[Namie Amuro] The 96th Thread ♛ Queen's Farewell 〜Compilation, Tour & Retirement〜

[Not Fade Away]

I had to drag my ass up from the grave to post on here after 3 years.

Anyway I see both sides of this recent argument, but I also want to add - as a friendly reminder - that the current discussion is accounting for physical units only. Namie is still selling like crazy digitally so for all we know she’s shifted over 2 million in digital downloads by now. It’s just impossible to tell because Oricon/Japanese markets don’t really report on that.

I mean from what I remember (off the top of my head so I could be wrong) - didn’t Utada’s flavor of life single sell somewhat okay physically but it hit like 7.8 million in digital sales? It’s just that a lot of people don’t want to wait for a physical CD to ship. I am one of those people. I purchased Fantome from ITunes.

[Cahz-]

Originally Posted by Not Fade Away

Namie is still selling like crazy digitally so for all we know she’s shifted over 2 million in digital downloads by now.

Are you refering to Finally? I thought it wasn't available on digital plataforms?

[Miduhyo]

I wonder what products what they use in her hair to make it look so good even though it's so freaking long. O.O I'd buy it. I'd buy all of it.

Btw - I love the picture for 2010 flashback for docomo. That was my favorite styling of hers.

[ahtka-chan]

I still don't understand the argument. I don't know how it is sad that albums don't sell 1 million units anymore. It's just how it is.

In the past, there wasn't illegal downloading, streaming platforms, digital music... Maybe they don't sell 500k in physical CDs anymore, but I'm sure her music reach a lot more people now than ten years ago. It's not sad.

[KarenPang]

Originally Posted by Corvina

Yeah, SMAP is another example.
They also had to retire to achieve such numbers.
It's just so sad for the Japanese market.

Nope SMAP didn't retire , they disband . All 5 members are still active in the entertainment business , just that 3 of them left J&A after their contracts expired and form their own unit

[Corvina]

Originally Posted by KarenPang

Nope SMAP didn't retire , they disband . All 5 members are still active in the entertainment business , just that 3 of them left J&A after their contracts expired and form their own unit

Guess I should have used quotation marks.
SMAP "retired" as a boyband, they disbanded.

@Not Fade away
Utada's Flavour of Life sold much digitally - ten years ago
A song rarely goes million digitally nowadays and just a bunch double platinum.
And the highest album is around 150k digitally (Mr.Children's Best).
That's all the official info from WITHIN the Japanese market. Of course there is also sales overseas, that isn't counted. But I somehow think, if the numbers were that high overseas, the market surely would want to count them.

[~kashifaita~]

Daaaang they did such an awesome job with those docomo promo pics! I seriously thought that 1st picture really was of Namie back in 1992. The makeup and style are so on point! They really take me back.

[freedreamer]

Originally Posted by ~kashifaita~

Daaaang they did such an awesome job with those docomo promo pics! I seriously thought that 1st picture really was of Namie back in 1992. The makeup and style are so on point! They really take me back.

o gosh...i thought it was a series she did since then HHAHAH

[Ayu_desu]

I have nothing but praise for her final album. I'm loving the first disc so much! I've tried to listen to her 90's in the past, but couldn't get into it because of her unstable and pitchy voice. Upon listening to her live renditions in the 2012 Dome Tour and Okinawa concert, I was thoroughly surprised at how good the songs were with her current voice: therefore, I am SO glad she resang her classics. The album didn't just give me 6 new songs, it gave me a whole disc of revamped classics to obsess about!

On another note, I got teary and sentimental when CYC started playing. Ballada's version was good, but I found Hakase's violin part too distracting. Finally's version is just, precious.

Ugh, Finally the song is just beautiful. I love listening to her soft, tender voice in the beginning transitioning to her usual strong vocals and then suitably ending "finally I can stop dreaming" in the same soft voice. It's just so genuine and rare from her. :'(

Lastly, I'm going to miss Namie's music and also her beauty. I admit that I'm drawn to her youthful photogenic face, good taste in fashion, and sexy dance moves. I know that some of you find her Finally PV is boring and lazy, but I think it's so beautifully minimalistic and I don't think I will ever get bored of admiring Namie's face (be it the dead look or not ).

[freedreamer]

When is she announcing her tour dates omg...COME ON NAMIE!!!

[!Lawi!]

Sorry if there's already been an announcement that I missed, but are we expecting another new album by the end of her career?

I'm not a hardcore fan but I overplayed P<F, FEEL and _genic, and I'd love a few new songs by her before it's over!

[thinkingoutloud89]

^^we don't know...but we expect none
^great, i expected a bit less

Is someone good at making albums with a flow? i want all the singles/b-sides/new tracks since TSUKI in one album. i know its a hard take since there are 22 songs, but I came up with:

01. Showtime
02. MINT
03. Neonlight Lipstick
04. Ballerina
05. In two
06. Black make Up
07. Fighter
08. Hero
09. Just You and I
10. BRIGHTER DAY
11. Red Carpet
12. chit Chat
13. Strike a Pose
14. SWEET KISSES
15. Show me What you've got
16. Do it for Love
17. How do you feel now?
18. Dear diary
19. Still lovin you
20. Hope
21. TSUKI
22. Finally

Though I feel like Mint would be a better opener.

