Why are Namie Amuros sales so high?

[Baernash]

As few people mentioned above she hasn't change her image drastically trying to be sexy, half naked slut etc. Koda Kumi lost a lot when she started to copy obscene behavior of popular western singers. Ayu did the same, because in the past she was seen as someone with class but later swap to wearing corsets and doing show with group of gay-acting dancers and clows touching her bum. Namie's image is always stylish.

[orbitalaspect]

Originally Posted by visionfactory

Namie is still a fashion icon in Japan, she gets more mainstream magazine coverage than Ayu, who lost that status long ago and now it's only a fashion icon for old gyarus. As opposed to Ayu, Namie is a recognized icon by younger and newer generations.

Also, Namie already hit the very bottom in 2003-2004 when she hardly could sell 50,000 copies a single

And let's keep in mind, during that time, selling 50k was worse than today selling 500 copies. Artists like KOKIA, who have consistently undersold their entire career, are now charting higher with the same sales year after year.

In Namie's defense though, Queen of Hip-Pop was one hell of a record. I think she did an amazing job of transitioning her sound rather than releasing GENIUS 2000 then coming out with something like PLAY the following year.

Note about Koda: The sexual stuff was present on TAKE BACK. She just got more scandalous over time rather than more sexual. But let's be honest here, I think Koda is the only person who could pull off outfits like the one she wore for ECSTACY. So, in a way, I'm glad she got risqué enough to not make a video like ECSTACY seem jarring for fans.

[Coelacanth]

Originally Posted by Baernash

Answer is pretty simple: her releases are good enough to keep old fans satisfied and bring new fans at the same time.

Namie fitting herself pretty well in different music styles. Her first works (with Monkeys, than solo) were catchy, dance tracks in typical 90' style, than evoluated to something more modern, than she had her "hip-hop" era and than she comes into direction of releasing old style songs in modern version. Now since 2 albums she's doing great with electro-pop in US-style.

orangeakira gave you a good example with Ayu who just started repeat the same formula like "winter single" with some ballads and "summer single" with happy, catchy songs EVERY YEAR. She started to be predictable and all her songs started to sound the same. What she did? Tried experiment with something "modern" but she failed, so she returned to old success formula and released boring album dominated by ballads wrote by her old music composers (those from her debut). It was good and bad for her, because old fans were happy that she's doing something in style which fit to her but on the other hand THEY HEARD IT ALL BEFORE (so no chance to really get new fans). Than another experiments trying to turn her into american PARTY QUEEN (doing some US-pop style tracks etc.) - FAIL. Now she's returning to ballads again but she can't really decide in which direction to go. She's trying to keep all fans satisfied and doing everything at the same time: in one song she's rocker, in other half-naked party girl, in another sweet kawaii girl singing Hello!Project style song (with cute, childish voice), than she's filling her albums with ballads. No constancy at all. Namie by all time keeping good level in what she's doing - she's developing herself as artist, not turning back and not trying to always do things which are popular in music industry.

lol.

are u the same user here who said Namie did "avant-garde pop music"?

Namie has zero charisma and her "music" is clanky, sloppy, and gimmick-driven. I'm far from a Kuu stan, but I can totally understand why people like her and feel a strong connection to her. At least you get the sense that she stands for something. Namie doesn't stand for anything and really has no personality from what I can gather. But you're right, at least she is consistent in that respect.

I rarely see Namie's work or career ever attract any sort of divisive discussion either, which in many ways makes her the perfect pop music puppet for mass consumption.

[Baernash]

"Avant-garde pop music"? LOL No, I haven't said that.

You're right about lack of charisma. I have to also say that during the concerts her singing is monotonous and boring. She's just singing properly but something is missing in it.

[Toniayu123]

I'm really surprised at how different opinions of humans can be. I'm posting it on this thread but it is like this in every other one. Seriously, it is amazing how diverse they are lol Some people tend to think their opinion is always the right one and the way they express it is sometimes rude, I don't really like that. It is funny though.

Why do I think namie's sales are good? I think a well managed image is 90%, the rest is good quality and up to date music that appeal to her public, including myself.

[mizuki-7]

Music has nothing to do with it ... Japaneses are all about image and appearance ! You can check every Japanese forum about music the main argument about Ayu is her age ! She is seen as an old thing and unlike Namie she was on TV non stop from 1998 to 2010 !! They were tired of seeing her head all year for so long ! In a society where a women above 30 years is seen as an old person it's really not surprising ...in addition to that she make a lot of bad choice in her life and unfortunately for her she fell in love with western men twice (sarcasm) XD.

[Delicious n Bold]

We should give props to her songwriters and producers. Without them she would be nothing. That and those who help decide her image behind closed doors.

[Andrenekoi]

Originally Posted by Baernash

As few people mentioned above she hasn't change her image drastically trying to be sexy, half naked slut etc. Koda Kumi lost a lot when she started to copy obscene behavior of popular western singers. Ayu did the same, because in the past she was seen as someone with class but later swap to wearing corsets and doing show with group of gay-acting dancers and clows touching her bum. Namie's image is always stylish.

Er... Nope. The sexual thing is what made Koda go from nobody to superstar, and a lot of her sexual stuff post her sales went down aren't as sexual as the stuff she did at her peak... The problem with her is that the had been stuck on that image since it worked for the first time.

Ayu was never really considered as asexual as she is the west either... A lot of her "kawaii" stuff goes hard on japanese fetishism.

