Namie Amuro is a J-Pop singer of Ryukyuan ancestry. In the Japanese press she was known as the "Empress of J-Pop" before Ayumi Hamasaki eclipsed her popularity in the mainstream pop scene. In her early years, Amuro was noted for her Western-style music and trendy fashion, such as her signature knee-high boots (also known as "FMBs"), which earned her the #1 spot on Oricon-Style's Boots Beauty Poll. With that her followers came to be nicknamed Amurā (Amurer in English).
Debuting in 1992 as part of the quintet Super Monkey's (sic), Amuro began her solo career in 1995, working alongside producer Tetsuya Komuro. Severing her ties with Komuro in 2001, Amuro has reestablished herself as a R&B artist. Her latest album, Play (2007) debuted at #1. She has nine #1 singles, five of which have sold over a million copies. Since her solo debut in 1995, Amuro has sold over 27 million records.
She is ranked at No.53, in a list of Japan's top 100 musicians, provided by HMV.
