Help me love Namie Amuro!

[Mary Weather]

So, I noticed a ton of people here like Namie Amuro. I for one...hate Namie Amuro. *get's eaten* Sorry to say it. I have listened to three different albums of hers and a best album and I still can't get into her. (What am I doing wrong?)

The last thing I listened to from her was Dr. I actually liked the song and it is the only song I like from her.

But I want to change! I want to try to be a fan of her! I listened to those albums and long time ago! (I don't even really remember which ones I listened to. I think Queen of Hip-Hop was one....) So maybe my tastes have changed a little and it'll be easier for me to like her!

So I'm giving it one last try! and I need the help of you fans of her! I'll listen to three albums from her. Choose your top three favorite albums. The ones with the most votes I'll listen to and try to love her! Help me @_@

[love in music]

Just listen to PLAY. If you don't like her after that then you probably won't ever like her.

[pommy48]

I mainly listen to PLAY and PAST<FUTURE and I love some of the ballads on break the rules, but you don't have to force yourself to like her~

[Crystal_Ageha]

I hate her, too, and most of her fans. The only fans worse are Hikki fans, and a select few major Kuu-stans.
Amuro is a sell-out who's had everything handed to her from the beginning of her career, and I can't respect that. She's also completely, utterly talentless as far as singing goes. Her range is easily one of the tiniest in the entire industry, and she couldn't pull off a proper crescendo to save her life. She can dance, of course, but that won't save you. Not by my books, at least. It also doesn't help that she practically lip syncs all the time, since her backtracks are usually so freaking loud that you can't hear her much at all.

You don't have to like her, just because she's currently 'in'. You also shouldn't try to like her, just because so many people here do. A lot of people here are honestly a little.....I won't say anymore.


Anyhow. Even though Namie Amuro is a disgrace to the music industry, she does have a handful of pretty cool songs. So you can get into some of her music, without being an obsessive fan like a lot of people here.
STYLE is by far her best album, I think. It's J-Pop mixed perfectly with Western styled hip-hop/R&B. PAST>FUTURE is probably her second best, for me, but that may be because it's extremely J-Pop this time around, and I prefer that over Western styled genres. Other than that, her only other decent album, in my opinion, is Queen of Hip-Pop. It's not my style, but it's an overall catchy album, and pretty good for what it's worth.
For specific songs, I'd recommend her breakthrough hit, Body feels EXIT, if you haven't heard it already. Very techno-pop, and very catchy. To me, this is one of the only good songs from the beginning of her career. Another really catchy song is WANT ME, WANT ME. It gets stuck in your head, hah... Another good track, that's from the newest album, is FAST CAR. Dunno if you've heard it, but I think it's the best song she's had since her STYLE album. My personal favourite song by Namie is SO CRAZY. A very poppy, slightly hip-hop track with a great chorus. A good amount of messed up Engrish in the bridge to make you giggle, too, hah. Oh~, and check out the song that she did with ZEEBRA, Mummy-D and AI. Do What U Gotta Do. She's only in the chorus, but you should be thankful for that, lol... The song itself is really upbeat and catchy. Great to put on when you're hyper and such.

[Alessia_Tateno]

Originally Posted by Crystal_Ageha

I hate her, too, and most of her fans. The only fans worse are Hikki fans, and a select few major Kuu-stans.
Amuro is a sell-out who's had everything handed to her from the beginning of her career, and I can't respect that. She's also completely, utterly talentless as far as singing goes. Her range is easily one of the tiniest in the entire industry, and she couldn't pull off a proper crescendo to save her life. She can dance, of course, but that won't save you. Not by my books, at least. It also doesn't help that she practically lip syncs all the time, since her backtracks are usually so freaking loud that you can't hear her much at all.

You don't have to like her, just because she's currently 'in'. You also shouldn't try to like her, just because so many people here do. A lot of people here are honestly a little.....I won't say anymore.


Anyhow. Even though Namie Amuro is a disgrace to the music industry, she does have a handful of pretty cool songs. So you can get into some of her music, without being an obsessive fan like a lot of people here.
STYLE is by far her best album, I think. It's J-Pop mixed perfectly with Western styled hip-hop/R&B. PAST>FUTURE is probably her second best, for me, but that may be because it's extremely J-Pop this time around, and I prefer that over Western styled genres. Other than that, her only other decent album, in my opinion, is Queen of Hip-Pop. It's not my style, but it's an overall catchy album, and pretty good for what it's worth.
For specific songs, I'd recommend her breakthrough hit, Body feels EXIT, if you haven't heard it already. Very techno-pop, and very catchy. To me, this is one of the only good songs from the beginning of her career. Another really catchy song is WANT ME, WANT ME. It gets stuck in your head, hah... Another good track, that's from the newest album, is FAST CAR. Dunno if you've heard it, but I think it's the best song she's had since her STYLE album. My personal favourite song by Namie is SO CRAZY. A very poppy, slightly hip-hop track with a great chorus. A good amount of messed up Engrish in the bridge to make you giggle, too, hah. Oh~, and check out the song that she did with ZEEBRA, Mummy-D and AI. Do What U Gotta Do. She's only in the chorus, but you should be thankful for that, lol... The song itself is really upbeat and catchy. Great to put on when you're hyper and such.

