u/cool_architect

Legendary performance

https://preview.redd.it/pxq1iwuqqg1h1.jpg?width=441&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=828c84b58575d3d60fd1fd96d03d2433f4eb0330

Namie Amuro debuted in 1992 at 14, sold over 40 million records, and retired on September 16, 2018, on the exact anniversary of her debut. She left on her own terms, at her peak, with her final greatest hits album Finally becoming the best-selling album of the decade in Japan. When she walked off that Okinawa stage for the last time, they literally called it the end of the Heisei era.

Her entire discography has been nuked from streaming, no Spotify, no Apple Music, nothing. So here are some videos I wanted to gather in one place (with special credit to ahmadizzat462 on YouTube who has been uploading many of the below in 4K) to reminisce and celebrate a few key moments across her career.

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STYLE era (2003) - Her R&B/hip-hop reinvention after splitting from mega-producer Tetsuya Komuro. This is where she found her sound.

Shine More · Put ‘Em Up · So Crazy

Best Fiction era (2008) - The legendary triple A-side 60s 70s 80s, each track sampling a different decade. Vidal Sassoon campaign visuals that ate.

What a Feeling · Rock Steady · New Look

Also: Black Diamond (with DOUBLE)

PAST<FUTURE era (2009) - The electronic/club pivot. This Coke Zero commercial alone is iconic.

Wild — Coke Zero CM

FEEL era (2013) - Polished, confident, full EDM pivot. Bangers on bangers.

Alive (Lyric video) · Hands on Me · Heaven

_genic era (2015) - Further into EDM/experimental mode. This track was produced by SOPHIE and features Hatsune Miku.

B Who I Want 2 B feat. Hatsune Miku

And special mention for this commercial she did in the last stretch before her retirement, where she revisited looks from all her eras (90s, 2000s, 2010s, and 2017).

She never did Western crossover promo or pursed an English-language deal, and still built one of the most extensive catalogues in Asia. If even one of these clicks for you, there's a whole discography waiting (though a little harder to find). I’ve included only a portion above.

What’s your favourite era or video? Any other moment you want to highlight?