[Namie Amuro] Don't close your eyes or you'll be lost in a fantasy

[Minttulatte]

I'm bored. And I wanna talk. I wanna ask people something;

How did you end up listening to Namie Amuro?

Well, on my behalf I can say this:

I originally had Queen of Hip-Pop and PLAY on my computer but I really hated the songs at first. I don't remember I liked any of the songs on Queen of Hip-Pop but on PLAY I only liked HIDE & SEEK and Top Secret, and of course Baby Don't Cry which was my first Namie song ever, and the other songs were pure crap to me. I couldn't stand listening to those.

Then one day I just had this strange urge to start listen to Namie's music more in May 2008 if I'm correct. I had deleted Queen of Hip-Pop and PLAY on my computer. I went to dailymotion to check out if I can find some PVs. I saw and heard the wrong songs; WHAT A FEELING, NEW LOOK, ROCK STEADY, shine more, SO CRAZY, SWEET 19 BLUES and White Light, and I just fell in love with those, except NEW LOOK and SWEET 19 BLUES which both were boring to me at first.

But either way I ended up downloading every album she had released before Queen of Hip-Pop. I listened. The more I listened the more I fell in love with her music. I got so hooked into her music I forgot everything about Ayu for two or so months. I just listened to Namie and Kuu, and sometimes Hikki but I listened to Namie's music on repeat every time I had a chance. And because of this I learnt to love songs that I had hated before like CAN'T SLEEP,CAN'T EAT,I'M SICK for example. I really love this song nowadays, mostly because it has a personal meaning to me, and nowadays only song that I really don't like is Ups and Downs. I just can't find myself liking it. No matter how much I listen to it. Nowadays the songs Should I Love Him? and Hello for example are actually my favourities.

I'm not sure which album made me love Namie so much because every album is good in their own ways. Even the SUITE CHIC album is so very good. I do have a hunch that BEST FICTION actually is the album that somehow made me love Namie so much eventually. I feel like it's her best compilation album since 181920. So I should that her hip hop/R&B style has after all made me a Namie fan. There was a time when I really thought her older, before SUITE CHIC project, stuff is better but lately I have noticed that her hip hop/R&B stuff is a lot better since it has changed her voice to better. And of course, I love her voice on concerts. I have seen few lives, and one full concert, Live Style 2006, and I have to say that Namie amazes me. Musically, vocally and with her looks (I want that my hair to be the same as hers. *___*).

I remember I made a review of all of Namie albums but I think my opinion has changed. Not that I'm going make that review again. But I'm almost 90% sure that my opinion has changed quite a lot. But anyhoo. On summary: Namie is one of my favourite artists, right now the #1 along with Kuu-chan. :3

[pommy48]

Well I first heard Hide & Seek on MTV 2 years ago..and I thought woah that's hot XD Then I saw Baby don't cry on MTV too...and thought that Jpop have such nice ballads (I was in Taiwan btw)

Then I returned to the US and decided to look up more Jpop, and then I saw that Come from Inuyasha is Namie's song, which made me love her more

I originally downloaded her PLAY album, and after a few months, I decided to download her other albums, though I didn't listen to it

I went back to Taiwan for the summer, and decided to buy BEST FICTION, but still wasn't very much into Namie

I really got more into Namie when WILD came out~ And I really decided to listen to more of her songs when I brought my tickets to BF Tour

But now I appreciate more of her older albums <3 Like break the rules *o* ah himwari

[Namie♡TOP SECRET]

I heard HIDE & SEEK, and I was like...woah! Then I heard Baby Don't Cry, Funky TOWN, CAN'T SLEEP, CAN'T EAT, I'M SICK, VIOLET SAUCE, ningyo, White Light. That's really how it caught on.

[neuteka]

Well in fall of 2007, I was hearing a lot about her among other ayu fans, so I decided to check out her music. I knew that she sang for inuyasha and stuff, so I was like " oh yeah! I know her..". I fell in love with HIDE AND SEEK, but everything else just kind of made me go "egh, its okay..."

