Namie Amuro

Namie Amuro was born on September 20, 1977, in Okinawa, Japan. Namie enjoyed a normal childhood and never gave a second thought to pursuing a career within the entertainment industry, though that changed after she was discovered while visiting a friend at an institute for the arts. Masayuki Makino, the president of the Okinawa Actors' School, recognized Namie's innate yet dormant talent and immediately suggested that she begin attending classes within his establishment.

By the time she turned 14, Namie proved Masayuki's instincts correct and it wasn't long before she -- along with Minako Ameku, Nanako Takushi, Hisako Arakaki, and Anna Makino -- formed a pop act called Super Monkeys. The band quickly started recording songs, and their debut single managed to hit the Japanese top 30. Makino left the group shortly after, however, and the remaining members decided to change the name to Super Monkeys 4. The band subsequently experienced quite a bit of success, releasing hit singles, appearing on television shows, and the like, and it wasn't long before Namie emerged as a breakout star within its ranks.

Namie's burgeoning popularity made it necessary to change the band's name once again, this time to Namie Amuro with Super Monkeys. A flurry of hit singles followed -- including "Dancing Junk" and "Try Me" -- and it was also around that time that Namie first toyed with the idea of going solo (her song "Taiyou No Season" was well-received among the band's fans). Following some internal turmoil, the group -- which had, by then, changed its name yet again to MAX -- decided to disband and Namie was able to kick off her solo career