released to instant success among critics and
fans alike (it eventually went on to sell over three million
copies). Namie cemented her reputation as one of Japan’s
most successful up-and-coming singers when she won the Grand
Prix trophy at the Japan Record Awards, which is essentially
an Eastern version of the Grammys (Namie was the youngest
performer to ever win that particular award).
In 1997, Namie shocked everyone with the revelation that she
was pregnant with her first child and had, in fact, already
married the father. Nevertheless, that didn’t stop her
second album, Concentration 20, from becoming as much of a
monster hit as her first, with the disc’s first single
selling over 800,000 copies in its first week of release.
But with the arrival of her son, Haruto, in May 1998, Namie
decided to take a year off from performing and recording to
spend time with her family. Namie had just returned to the
scene in early 1999 when her mother was tragically murdered,
but this didn’t stop her from trudging ahead with the
promotional duties demanded by the imminent release of her
third album (2000’s Genius 2000, which spawned four hit
singles).
Throughout the early part of the new century, Namie
continually proved her star status within the pop scene as
each successive album sold more copies than the last. Her
relentless touring schedule earned her new fans, and Namie
ranks as one of the most successful pop stars in Japanese
history. The “hip-pop” style that has come to define Namie’s
sound was reflected in the title of her 2005 album, Queen of
Hip-Pop, which hit double-platinum status shortly after its
release. |
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Other
Information |
Son, Haruto, born 19 May 1998.
Her mother, Emiko Taira, was murdered by her brother-in-law
Kenji Tairo in March 1999.
Her maternal grandmother was Italian.
The Pink Panther can be seen on the back of the "Queen of
HipPop" Album. The female counterpart of the pink panther
was an image of Amuro for her partnership.
Collaborated with MGM Studios for the Japan dub of the Pink
Panther.
Released her new upcoming album "Queen of HipPop" |
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