She initially debuted in 1992 as the lead singer of SUPER MONKEY'S, with fellow Okinawa Actors School classmates MAX as back dancers. After the group disbanded, she eventually had her solo debut in 1995 on the Avex Trax label with the Tetsuya Komuro produced single "Body Feels EXIT", which was an instant hit. The following singles "Chase the Chance", "Don't wanna cry" and "You're my sunshine" all sold 1 million copies during a short period of time. In 1996, Namie released her debut solo album "SWEET 19 BLUES" which sold 3.8 millions of copies throughout Japan and broke sales records at the time. It is the 12th most selling album of all time in Japan. At the end of 1996 she won the Grand Prix Award, the highest honor at the Japan Record Awards, for "Don't wanna cry". Another monumental release for Amuro was 1997's "CAN YOU CELEBRATE?", which was the best selling release of the year, and remains the best-selling physically released single by a solo female artist in Japan.
In 1997, Namie shocked everyone when she announced that SAM (from the band TRF) and she were getting married and that she was pregnant. Namie took a break from the entertainment business and her son, Haruto, was born on May 19, 1998.
Her comeback single, "I HAVE NEVER SEEN", released on December 23rd the same year, gave Amuro a warm welcome back to the industry. "I HAVE NEVER SEEN" became Amuro's 9th number-one single.
On March 17th, 1999, Amuro released her 12th single, "RESPECT the POWER OF LOVE". On the same day, Emiko Taira, Amuro's mother, was murdered. All promotional activites for the single grinded to a halt as Amuro flew to Okinawa to identify Emiko's body. A short break followed for Amuro to recover.
A few months later, Amuro began to work with producer Dallas Austin, known for his work with American hip-hop/R&B trio, TLC. This shift was in part to Amuro's personal desire to create more R&B and Hip-Hop oriented music. In 2001, Amuro parted ways with long-time producer Tetsuya Komuro, as part of her musical direction shift. From this point on, Amuro always would be in complete creative control of her career. Around this time, Amuro made a few attempts at writing lyrics for her songs, including her single "Say the word", which hit #3 on the Oricon charts, and remained a fan-favorite with Amuro performing the song over numerous tours, including her final tour, which included 20 songs that garnered the most fan votes.
Amuro and SAM would divorce in 2002, and Amuro would completely mmerse herself in her work, hardening her R&B and Hip-Hop sound, collaboriating with a number of artists under a sonic project entitled "SUITE CHIC". "SUITE CHIC" helped empower Amuro to not "be stuck in the past" with her music, as she felt mentally constricted by her name at the time. Feeling liberated after releasing a SUITE CHIC album, Amuro would continue to refine her sound and image with the following albums "STYLE" in 2003, and "Queen of Hip-Pop" in 2005.
"PLAY", released on June 27, 2007, became Amuro's highest-selling studio album since her 2000 album, "GENIUS 2000", sold 540,000 copies, and contained another fan-favorite release, "Baby Don't Cry", which reached #3 on the Oricon charts.
2008 marked a new peak in Amuro's career. In March, she released a new single, "60s70s80s", which became her 10th #1 single, the first one for Amuro since 1998's "I HAVE NEVER SEEN".
Amuro released her third "best of" album "BEST FICTION", on July 30, 2008. "BEST FICTION" proceeded to spend 6 weeks at the #1 position on the Oricon charts, had the highest first-week album sales of any release in 2008, became the #2 best overall-selling album of that year, and has sold more than 1.4 million copies since its release.
Namie started a new arena tour called Namie Amuro BEST FICTION 2008-2009 tour. It ran from October 25, 2008 to May 31, 2009. This was her first tour Amuro held sans songs produced by Tetsuya Komuro.
From 2009 on, Amuro would steadily release chart-topping studio albums. Straying from the traditional methods of the Japanese music industry yet again, Amuro decided to utilize a strategy of focusing on touring as means of promotion, rather than TV and commercial appearances. What resulted was a beneficial business move, while fulfilling Amuro's long-time preference to perform over giving interviews. This cultivated a very loyal and diverse fanbase that would consistently result in sold-out shows whenever Amuro toured.
From 2010 to 2018, as Amuro performed relentlessly long tours every year, Amuro remained consistent and dedicated to giving performances she felt she could be proud of, and in the process, quietly withheld that after a vocal cord injury in 2010, Amuro's vocal cords slowly were deteriorating. Amuro later revealed this was the deciding factor in her retirement, as she did not want to perform at a level she personally could not accept.