[BRILLANTE]

Originally Posted by Coelacanth

lol.

are u the same user here who said Namie did "avant-garde pop music"?

Namie has zero charisma and her "music" is clanky, sloppy, and gimmick-driven. I'm far from a Kuu stan, but I can totally understand why people like her and feel a strong connection to her. At least you get the sense that she stands for something. Namie doesn't stand for anything and really has no personality from what I can gather. But you're right, at least she is consistent in that respect.

I rarely see Namie's work or career ever attract any sort of divisive discussion either, which in many ways makes her the perfect pop music puppet for mass consumption.

Originally Posted by Delicious n Bold

We should give props to her songwriters and producers. Without them she would be nothing. That and those who help decide her image behind closed doors.

These truths...

Namie just seems like the blandest, most boring, most generic, most uninvolved one out of these women. It's like a 30-something AKB48 member who got lucky.

[Miichan]

Originally Posted by mizuki-7

Music has nothing to do with it ... Japaneses are all about image and appearance ! You can check every Japanese forum about music the main argument about Ayu is her age ! She is seen as an old thing and unlike Namie she was on TV non stop from 1998 to 2010 !! They were tired of seeing her head all year for so long ! In a society where a women above 30 years is seen as an old person it's really not surprising ...in addition to that she make a lot of bad choice in her life and unfortunately for her she fell in love with western men twice (sarcasm) XD.

That's true, artists with a safer and cleaner image are usually very popular, like aiko.

It takes years to regain some of the popularity after scandals or anything controversial. People still talk about Kumi as the rude woman who made comments about amniotic fluids.

[NintendoHTF1242]

Originally Posted by BRILLANTE

These truths...

Namie just seems like the blandest, most boring, most generic, most uninvolved one out of these women. It's like a 30-something AKB48 member who got lucky.

Got lucky??? She ruled Japan in the 90's, had a short fall-out, then made an amazing comeback. But I guess she's just "lucky"? LMAO

[BRILLANTE]

Originally Posted by NintendoHTF1242

Got lucky??? She ruled Japan in the 90's, had a short fall-out, then made an amazing comeback. But I guess she's just "lucky"? LMAO

Would that had happened though if she hadn't linked up with Tetsuya Komuro? He really ruled the 90s in Japan and she was but once of his many acts who had notable success.

[UHPlus]

Originally Posted by BRILLANTE

Would that had happened though if she hadn't linked up with Tetsuya Komuro? He really ruled the 90s in Japan and she was but once of his many acts who had notable success.

Look at all the artists that were famous because of TK in the 90's. All of them are no longer relevant or known in the industry anymore right now except for one. TK can push any artists into fame and success back then but whether are they good enough to last the next 20 years, well history proves itself

[NintendoHTF1242]

Originally Posted by BRILLANTE

Would that had happened though if she hadn't linked up with Tetsuya Komuro? He really ruled the 90s in Japan and she was but once of his many acts who had notable success.

TK produced for Ami Suzuki and she was insanely popular in the 90s but look what happened to her.

TK helps a lot of artists propel into stardom but it's up to the artist to remain relevant. Just because Namie doesn't write her music doesn't mean she worked really hard to get to where she is today. And even then, Namie has some say in what she wants to do with her career. She wouldn't sing a song named Put 'Em Up at first because she felt the Japanese lyrics didn't match the melody till the songwriter changed it; or something like that.

Idk why people discredit Namie so much. It almost sounds like people are bitter she's doing better than their faves but idk.

[Andrenekoi]

^I just find her to be boring and overly safe, even if I'm pretty aware this is a huge part of her appeal.

She started to get really interesting during the time she was about to have her 2nd peak, and somewhere between the Play Tour and Live Style 2011 she almost got me as a fan, and them she started being overly safe again and releasing generic music and feeling like a robot on the stage, and I gave up.

[Coelacanth]

See, I actually adore the STYLE album and all the cheesy Dallas Austin American R&B, as well as what she did as SUITE CHIC... also White Light, Girl Talk...

then all of a sudden her music just started to get very clanky and production-driven. and this is my problem with most popular music after, I'd say, 2005... you can have a "sick beat" (or what you think is a "sick beat," when it's just a random assortment of noise) but if there's no melody, you already lost me.

[Delicious n Bold]

I think she's boring too but she has some hot jams. She can definitely pick out good songs to sing.

[Rocky Raven]

Originally Posted by BRILLANTE

These truths...

Namie just seems like the blandest, most boring, most generic, most uninvolved one out of these women. It's like a 30-something AKB48 member who got lucky.

Yet, she's still be able to win Japanese's people heart.
My Japanese teacher loves to talk about Namie, she said that Namie was always on top of mind of any Japanese women as a fashion icon and music legend.

I guess that Jpanese just simple love their "blandest, most boring, most generic, most uninvolved" queen for being who she is. Reputation and success never comes from LUCKINESS, but in case you're always based on that, you must be frustrated.

[S4MU3L]

How is Namie overly safe?? she is the one who risk the most comparing with Ayu, Koda and Utada hands down.

Like for example, how is releasing an english album in Japan "overly safe"??

[truehappiness]

Originally Posted by S4MU3L

How is Namie overly safe?? she is the one who risk the most comparing with Ayu, Koda and Utada hands down.

Like for example, how is releasing an english album in Japan "overly safe"??

Because nearly everything she does sounds the same.

I listen to Namie but there's no denying that most of it blends.

I think for the most part, yes, she is lucky. Tie ups that work for her and tracks that are very radio friendly.