A Little History...

name:Amuro Namie
birthdate:20 Sept 1977
birthplace:Okinawa, Japan
sign:Virgo
height:158cm
weight:40g
bloodtype:O

In the beginning... Amuro Namie was born September 20, 1977, in Naha City, Okinawa (or Ryuku). While her father was full Japanese, her mother was 1/2 Japanese, 1/2 Italian - this explains her somewhat exotic looks. She is the youngest of four siblings, growing up with a brother and two sisters. She didn't grow up with a father, however, her parents obtaining a divorce when she was three-years-old. For education, she attended Joto Elementary School and then Ishimine Junior High School. Though she was obsessed with dancing since she was very young, she really didn't do anything until theOkinawa Actors School. She was most likely influenced to attend by Hayasaka Yoshie, a former student and one of her favourite television actors(1989-90). Once in, she had to walk 3 hours to attend a 2 hour class, then walk 3 hours back home again. She started to take up dancing, singing, and sometimes participating in mini concerts as an acting student. She graduated in 1992.

Moving on up... Namie joined the Supermonkeys, a group comprised of fellow students Ameku Minako, Takushi Nanako, Aragaki Hisako, Makino Ana. They signed up on the Toshiba EMI record label. Their first single Mr. USA was released on the 16 of September, 1992, after which Ana left for personal reasons. The group changed their name to Supermonkeys 4 and moved to Tokyo to expand their careers. After numerous changes in membership (Hisako left to be succeeded by Nakasone, then Miyauchi Reina and Matsuda Ritsuko) and title name, they settled finally on Namie & the Supermonkeys and were offered their first big break - a song called Try Me (produced by Hinoky Team in the December of 1994. This was the turning point in their careers, the single hitting 750,000 in sales.

Going solo... Despite success and their increasing popularity, Namie wanted to work at something different. The group split, with Ameku Minako, Takushi Nanako, Miyauchi Reina, and Matusuda Ritsuko forming MAX, and she going solo. At that time, a new and rather small recordd label, avex trax, was being formed, consisting mostly of dance-oriented groups. In 1995, its producer, Komuro Tetsuya "discovered" Namie and her untapped potential; and thus a historic alliance was formed. Body Feels Exit, under Komuro's production, was a mega hit. It sold more than a million copies and is still a favourite among most fans. All singles after were also number one hits, making Amuro Namie one of the hottest stars to hit Japan. And, as j-pop popularity grows, the rest of the world.

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