Producers liked Amuro and in 1995 she went solo, enjoying massive success. Namie Amuro was the most popular idol in the late 1990s, although marketed as sexier and more mature than other idols. She began her career in 1992 as a vocalist for the pop group Super Monkeys, but the group flopped very quickly. This status has since been eclipsed by Ayumi Hamasaki, who is known as one of Japan's current divas.

This seems not to bother Japanese fans who understand that the model's details are a role. Secondly, it can be seen as part of a Japanese tradition of developing roles within roles, this can be seen in the behaviour of the masked Geisha and in Kabuki theatre. It can also be associated with ideas that lie deeper within Japanese culture: Firstly, the idealisation of youth which is reflected in such things as 'cutesie' adult fashions and the portrayal by women of themselves (in terms of dress and manner) as younger than they are. For a fuller understanding of both role play and the idealisation of youth in Japanese media and culture it is worth reading articles by Dr Sharon Kinsella, referenced below.