Agree with Crystal_Ageha for the fact that you shouldn't like her just because she became again really popular, everyone has different tastes and if you listened some albums of her but still you can't like her then give up.

but (for Crystal_Ageha) if you think that she lip-syncs all the time then obviously you didnt see any of her tours (you can hear her voice well in there and she obviously is LIVE, some songs have loud backtracks, especially on tv shows, but on tours you can hear her voice pretty well and sing&dance at the same time is very very tiring that's why artists like BoA and Koda Kumi maybe do less tours than her and sing less dance song or don't dance as much as she does even though they are super excellent dancers, especially BoA that is one of the bests ever // I named Koda and BoA because are the singer/dancers that first came in my mind..but other non dancer artists like Ayu and Hikki also do waaaaaaaaay less date tours than her). Also she worked hard at first (with Supermonkey's, then she become very popular but in the 2000's she lost a lot of popularity and she needed to work hard again to get it all back and we see the results now). Again, everyone has different tastes but really you can't say she didn't work hard to get the popularity that she has =P

[Mirrorcle Monster]

Past<Future, Play and Break the Rules, but you should also hear Say the Word, single, and BEST FICTION is also a great way to start

[ville]

Queen of Hip-Pop, PLAY and Past<Future.

but of course you should try BEST FICTION and Love Enchanced Single Collection.

[aloopy]

Listen to "Concentration 20", "Queen of Hip-Pop" and "Past<Future". But maybe you should watch her tours first, she's and amazing performer and that's one of the things that got me into her.
Start out with "BEST FICTION tour"

Originally Posted by Alessia_Tateno

...but really you can't say she didn't work hard to get the popularity that she has.

Seriously.
I suggest people to read about how she started out before saying stuff like "she got everything handed to her". Oh well.

[Spiral]

Why are you trying to force yourself? If she's not your cup of tea she isn't. You don't have to like her because she's the it girl at the moment or whatever. Like what you want to like. Listen to what you REALLY want to listen to.

With that said, starting off with studio albums isn't usually the way to go when she has quite a few. You should try out her compilation albums first to get more of a feel. 181920, Love Enhanced, and Best Fiction should give you an idea of what she does and how's she changed throughout the years. From there you can see which album you'd like to try out more of.

Originally Posted by Crystal_Ageha

Amuro is a sell-out who's had everything handed to her from the beginning of her career, and I can't respect that.

I respectfully disagree with this statement. It's totally fine to dislike her for her lack of singing abilities and what not and other things you stated but saying she didn't work hard to get where she was? No. Just no. She had nothing handed to her. She had to work her way up from variety shows, back-up dancer status, to being with the super monkey's until she got a lucky big break. She didn't happen overnight.

Saying that about ANY artist is just a big no no from me. Just because they have a certain perceived status from the public doesn't mean they don't work hard to get where they are. /2 cents

[Uemarasan]

I actually do respect Namie for getting herself where she is now. Lord knows the road hasn't been easy.

I actually don't think she's much of a dancer. Maybe she should get a better choreographer, but I've yet to be impressed. That's the one thing that irks me about her image: for some reason it's shoved in our faces that she's this awesome dancing force of nature when I only really see stale, awkward, half-hearted moves. BoA has far better choreography.

And I really respect what she stands for, though: a successful single mother and mature Japanese woman who doesn't need a man

[Crystal_Ageha]

Originally Posted by Alessia_Tateno

Agree with Crystal_Ageha for the fact that you shouldn't like her just because she became again really popular, everyone has different tastes and if you listened some albums of her but still you can't like her then give up.

but (for Crystal_Ageha) if you think that she lip-syncs all the time then obviously you didnt see any of her tours (you can hear her voice well in there and she obviously is LIVE, some songs have loud backtracks, especially on tv shows, but on tours you can hear her voice pretty well and sing&dance at the same time is very very tiring that's why artists like BoA and Koda Kumi maybe do less tours than her and sing less dance song or don't dance as much as she does even though they are super excellent dancers, especially BoA that is one of the bests ever // I named Koda and BoA because are the singer/dancers that first came in my mind..but other non dancer artists like Ayu and Hikki also do waaaaaaaaay less date tours than her). Also she worked hard at first (with Supermonkey's, then she become very popular but in the 2000's she lost a lot of popularity and she needed to work hard again to get it all back and we see the results now). Again, everyone has different tastes but really you can't say she didn't work hard to get the popularity that she has =P