A few months after that, I listened to PLAY but I didn't really like it. I'm really not sure why... but I listened to like 4 songs and then stopped listening to it.

I didn't listen to her for over a year, and then i was on imeem one day in late march/ early april, and WILD was on the list of popular videos. I was like "hmm, namie amuro? thats kinda cool.." so I checked it out. I loved it so much, I listened to it like 3 times in a row Then I went to youtube and listened to Dr., and loved that one a lot, too.

The following sunday, I checked out a bunch of her videos, and i listened to the album PLAY and fell in love with it. Then my obsession grew, now I have listened to all of her albums from AVEX, and i can't stop listening to her!

[JackieRos]

because in 2007 i saw sets of namie's play
i was like hmm
so i searched for her got some info and i so totally forgot her
at first i downloaded Queen of Hip Pop i didn't like it
then i just came here and asked people what was their fav album
and the majority said play so i downloaded AND FREAKING LOVED IT!
i also now like Queen of Hip Pop
these people *points to thread* here got me into her

[aloopy]

lol great stories everyone
*hates Powwo for hating Ups&Downs </3* that song is awesome
j/k j/k

I heard Put 'Em Up some years ago on youtube and downloaded that song but I never really cared for her other music.
But last year I downloaded BEST FICTION and the rest is history so yeah I'm kinda a new Namie fan lol.


and now Namie is my favorite artist I don't think I've ever loved or respected an artist as much as I do with Namie.

and my favorite namie song is I WILL. her voice is so strong and emotional in that song, and the PV is (blah @ the short wig though)

and now i'm trying to collect all her albums and singles, in fact, NEVER END arrived today <3. still got a long way to go though lol

[Alessia_Tateno]

My story:

When I started to listen to Jpop I found an article about Namie and her stardom because she was the one and only Jpop Queen back then (Late 1999).

I got curious and heard some of her songs (the first one I heard probably was DREAMING I WAS DREAMING) but the first time I saw a live of her was when she sang NEVER END at LOVE LOVE AISHITERU (Kinki Kids TV Program that now is called Domoto Kyoudai) and started to like her more (even though in that live when Koichi and Tsuyoshi sang they ruined the songs T.T They are good singers, especially Tsuyoshi, but still....)

Luckily now on DOMOTO KYOUDAI they only play the instruments for the guest who will sing so there is no danger to ruin any other songs XD

ps = back then the quality/size of videos/mp3s was TERRIBLE..I used to download all the rmv videos and I still have that NEVER END live with Kinki Kids (this one is wmv/asf) and well...the file size is 5MB!! Like a 128kbps song XXXXXXXXD

[Ayu_desu]

Back in 2003, I remember going through the Avex TV play list (it sucks they took that down) to watch the Ayu's Memorial Address CMs. Then I found out about Namie's existence when it promoted her So Crazy single with the PV.

In 2005, I randomly downloaded No and The Speed Star because of the hot covers and I loved it, but still was not convinced to become her fan. I was still a devoted Ayu fan back then.

I started liking her music after listening to Baby Don't Cry in 2007, when many AHS-ers here were praising it. When I heard Hide & Seek, I became her fan. Her music since then have been increasingly good so I'm happy about that.

[mcluva420]

it was a year ago.. i was stuck in Macao (China) with nothing to do.. so I watched TV
they played Namie PVs but I had no idea who she was..I remember seeing the VS cm and immediately wanted that shampoo (not to mention her hair was tooo pretty). i had no idea that lady in the cm was the same person as the lady in the pvs.. and then, I saw NEW LOOK pv a few times, and i really liked it. I kept watching that channel for the pv to play again xD
I went on youtube to search for the video, but I kept forgetting the title, and then i remembered x] And i was checking my friend's profile and realised that she been a big fan of namie
I returned to the US (just like pommy haha) and downloaded her songs and found some more to download. I think it was near the end of 08, I was in Japantown and went in the bookstore. I saw BEST FICTION in the new release section, and spazzed my ass off and then I bought it! shortly after, I bought PLAY.

