Japan's Queen of Hip-Pop to retire

While the news came out yesterday I really can only start to accept it now. I may not stan Amuro Namie as I do Utada Hikaru but she is one of my favorite Japanese pop stars. So thinking that I only have one more new album to look forward to is rather heartbreaking.

To sum it up, Namie announced in a letter to her fans that she plans to retire September 16th of 2018. (Arama article) That date will be the 25th anniversary of her debut. Until then she is still going to tour like usual and release one last album.

I cannot fault her for wanting to retire. She has been in the industry since she was a teenager and over half her life already so this is hardly something she decided on a whim. And deciding to end it on her 25th anniversary seems like a nice end cap to this chapter in her life. Her legacy is set in place and she is not going to be forgotten anytime soon and will likely remain an inspiration for plenty of up and coming artists for many years to come.

That all said I am going to miss looking forward to new material from Namie. Yet there is so much out there I can enjoy and catch up on that she will still be on heavy rotation in my usual playlists. And until September 16th comes I am going to enjoy all I can of her new material and hope international fans are able to be some part of her farewell on that date.