Okay, that's true. I've mostly seen TV lives, and the bits of her tours I've watched did seem mostly all live. (I could tell, because she sounded so bad. )
Also, people like BoA or Kumi don't sing and dance as much at the same time as Amuro does because they actually SING, not just yell out three different notes. It's easy as hell to dance and "sing" at the same time when you sing like she does, and with the songs she has.
And finally, I've read all about how this talentless bore was randomly selected to be put into a very prestigious arts school, and then somehow selected by the owner of that school to be put into a idol girl group, which, especially back in the day, meant instant success, to at least some degree. She also obviously must be on very good terms with both ZEEBRA and Double, two of the biggest names in Japan for hip-hop and such, especially of Western style (which is what she originally tried to make a name for herself with). This has helped her at least stay in the spotlight, even when her popularity was down.
Oh, and one more thing, she did not work hard to get back her popularity. The slight popularity surge she had after her peak was due mostly to the fact that her mother was killed and people felt bad, and also because she "re-invented" herself and started doing what music was now getting more attention in Japan. And the popularity she has now is also mostly due to the fact that she, again, "re-invented" herself to suit what's hot in Japan at this point. (Seriously, Amuro. How many damn times will you "re-invent" yourself? )

Originally Posted by Spiral

...I respectfully disagree with this statement. It's totally fine to dislike her for her lack of singing abilities and what not and other things you stated but saying she didn't work hard to get where she was? No. Just no. She had nothing handed to her. She had to work her way up from variety shows, back-up dancer status, to being with the super monkey's until she got a lucky big break. She didn't happen overnight.

Saying that about ANY artist is just a big no no from me. Just because they have a certain perceived status from the public doesn't mean they don't work hard to get where they are. /2 cents

Yes, she didn't get her lucky break until SUPER MONKEYS, but that was pretty much right away, all while having no singing talent at all. Very lucky. Really, the only person I can think of who's luckier is Ayu. But at least Ayu has always been true to herself, and she certainly has something special that Amuro does not. Also, SHE works extremely~ hard, and she truly deserves success. But either way.... I don't see why you get so offended about somebody saying an artist is lucky, because in nearly every case of a big star, they were very lucky. That's just how it is. Especially in the Western world, you don't have to work at ALL to get big. And with Namie, that's definitely the case. I don't care if she has dozens of tour dates. All she has to do with those is practice dance moves, since she can't sing worth a ****. And that's nothing, considering she doesn't compose OR write lyrics OR even do TV appearances. So I don't wanna hear how she works so hard, at least not compared to other people in the industry. I respect her as a regular person, for dealing with the death of the person closest to her (something I've also had to deal with), and for being a good mother (it seems she really loves her son, and she gives him plenty of time, despite her career). But I do not respect her as an artist at all. She's pathetic, to say the least.

[Cherry Dynamite]

You don't have to listen to her if you don't like her.

Actually I used to dislike her, but I gave her a try but even after that I still didn't like her but after 2 weeks I kinda started digging her songs but that doesn't happen to everyone so if you really don't like, don't bother to listen to her.

[2Hurt]

I used to hate Namie too lol but a few years ago I tried out a few more songs.. Did U, Say the Word... but I'd say you should try BEST FICTION ^-^

[Mary Weather]

Maybe I'll just try some of her best albums. That might be better. Honestly I could care less what kind of person Amuro is. I'm just trying to like her music. I genuinely want to like her and so that's why I'm giving it one more shot. If I don't like her then I just don't like her, ya know?

Haha, I've always wanted to like her so I figure now, since people can give me good suggestions, would be a good time to try again. I'll still try out the albums more people suggested. Oh, and didn't mean to start a fight between anyone either @_@ sorry....

[amorphose]

STYLE
Queen of Hip-Pop
PAST<FUTURE

I, for one, HATE PLAY. lol Those three are awesome albums though.

[SunshineSlayer]

Originally Posted by Crystal_Ageha

I hate her, too, and most of her fans. The only fans worse are Hikki fans, and a select few major Kuu-stans.
Amuro is a sell-out who's had everything handed to her from the beginning of her career, and I can't respect that. She's also completely, utterly talentless as far as singing goes. Her range is easily one of the tiniest in the entire industry, and she couldn't pull off a proper crescendo to save her life. She can dance, of course, but that won't save you. Not by my books, at least. It also doesn't help that she practically lip syncs all the time, since her backtracks are usually so freaking loud that you can't hear her much at all.