[JackieRos]

Namie most often did better in sales than any other artists even way before her retirement announcement. Are people really mad that she almost achieved 1 million sales in a few days? As fans I think we should be happy that she’s doing well.

People always like to diminish artists achievements, it’s always something with you people.

[Gustavopc]

Originally Posted by Minerva

Namie most often did better in sales than any other artists even way before her retirement announcement. Are people really mad that she almost achieved 1 million sales in a few days? As fans I think we should be happy that she’s doing well.

People always like to diminish artists achievements, it’s always something with you people.

I'll just quote oaristos cause he already answered this:

Originally Posted by oaristos

Exactly, they did "ok" and that's all. I think what people here are trying to say is that there needs to be an extraordinary event for an album to sell 600,000+ in two days, which is true. Namie is a very popular artist and her compilation would have sold pretty well regardless (see Ballada, for example), but it wouldn't have sold that much if it wasn't for her retirement.

Please, don't understand that as a way of diminishing Namie's achievement. She deserves all the success and sales in the world, but what we're trying to say is that it's sad these extraordinary sales only happen under extraordinary circumstances. Namie deserves to sell one million copies always.

Yeah, we ARE happy she is selling well and that IS a big achievement. We're just sad over how people don't usually care about artists (no matter if they're doing well or not) until they die or retire or somehting like that. For example MJ who was a constant joke in his last years but after he died people realised how great of an artist he was.

It's like a song by a Brazilian singer that says "don't wait for me to be gone / to realize how much you love me". The point is "we should love our artists, whether they're active and alive and well or not", the point IS NOT "she had to retire to get great numbers".

I really can't believe you guys are thinking Corvina is coming for namie's wig, seriously.

[JackieRos]

Originally Posted by KarenPang

Haters are always gonna hate and pick on anyone on anything everything , it's a vicious cycle

I honestly cannot understand what good they get in doing this and it's a very childish way of thinking at the end of the day

Exactly, what I hate the most is that they always have to compare artists to other artists in a negative way, “oh this one doesn’t count because she doesn’t write her own lyrics” “oh so and so are doing much better in sales than hers” “oh this one is just a product with no passion for her music” it’s always something.

Originally Posted by Gustavopc

Yeah, we ARE happy she is selling well and that IS a big achievement. We're just sad over how people don't usually care about artists (no matter if they're doing well or not) until they die or retire or somehting like that. For example MJ who was a constant joke in his last years but after he died people realised how great of an artist he was.

I really can't believe you guys are thinking Corvina is coming for namie's wig, seriously.

I understand that but I’m seeing a lot of comments saying it in a negative way, that she’s only getting close to a million just because she’s retiring and that she doesn’t get higher sales when it’s a normal release.

I don’t think anyone was going after them.

[thinkingoutloud89]

Originally Posted by Gustavopc

I'll just quote oaristos cause he already answered this:



Yeah, we ARE happy she is selling well and that IS a big achievement. We're just sad over how people don't usually care about artists (no matter if they're doing well or not) until they die or retire or somehting like that. For example MJ who was a constant joke in his last years but after he died people realised how great of an artist he was.

It's like a song by a Brazilian singer that says "don't wait for me to be gone / to realize how much you love me". The point is "we should love our artists, whether they're active and alive and well or not", the point IS NOT "she had to retire to get great numbers".

I really can't believe you guys are thinking Corvina is coming for namie's wig, seriously.

Again, this is JUST NOT TRUE. Yeah, he was a public joke because well he did a looot of crazy things, but he was still known by the title King of Pop and everyone who did music gave him credit. You are simplifying a lot here...just like some others.

edit: Corvina, I thought you started listening to J-Pop way before I started. Stuff was so hard to get, new artist so hard to find in 2005. It became soo much easier and there is not a single song regardless of how old or new, I can´t find. Again, I think it is weird how you see things and I do think you putting much too much nostalgia into it, but if you feel like that, its okay. Its not a personal attack, I just disagree. The market has become much better and the quality of the music too.

[Baco__]

Wow, impressing numbers

[ShiniTakashi]

Glad to see how well she's doing. I was going to ask if Oricon includes digital numbers as well, but then realized the album isn't even out digitally yet.

[KarenPang]

Originally Posted by !Lawi!

Sorry if there's already been an announcement that I missed, but are we expecting another new album by the end of her career?

I will be surprised if she released a studio album before she retire . If not , then Finally will officially be Namie's last release

Originally Posted by Minerva

Namie most often did better in sales than any other artists even way before her retirement announcement. Are people really mad that she almost achieved 1 million sales in a few days? As fans I think we should be happy that she’s doing well.

People always like to diminish artists achievements, it’s always something with you people.

Haters are always gonna hate and pick on anyone on anything everything , it's a vicious cycle

I honestly cannot understand what good they get in doing this and it's a very childish way of thinking at the end of the day

Originally Posted by ShiniTakashi

Glad to see how well she's doing. I was going to ask if Oricon includes digital numbers as well, but then realized the album isn't even out digitally yet.

Yeah I didn't see Finally listed on iTunes Japan & Recochoku

[KPL]

Namie herself is fantastic, and she has really good and smart management / marketing team as well. The fact that the digital versions are not available may have a correlation with extraordinary high physical sales. ( now compare this strategy with Made in Japan, which was availble for streaming a month before physical release lol)