Okinawan pop megastar

Under the expert eye of legendary producer Tetsuya Komuro, Okinawan singer Namie Amuro burst onto the music scene in 1996.

Her distinctive look (long auburn hair, thin eyebrows, short skirts and knee high boots) spawned a generation of "Amuraas" (identically-dressed teenage girls).

One-quarter Italian, her husky complexion was an inspiration for the tanned and bleached ganguro girls.

In 1998, she had a son, Haruto, with her second husband. Her first marriage, to a dancer in 1997, was a high-profile disaster.