I still don't understand your hate of Namie because the reasons you give don't really make sense to someone who actually follows her. Her voice is just fine and it was very strong in the 90s, she rarely has ever lipped synched and she is far from the worst when it comes to using loud back tracks. But the thing that makes the least amount of sense is saying that she had her fame handed to her - she had to work for it a lot more than many other artists that do actually have it handed to them.

Originally Posted by Crystal_Ageha

Oh, and one more thing, she did not work hard to get back her popularity. The slight popularity surge she had after her peak was due mostly to the fact that her mother was killed and people felt bad, and also because she "re-invented" herself and started doing what music was now getting more attention in Japan.

That's really rude. And its not even accurate. Her mother died in 1998 - she did not have a popularity resurgence until around 2006. Her singles that were released after her mothers death sold less than her singles the year before, there was no resurgence at all.

But, for the original poster - as I suggested to you in the other thread: It seems that you have only listened to her more recent material, so perhaps you should try her material from the mid 90s to early 00s. Try the album Concentration 20.
But if you can't get into her, that's fine. Not everyone is going to like everything; just don't bash the artist unnecessarily if you personally don't like them for some reason.

[emi♡]

Originally Posted by Crystal_Ageha

Okay, that's true. I've mostly seen TV lives, and the bits of her tours I've watched did seem mostly all live. (I could tell, because she sounded so bad. )
Also, people like BoA or Kumi don't sing and dance as much at the same time as Amuro does because they actually SING, not just yell out three different notes. It's easy as hell to dance and "sing" at the same time when you sing like she does, and with the songs she has.
And finally, I've read all about how this talentless bore was randomly selected to be put into a very prestigious arts school, and then somehow selected by the owner of that school to be put into a idol girl group, which, especially back in the day, meant instant success, to at least some degree. She also obviously must be on very good terms with both ZEEBRA and Double, two of the biggest names in Japan for hip-hop and such, especially of Western style (which is what she originally tried to make a name for herself with). This has helped her at least stay in the spotlight, even when her popularity was down.
Oh, and one more thing, she did not work hard to get back her popularity. The slight popularity surge she had after her peak was due mostly to the fact that her mother was killed and people felt bad, and also because she "re-invented" herself and started doing what music was now getting more attention in Japan. And the popularity she has now is also mostly due to the fact that she, again, "re-invented" herself to suit what's hot in Japan at this point. (Seriously, Amuro. How many damn times will you "re-invent" yourself? )


Yes, she didn't get her lucky break until SUPER MONKEYS, but that was pretty much right away, all while having no singing talent at all. Very lucky. Really, the only person I can think of who's luckier is Ayu. But at least Ayu has always been true to herself, and she certainly has something special that Amuro does not. Also, SHE works extremely~ hard, and she truly deserves success. But either way.... I don't see why you get so offended about somebody saying an artist is lucky, because in nearly every case of a big star, they were very lucky. That's just how it is. Especially in the Western world, you don't have to work at ALL to get big. And with Namie, that's definitely the case. I don't care if she has dozens of tour dates. All she has to do with those is practice dance moves, since she can't sing worth a ****. And that's nothing, considering she doesn't compose OR write lyrics OR even do TV appearances. So I don't wanna hear how she works so hard, at least not compared to other people in the industry. I respect her as a regular person, for dealing with the death of the person closest to her (something I've also had to deal with), and for being a good mother (it seems she really loves her son, and she gives him plenty of time, despite her career). But I do not respect her as an artist at all. She's pathetic, to say the least.

Sorry...but ew gross. Not gonna argue with you though. I know a lost cause when I see one.


I've listened to Namie's entire discography a few times through after listening to best fiction first...and well...I've come to only really like her recent works...and only about 10-20 songs or so.

Honestly...I don't know if anyone can help you like her...you just have to give all her music a chance...if you like it, you like it, if you don't, you dont...just keep an open mind with it...and remember what genres you're listening to lol

if you dont like certain genres...you may not like her very much.

[JackieRos]

play beats any other album hands down

I did this thread too and most people loved play cos is an awesome album

and why the hell are paragraphs here O.o

[Ayumi27]

1. Sweet 19 Blues
2. Concentration 20
3. Play

[lumieregrl]

I prefer Queen of Hip-Hop, PLAY, and Past<Future; from her early albums, I like songs here and there. I cannot stand Genius 2000.

Namie's voice improved greatly in the last several albums. I did read that she took singing lessons, so that's probably it.