With her cute and cool vocals, Namie Amuro turns the numerous edgy dance sounds of international creative minds into stand-out pop numbers on her new album, FEEL.

Special Interview

Thinking about the mannish suit you chose and wore with that white shirt and coquettish eye make-up makes my heart go wild. You show us a brand new face with your freshly cut bangs each time your eyes gaze at the camera. I admire time and time again your delicate sensitivity and power of expression just as I admire your music, an area where you continue to take on new challenges.

I think I cut my bangs after shooting the album jacket? I worry about having hair in my face during the tour, that I won’t be able to concentrate, so I only cut my hair before every tour. As for what I’m wearing today, it’s been quite a while since I’ve worn a suit, the cut is refreshing. I loved that I could try out different accessories not suitable for everyday use.

Of course you have a new album coming out in July titled FEEL. It includes Big Boys Cry, Can You Feel This Love, Contrail, and many others. It’s one album that, with its refined pop sound combined with your lovely voice and various faces, can make all listeners feel good.

There are so many different kinds of music all around the world, so I thought about what gave me good vibes, gradually listening and choosing “music” that fit the mood, situation, etc. at the time. I think music is something that can communicate those things even without words there to explain. I hope everyone can take something different away from this album.

We live in an age of “Information Overload,” so I hope you can enjoy gaining new wisdom without getting lost in the excessive amount of info available. Now, the album covers which originally come from the proverb “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” also represent the album’s title, FEEL. Such a solid idea came from you.

I feel like we are too caught up in information and forgetting what’s really important. Me, I will not let myself be misled. I find myself consulting blogs and TV for information, and I’m the type to immediately test information I think sounds plausible. The TV recently said that steamed towels are good for beauty, so I immediately tried it out for myself. What to do… there’s some really great information out there! *bursts into laughter*

Last year, you celebrated your 20th anniversary and Namie, you said, “I can only attack the future ahead.” And now for this album, you are working alongside many international creative minds such as Zedd, well-known through Lady Gaga remixes, and they employ edgy pop sounds incorporating the world’s most cutting-edge dance music. The songs’ mainly English lyrics compliment those beats and from them we should be able to sense your personality.

I love being on offense. I make mistakes but then I can do it over knowing, “ok, that doesn’t work.” It doesn’t feel so great to play it safe and fail. Though I play it safe when it comes to love (laughs). My career is fine but my love life is not so fine. I mean, on the contrary at least I can say I’m able to challenge myself with my career. It’s almost sickening how much I do (laughs). It’d be nice if I could properly balance romance and work.

You can challenge yourself in your career without hesitation, but romance is the opposite. What about a situation where the person you like is not attracted to go-getters?

I think the question in that case is how to handle being rejected (laughs). I don’t think I can be with someone who lacks intuition. Lately, I think about break-ups and they’re like the start of whatever comes next. I feel like a lot of females get how to deal with relationships well. Where and how do I meet those people (laughs).

You’re so shy and yet I feel like, from your albums and concerts, you have an incredibly cool and adult feminine image. This gap is why you are the most charming, lovable person, Namie. From here on out, what kind of female do you think you want be?

Uuuummmmm….. I’m not really sure. The world ahead is unknown so I really don’t know. I know that I don’t want to change. I want to be a person who can accurately say, ‘what’s good is good.’ You know, long ago, I had this impression that I was really gonna age in my thirties, but now I see so many women in their 30s and 40s who look very young and beautiful. In order to be that kind of woman, I always want to keep interested in something and never let the light inside me fade.

Namie Amuro off talk

A little earlier on TV, there was a special feature about the top cheeses in France. They were discussing several kinds of cheese dishes like pastas or grilled raclette. It looked so good, so I immediately ordered some grilled raclette for home use (laughs). It seems popular since it was on TV. I still haven’t gotten mine yet, I can’t wait to eat some! I love cheese.

I’m the type to relax just before a concert starts. Sometimes I’ll watch tv or something when I’m in the dressing room (laughs). Concerts make me really nervous and I get way tense when different things start going through my mind. So as I try my best to do anything but think, I get myself focused while on standby on the wing of the stage. I assess those things right then and there in front of the audience. I guess it’s like a switch inside of me and one I don’t particularly intend to be switching on or off.