After her 25th anniversary concert in Okinawa, Amuro announced that she would retire from the industry on September 16th, 2018. The masses, aggrieved with this announcement, even created the name "Amuloss" for the emotion that was felt, knowing Amuro would leave a great void in the music industry.
A greatest hits album, "Finally" would be released in November of 2017 and would go on to sell over 2.5 million copies and be the best-selling album in Japan for both 2017 and 2018. Starting in March 2018, "namie amuro Final Tour 2018 ~Finally~" would result in Amuro breaking both ticket and Blu-ray/DVD sales records. With shows in all 5 major Japanese domes, including and a handful of shows outside of Japan, nearly 800,000 were in attendance. Pre-orders alone for the Blu-rays/DVDs would exceed the best-selling concert video release at that time. Combined DVD and Blu-ray sales for "namie amuro Final Tour 2018 ~Finally~" have sold over 1.74 million since its release in late August 2018.
Photogenic
安室奈美恵 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Freakin' Photogenic
Night out, clock says 9 sharp
Boy, we're running late
(I'm ready baby,
I'm ready baby,
I'm here now here now)
Getting into my car,
(I'm ready baby,
I'm ready baby,
I'm right here for you)
Watch me, follow the red light
Join me
One, two, strike a pose!
When you see cameras flashing,
follow the action
They call me Photogenic
Freakin' Photogenic
Here you go, paparazzi,
lookin' fantastic
They call me Photogenic
Freakin' Photogenic
In the car, on the street,
anywhere that we meet
On the cover of a magazine
You know I'm always Photogenic
Freakin' Photogenic
In the car, on the street,
anywhere that we meet
On the cover of a magazine
You know I'm always Photogenic
Freakin' Photogenic
I want you by my side
Movin' through the crowd
(I'm ready baby,
I'm ready baby,
I'm here now here now)
King and Queen of the world
tonight
Make the crowd go loud
(I'm ready baby,
I'm ready baby,
I'm right here for you)
Watch me, follow the red light
Join me
One, two, strike a pose!
When you see cameras flashing,
follow the action
They call me Photogenic
Freakin' Photogenic
Here you go, paparazzi,
lookin' fantastic
They call me Photogenic
Freakin' Photogenic
In the car, on the street,
anywhere that we meet
On the cover of a magazine
You know I'm always Photogenic
Freakin' Photogenic
In the car, on the street,
anywhere that we meet
On the cover of a magazine
You know I'm always Photogenic
Freakin' Photogenic
Put my picture on the wall
Everyone knows I'm beautiful
Put my picture on the wall
What are you waiting for
Put my picture on the wall
Everyone knows I'm beautiful
Put my picture on the wall
What are you waiting for
When you see cameras flashing,
follow the action
They call me Photogenic
Freakin' Photogenic
Here you go, paparazzi,
lookin' fantastic
They call me Photogenic
Freakin' Photogenic
In the car, on the street,
anywhere that we meet
On the cover of a magazine
You know I'm always Photogenic
Freakin' Photogenic
In the car, on the street,
anywhere that we meet
On the cover of a magazine
You know I'm always Photogenic
Freakin' Photogenic
In the car, on the street,
anywhere that we meet
On the cover of a magazine
You know I'm always Photogenic
Freakin' Photogenic
The song "Photogenic" by 安室奈美恵 (Namie Amuro) is about being camera-ready and confident in every situation, whether it's on the street, in a car or on the cover of a magazine. The lyrics describe the life of a celebrity always ready for the camera with lines such as "They call me Photogenic, Freakin' Photogenic", "Here you go, paparazzi, lookin' fantastic" and "Put my picture on the wall, everyone knows I'm beautiful".
The song talks about the pressures of being famous, with lines like "Night out, clock says 9 sharp, Boy, we're running late" and "Make the crowd go loud". However, the singer of the song is confident in their ability to look great in every photo, with the repeated chorus that "You know I'm always photogenic, freakin' photogenic".
Overall, "Photogenic" is an upbeat and confident song about embracing the limelight and feeling confident and beautiful under the bright lights of the camera.
Line by Line Meaning
They call me Photogenic
People often refer to me as someone who photographs well and looks good in pictures.