Macao wasnt THAT hellish after all!

EDIT: I vow to complete my namie discog (excl. some singles @_@) before i complete any other j-pop artist's discogs

[AyuGAME]

i think its the same time when i discovered ayu back in 1999
i bought a bootleg compilation PV of jpop artist
there is say the word from namie...
but i become like her more since never end...

[neuteka]

Originally Posted by aloopy

lol great stories everyone
*hates Powwo for hating Ups&Downs </3* that song is awesome
j/k j/k

I heard Put 'Em Up some years ago on youtube and downloaded that song but I never really cared for her other music.
But last year I downloaded BEST FICTION and the rest is history so yeah I'm kinda a new Namie fan lol.


and now Namie is my favorite artist I don't think I've ever loved or respected an artist as much as I do with Namie.

and my favorite namie song is I WILL. her voice is so strong and emotional in that song, and the PV is (blah @ the short wig though)

and now i'm trying to collect all her albums and singles, in fact, NEVER END arrived today <3. still got a long way to go though lol

You are a new namie fan? I have only been a fan for like 4 months ;_; I feel kind of like a noob now

[aloopy]

Originally Posted by neuteka

You are a new namie fan? I have only been a fan for like 4 months ;_; I feel kind of like a noob now

better late than never xD!


also, cover of fine magazine:
she looks cute and very summery

[neuteka]

^ haha, yeah

Oh my goodness! that cover is gorgeous! I love her hair

[NintendoHTF1242]

A friend of mine that goes here (Bozu) was talking about how hot Hide & Seek was. So I watched it and was impressed. I showed my friend and now we have an inside joke with the PV xD But yeah, Hide & Seek made me love her. But Rock Steady, Do Me More, and Full Moon made me a big fan.

[mcluva420]

Originally Posted by aloopy

loove the cover!!

[Rocky Raven]

Very kawaii cover =D! Can't wait for the scans!

[SunshineSlayer]

My story seems to be quite different from others. I first heard Namie back in 1996 when I lived in Japan. I remember hearing Don't Want to Cry quite often when I was out in town. (at department stores, Mr. Doughnut etc) I always liked the sound of it. But back then I was only 12 and not so much into J-POP. It wasn't until around 2004 that I became a real fan - I remember thinking the Girl Talk covers were really cool and so I downloaded it and have been a big fan since then. Soon after I refound Don't Want to Cry and was like "Oh she sings THAT song?!" I love both her new and old though I have a slight preference for her older material.

[RikkuChii]

I forgot how I discovered Namie.

I know it was 3 years ago.

I randomly downloaded Body Feels EXIT & WANT ME, WANT ME.

The rest is history.

[AyuHamasaki01]

Originally Posted by Powwo

How did you end up listening to Namie Amuro?

One day I decided it was time for me to try out some new J-Pop. I went to the Asian Music Downloads section came across a live performance of FUNKY TOWN and I watched and I thought "wow, this song is awesome and her voice is "

So.... well, that's the beginning of it.

Originally Posted by aloopy

better late than never xD!


also, cover of fine magazine:
she looks cute and very summery

Woooow, gorgeous! I love it.
btw, is her hair shorter? D:

[daybreak123]

I never remember correctly how I became a fan of an artist, but I try to remember something. Well, as I said before, I think my first song was HIDE&SEEK. I'm pretty sure I was on YouTube to find her songs. One of my friends was a fan of her and I had never heard of Namie, so I decided to listen a few songs from her. I don't remember what year it was, maybe late 2007? Oh well. Anyways, in 2008 I became a fan of her. Before that I thought she's a nice singer and almost forgot her. But then I started to listen to more and more her music and I bought Queen of Hip-Pop album. I really liked it and listened to it a lot, but then I started to like Kumi and Ayu more and I forgot Namie again. I sold Queen of Hip-Pop to my friend (and now I regret it >.<) and I didn't listen her so much anymore. But then she released WILD/Dr. and I started to love her again.

And I love that cover for Fine, she looks great. I love her smile.