Namie Amuro - Japanese Singer

Namie Amuro was born September 20th, 1977 in Naha,Okinawa Japan.
She is a Japanese singer, dancer, and former child actor.
At the height of her popularity, Namie was referred to as "Teen Queen" and the "Queen of Japanese pop music".
Namie started out at the age of fourteen in a Japanese girl group called "Super Monkeys".
She left the group and released two singles.
After Namie joined up with music producer Tetsuya Komuro she quickly became a commercial success.
She produced several million-selling records and starting several fashion trends, including the "Amuraa" craze, in which girls across Japan copied aspects of Amuro's look, including her clothes, tanned skin, hair, and "pencil thin eyebrows".
Namie is also credited with starting the Ganguro trend, consisting of hair dyed in shades of orange, blonde, or a silver gray, false eyelashes, plastic facial gems, pearl powder, platform shoes and brightly-colored outfits.
In late 1997, Namie put her career on hold because of her pregnancy and engagement to Masaharu Maruyama, of the band TRF (they later divorced)
She returned to music in 1998, but it was slow going with record sales not hitting her previous height. This began to change however when she shifted her focus from pop to R&B.
Now Namie is poised to start her tour, Namie Amuro BEST FICTION 2008-2009, that may top her previous tours.
This divorced, working, single mother has come a long way from " Teen Queen" in a short time
On November 4th, 2008, Tetsuya Komuro was arrested by police in Osaka Japan for allegedly defrauding an investor of 500 million yen ($5.03 million).

Since January of 2009, Namie has appeared in commercials for Vidal Sassoon, Coke Zero and McDonald's.
On December 16, 2009, she released her ninth studio album, PAST < FUTURE.
PAST < FUTURE contained the popular single, "Wild/Dr."

At the World Music Awards on May 18, 2010 in Monte Carlo, Monaco, Namie received an award for "Best Asian Artist", and also performed "Hide & Seek".
Her next single "Break It/Get Myself Back" is scheduled to be released on July 28, 2010.

So far Namie's most popular songs are So Crazy/Come ("Come" was used as an ending theme to the anime series InuYasha), "Hide & Seek" (won "Best Female Video" at the Space Shower TV music video awards in 2008 and won "Best R&B Video" at the MTV Video Music Awards Japan 2008), and "Wild" (used in a Coca-Cola Zero commercial).

Namie Amuro released her compilation album Checkmate! on April 27th, 2011.
The album was supposed to be released on March 23rd, but was delayed by the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.
Before the albums released, three songs (Wonder Woman, Make It Happen and Unusual) were released as ringtones.

Also in 2011, Namie recorded the new opening theme song for the long running Japanese Anime "One Piece" called "Fight Together".

On July 30th, 2011 at Osaka-jō Hall in Osaka, Japan, Namie is scheduled to start her "Namie Amuro LIVE STYLE 2011" tour, celebrating her 20th anniversary in the Japanese Music Industry.
The tour will run until December 4th, 2011.

1995: Dance Tracks Vol. 1
1996: Sweet 19 Blues
1996: Original Tracks Vol.1
1997: Concentration 20
1998: 181920
2000: Genius 2000
2000: Break the Rules
2002: Love Enhanced Single Collection
2003: Style
2005: Queen of Hip-Pop
2007: Play
2008: Best Fiction
2009: Past<Future
2011: Checkmate!