Freakin' Photogenic
I am very good-looking and attractive when I am photographed.
Night out, clock says 9 sharp
It is currently 9 PM and I am getting ready to go out for the night.
Boy, we're running late
We are behind schedule and need to hurry up.
(I'm ready baby,
I'm ready baby,
I'm here now here now)
I am prepared and ready to go out and have a good time with my partner, who I address affectionately as "baby".
Getting into my car,
or we'll let him wait
I am getting into my car, otherwise we will keep someone waiting for us.
Watch me, follow the red light
Follow my lead as I obey the traffic signals and maneuver our way through the streets.
Join me
One, two, strike a pose!
Stand with me and strike a pose when I count to two, like we're posing for a photograph.
When you see cameras flashing,
follow the action
When you see someone taking pictures, continue to be photogenic and put on a good performance for the camera.
Here you go, paparazzi,
lookin' fantastic
Take my picture, paparazzi, because I look amazing and am ready for my close-up.
In the car, on the street,
anywhere that we meet
On the cover of a magazine
You know I'm always Photogenic
Freakin' Photogenic
Whether I am in a car, walking down the street, or featured on a magazine cover, my photogenic qualities always shine through.
I want you by my side
Movin' through the crowd
I desire your companionship as we navigate through the crowded venue or event we are attending.
King and Queen of the world
tonight
Make the crowd go loud
We will be the center of attention and the most popular people in the room tonight, causing the crowd to become lively and excited.
(I'm ready baby,
I'm ready baby,
I'm here now here now)
Again, I am ready and prepared for whatever the night may bring with my partner by my side, whom I am addressing affectionately as "baby".
Put my picture on the wall
Everyone knows I'm beautiful
Put my picture on the wall
What are you waiting for
I am so beautiful that my picture should be displayed prominently and admired by all who see it.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Maria Marcus/Andreas Oberg/Emyli
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@munikawa-muni
安室さんが引退しても
どの楽曲も色褪せること無く
輝いていますが
特にこのアルバムは
これから発売しても通用するぐらい
斬新かつ新鮮で
生涯、聴いていられるアルバムです
@emptypicture9suzu
正直このアルバムが一番好き
まさか最後のオリジナルアルバムになるとは…
@sdad2443
最後のオリジナルアルバムだけど、一番好きだし一番進化を感じる凄さ。
キャリアが長くなると、長いファンを逃さない定番ばっかりになりそうなところを、新しさもらしさもあるってかっこいい。
PhotogenicとEvery Womanかっこよすぎる。曲も好きだけどライブもすごい好き。フォトジェ～のシャッター音のタイミングの証明とか、エブリ～のせり上がりからの銀テとか見ててもテンション上がる
@daigo9323
待ってました!!
安室さんを語るうえでこのアルバムは絶対外せない秀逸作品だと思います！
ジャケットに発売前からの全曲新曲ショートムービー公開という斬新かつとてもユーモアに溢れたMVや小出し感たっぷりなCM集、
そして発売後にも用意された様々なサプライズの公開には本当ワクワク、ざわざわさせられました(笑)
そして本人のスキルにおいても英詞歌唱やラップなどFEELを軽く飛び越えてその先にものびしろが在るかのように錯覚させる程の衝撃とクオリティでした。
@user-do9ei7hl7d
自分で作詞作曲してないからという理由で評価しない人もいますが、このアルバム聴くと選曲やコンセプト構築からライブでの演出まで、卓越したプロデュース力とセンスを感じます。
@ayk1656
素敵すぎるから輝いて見えます
カッコイイー😍😍 感動！！
安室ちゃん 大好き💕💕💕
@user-jt4iq3we2g
コンサートよかったです。 母の車でラジオで聴いて、三年後に念願叶って大阪城コンサートホール行かせていただきました。
@bon.7829
シングル曲がなく、果敢に攻めてるなーって、当時思ってました。
@user-uh1qn2wq9g
奈美恵さん赤いワンピース👗と黒い上着黒いブーツ👢もグッとラックでかっこよく見えますギョイ!!綾子ギョイ!!💃💃🌈🎊💯🤠🌹🌹😻🤩💝❣️💋💋👸🍀🌜🔥🤗💌😝😺🌹🌹🤠🤠🌻🌻⭐💃💃💋
@nakayoshikazueto8359
全部好き❣️❣️❣️