1 – “When I said I wanted to tear the previous picture, the staff was surprised (Laughs)”

The best album released in 2008, BEST FICTION, was a mega-hit and sold more then 1,700,000 copies. Along with the album, the arena tour “namie amuro BEST FICTION TOUR 2008-2009” totalized 64 shows inside and outside the country and an audience of 500,000 spectators, it’s a record for a solo female artist in Japan. But for her, all that glory is already past. In her first original album after 2 years, “PAST

– First of all, what your impressions when you look back your tour.
Amuro: Inside and outside the country, I visited so many places, it was very fun. And for myself, I think I could do a good work. The feeling of doing a live abroad (Shanghai, Taiwan) didn’t change, but for each country the enthusiasm of the fans is different. Especially at Taiwan’s show, I felt like everyone stirred me up. Their power is incredible. I thought I would lose to them. (Laughs)

– You started to work on your album since the tour was over?
Amuro: Yes.

– What kind of album were you supposing beforehand?
Amuro: This time I didn’t project anything. I didn’t want to be dragged along with “BEST FICTION”, so I cleared my mind and chose the songs I genuinely wanted to sing, like collecting the songs you want to hear. Even so, I think that somewhere in my head there was something of “BEST FICTION”, so that’s why I could shake it off. The existence of “BEST FICTION” was really big. So I did take the jacket picture of myself tearing my own past picture. When I said “I will tear the “BEST FICTION” picture” the staff said “WHAAAT!?”. (Laughs)

– In fact, it’s a sensational picture. But at the picture, and also at the album’ title, I think that Miss Amuro’s thoughts are transmitted very directly. Were you trying to do something better than your best and your previous album “PLAY”?
Amuro: I never had such intentions. Even the bests and original albums, I don’t make conscious of doing something better than my previous works. In the time, I just think of doing 120% of what I think is good. With this kind of meaning, I just choose songs I genuinely want people to hear.

 

2 – To bring in a new wind, new people are needed.

– Compared with you previous album that had only T.Kura and Nao’ymt as the producers, this time the producers increased.
Amuro: I thought that if you want to bring a new wind, you’ll need new people, so I heard songs from many people and chose them. Putting so many songs from different people, also made it more varied than my previous album. I love each song, so with a good balance, and putting the songs in a certain order, I hope all of them can be settled together.

– Actually, you think it became a coherent work?
Amuro: I hope so. Of course I choose songs that are going to be enjoyable for me to sing and to do the performances, but not only this, I also put myself as the listener and chose the songs so they would be enjoyable. So there’s many kind of songs on it. Songs like “MY LOVE” with a medium tempo, or a ballad like “The Meaning of Us”, that I wanted to song after a long time.

– But in the overall result, there’s many up-tempo songs on it. (Laughs)
Amuro: It’s like this in the end. (Laughs) After all, if I think on planning something by the lives, there will be more up-tempo songs. But even if there were many ballads, I think one song will be enough. I hope it will add an extra flavor to the album.

– The only ballad song in the album, “The Meaning of Us”, has very easy to understand lyrics compared with the other songs.
Amuro: That’s true. I think it’s becoming a really easy to hear song. It’s straight, just by hearing this you think “Ah, I understand it somehow”. I chose it because I thought it would pass this kind of empathy.

– Which songs do the new Namie Amuro appear in?
Amuro: Maybe “FAST CAR”. I think it’s a track I never had until now, and it sounded unusual to me. The world in the lyrics of TIGER were also a challenge to me. I also had never made a music video like that, I hope everyone will see it.

– Starting by “FAST CAR”, in total there are 6 music videos. Not only the sound, the images are also important?
Amuro: Depending on the music video, it makes the world of the songs really easy to be transmitted, it’s like it completes the songs, I think they’re very important. I believe there are times when people just don’t get a song, but they understand it by seeing the video.

 

3 – I wanted to express the attractiveness of an adult

– Why did you do a featuring with DOBERMAN INC. in “FIRST TIMER”?
Amuro: Originally, this song wasn’t supposed to be a collaboration, but then a conversation came up that it would be better if there was a rap, and T.Kura and michico who were producing this song recommended them. I did only one or two words matching with them, but I couldn’t grasp the timing, so we had to record it many and many times. Rap is really hard. (Laughs)

– But I think there are many fans who want to hear Miss Amuro’s rap again.
Amuro: Oh no, I think it’s better to entrust it to a specialist. (Laughs)

-Looking at the album as a whole, is there a world or an image of a woman you wanted to express?
Amuro: Maybe stylish woman, or maybe stylish words, strong woman isn’t bad too, but not grim, I think it will be good if I can just express cool woman. It’s not the vigor I depended on in my twenties, I hope I can get the attractiveness of an adult. The way adults have fun, the way adults fall in love, the way adults use words, I hope I can express such things.

– You were able to do what you wanted to?
Amuro: I think that I did the best I could do this time, but every time I do something, I always have a desire of what to do next time, so I hope I can express this new desire next time. This time, more than going toward an only theme, it’s like every song has its existence by itself, but it will be good if next time I can create songs set in a foundation theme.

– Do you already have a foundation theme in you head?
Amuro: Yes.

– So, we will be able to hear your next album soon?
Amuro: It’s a little hard to be soon. (Laughs) I have the tour, I think it will take another 2 years. I think that next year the lives will take all year, I will be going all over the country, I want many people to come to see my live!