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.
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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?
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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.