^The term "idol" started being used back in the 70's, way before cute childish girl groups existed. Actually, idols used to have a low and deep voice and a mature image before Seiko made it big. Momoe Yamaguchi for example is one of the most respected female vocalists in Japan history, and she was basically an idol.
There's nothing wrong with being an idol and saying Namie is an idol doesn't mean she is talentless or something like that... But even her control over her career means she will hire the best team to keep her around more than it mean she will actually get herself in the creative process. There's someone on the forum who worked on the company that produced the Golden Touch PV and they made it very clear Namie had nothing to do with it. This is essentially being an idol.