Fans panic as huge pop star Namie Amuro completely disappears

A pop star “as big as Madonna” is being wiped from the internet and streaming services after her retirement from public life aged just 40.

All traces of a massive pop star once dubbed the “Japanese Madonna” are being scrubbed from the internet, some five years after she retired from public life at the age of 40.

Namie Amuro, now 46, is one of the biggest Japanese pop stars of the 90s and noughties. She sold 40 million records across her career, releasing 12 studio albums and dozens of hit singles, including 10 solo number one songs in Japan.

But on September 20, 2017, her 40th birthday, Amuro shocked fans with a huge announcement: She would retire from the music industry in one year’s time, after the release of a career-spanning greatest hits and Asian tour, both titled Finally.

Amuro on stage at the 2010 World Music Awards. Picture: Getty

In May 2018, months before her retirement. Picture: Alamy

And Amuro was true to her word: On September 15 the next year, she performed one final show in her home prefecture of Okinawa, and officially retired from music the very next day.

But it’s what happened after then – and is still going on – that’s left fans dismayed.

Two weeks after Amuro’s retirement, her official website, fan club, Facebook page and online store all terminated service. With Amuro also maintaining no public social media presence whatsoever, many of the avenues for fans to gather and celebrate her 25-year career were suddenly gone.

At an MTV event in Bangkok in 2005. Picture: Getty

Onstage in March 2018 during her farewell tour. Picture: Alamy

Now, after five years of absolute silence, fans have noticed an even more extreme update: Amuro’s official YouTube channel, housing all her dozens of music videos has been deleted. All of her solo music has also been wiped from streaming services: Search “Namie Amuro” on Spotify or Apple Music, and you’ll see just a handful of her collaborations with other artists, with no sign of anything from the dozen albums she released through her career.

This mysterious development has sent Amuro’s fans into a tailspin: It’s one thing to retire from music and public life, another to wipe all official traces of one of Japan’s all-time biggest-selling pop stars from the internet.

namie amuro’s music being erased from the internet pic.twitter.com/hcjTwt9SkR

— Señorita Awesome (@ARCAPLIER) November 16, 2023

2 hours ago i could listen to namie on apple music. pic.twitter.com/zqsdJEHV3z

— +100mg (@spaceofhippop) November 15, 2023

not namie amuro's entire discography leaving spotify pic.twitter.com/g072aJiT1H

— Jennifer Lopez Shady Facts (@jloshadyfacts) November 16, 2023

THEY REMOVED NAMIE AMURO’S MUSIC OFF SPOTIFY. pic.twitter.com/CLVWJnZFVT

— MIUCCIA TAM. (@kurisheeee) November 17, 2023

It’s not known whether the decision to remove Amuro’s music from streaming services was hers or that of her record label, Avex.

The star offered no clues as to why she was turning her back on the entertainment industry when she announced her decision to retire back on her 40th birthday.

“I would like to write about something that I have carried on my mind and have decided on the 25th anniversary of my debut. I, Namie Amuro, would like to take this opportunity to inform all of my fans of my decision to retire as of Sept 16, 2018,” she wrote.

“I plan to make the last year of my music career meaningful by focusing my full attention on creating a final album and performing at concerts. Then, I will welcome the date of September 16, 2018 in the best way that I can.”

One year later, at her farewell concert, Amuro performed just eight songs without an encore, bidding goodbye to her fans with a smile and a wave: “Thank you, thank you very much for coming,” was all she said by way of farewell, as she left the stage for the final time to start a new life away from the spotlight.

Originally published as Fans panic as huge pop star Namie Amuro completely disappears