Namie Amuro: A message to ViVi generation girls and why I continue to sing.
Interview and text: Kanako Hayakawa
Namie Amuro is releasing her new single "Mint". The thrilling title track is the theme song to TV series "My Dangerous Wife", a female revenge drama. It is coupled with a girls-talk themed song Chit Chat, a pop tune aimed directly at women. Amuro's music is always on the girls side. So to begin with, I asked what were her dreams of love when she was a girl of ViVi generation?
Whether lifelong love or simply a date, I didn't long for those things at all. I was thinking perhaps I might never get married. Anyway, I loved my work and wanted to keep on doing it. So when I got married at the age of 20 I surprised myself most of all (laughs). At that time work was important and I didn't think work and marriage were compatible. I was able to do it because there was understanding and support from the people around me.
Amuro went to talent training school, steadily built up practice of song and dance, faced the challenge of numerous auditions, and as a result grabbed stardom. But in an era when read/unread can change in a moment, a 'like' response on Instagram or YouTube comes back immediately, anyone has a chance to quickly become famous.
In a time full of people who have become famous in that way, many people feel their own start is late. Perhaps this impatience has increased among teenagers, they feel in a hurry to get a job and become an adult. However, assessment and results are things that cannot be obtained immediately. I am aware of that risk, having at last reached this age I feel I can admit it. But everyone wants to be famous when they are young, don't they. Especially now this can be achieved using SNS [Social Networking Services]
We all know in our heads that results cannot be obtained immediately, so the real intention is to get 'likes' immediately. In fact, seeking the approval of 'likes' now dominates the everyday lives of not a few people.
Some people think the 'like' function is the root cause of various troubles, but it just fuels a competitive spirit, which SNS has only spread. It was said there was a time when this spirit had been lost, but with the spread of SNS it has been resurrected. Doing unhurried training there cultivates a competitive spirit, which puts you in a good shape when going on social media. This spirit has polished people's aesthetic sense, and increased their knowledge of fashion. Not only to worry about the evaluation of others, SNS has become a good tool to find something you are good at and that suits you.
In the world of entertainment there can be discord between what the world "likes" and the things you yourself want to do. How does Amuro deal with this difficult balance?
Nothing is gained by worrying about the world, trying to go forward at the same speed as other people, or worrying that they don't think like you do. You can only go at your own pace, without comparing yourself to anyone else. For me to have the mental strength to do that took discipline
and training (laughs). When someone is successful, I just think "Really, that's great". I accept reality. By not getting impatient, or even frustrated, if you can honestly say it's good then maybe you can move forward. But while adults get impatient, there is even more impatience among young people. As for me, it seems some time ago since I thought like that.
So if, like Amuro, you have confidence in yourself, you can honestly acknowledge the success of other people. But you can still be worried by their actions and assessments.
After all no two people are the same. You can only lay your own rails. You need to find something of your own, that you can do better than other people. If you can think about things in that way then you no longer need to worry about them. I think this is something that can best be overcome by going on social media. You can start on SNS without having to get over that mountain. Things that are self started can only be self resolved. So on a song I have self started, when a mountain comes I have to get over it. Either you get over it or you give up, since you don't want to give up you must get over it. Whether you give up or continue, what's important is to take responsibility.
But there is nothing wrong in thinking to yourself "I want to be famous" says Namie.
Watching the idols and artists on TV when I was a child made me want to do concerts too. To become such a popular person, known by everyone, that was the start of my ambition to become a singer. I started going to talent training school to study the music and videos of the various artists I wanted to be like, so I'm happy if seeing me has made people think I want to be like that. As a result of becoming famous, what I want to do is important. In the end becoming famous is only a method, the goal is to fulfill your dreams.
On the way to fulfilling your dreams, walls and turning points lie in wait. At those times, the heart may suffer from doubts. "You can't help worrying, it's a natural reaction." says Amuro.
"When you are worried it's important what kind of people are around you. If they tell you we can work through this together the darkness doesn't become deeper, but if they are pessimistic you can end up dropping deeper into darkness."
Of course it's also important to persevere when you run into difficulties, to have the attitude "practice makes perfect" says Amuro.
But choosing practice makes perfect as the road to go requires tremendous self-belief and it's also very time consuming, it's not the easy way. Some things cannot be achieved in a day or two, not even in a year or two. Practice makes perfect by nature requires work. People who worry when things are not going well may doubt they have the skill to cross this barrier. There is no shortcut to success.
Amuro starts her next national hall tour in August this year. However much work goes into the rehearsals, she never shows a shadow of anxiety. As she continues to shine on stage, it is thanks to the steady effort that has accumulated so far. "No shortcut to success" is a the road Amuro has walked, and those are words that symbolize her charm.
There is no point worrying about these things. Especially now that the world is overflowing with both information and options, everything can change depending on your choice. Starting as a teenager, being in the public eye didn't bother me at all and by saying I want to become a singer I narrowed down what I wanted to do to one thing, I couldn't see anything else. I concentrated as hard as possible so there was no time to look at anything else. Maybe there wasn't as much choice in those days. Now a so-called singer can have their singing heard on YouTube without even making a debut and there are people who have become famous on it, Because so many people want to become famous, to become number one there is no easy task, but if you really think you can do it, maybe it is possible?
In fact, some days after the interview "I've been thinking about it since then." she continued.
I think it's the same with love, it feels exciting and makes your heat beat faster, so you continue to challenge even if it takes time. That is why I still do this job now. To sustain that excitement and finally have results follow is the best feeling
Those were her exact words, but I was surprised that even after the interview Amuro had been thinking of words to leave to ViVi generation. At live shows you can see her whole face smile, sometimes waving when her eyes meet the audience. All that is not simply fan service, she sincerely wants to convey her thoughts to the maximum extent.
In times of love or decision, happy times or anytime, Namie Amuro is on the side of our hearts. Ahead too surely
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