Namie Amuro is a retired Japanese singer. She rose to prominence as a teen idol, and transitioned into a leading pop artist due to her versatility across music styles and visual presentation. Due to her career reinventions and longevity, she is known as an icon across Japan and Asia. She has been referred to as the "Queen of Japanese Pop", and her influence domestically has drawn equivalent comparisons to artists such as Janet Jackson and Madonna in Western pop culture.
Amuro at her 25th anniversary concert in Okinawa in September 2017
Japanese musician Tetsuya Komuro produced Amuro's first four studio albums.
Amuro on the red carpet at MTV Asia Aid in Bangkok in February 2005
Amuro performing Girl Talk during MTV Asia Aid in Bangkok in February 2005
An idol is a type of entertainer marketed for image, attractiveness, and personality in Japanese pop culture. Idols are primarily singers with training in other performance skills such as acting, dancing, and modeling. Idols are commercialized through merchandise and endorsements by talent agencies, while maintaining a parasocial relationship with a financially loyal consumer fan base.
AKB48 (pictured 2009) is Japan's best-selling idol group and holds the Guinness World Record for "largest pop group", with more than 90 members divided among several teams.
Morning Musume (pictured 2016), the longest-running female idol group, renewed interest in idols in the 1990s. They hold the record for the most consecutive top 10 singles for any Japanese artist.
Momoiro Clover Z (pictured 2012) ranked number one among female idol groups, according to The Nikkei 2013–2018 surveys.
Babymetal (pictured 2014), whose third studio album, Metal Galaxy, is the highest charting Japanese-language album on the US Billboard 200 chart.