Feel (Namie Amuro album)

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"There are so many different kinds of music all around the world, so I thought about what gave me good vibes, gradually listening and choosing “music” that fit the mood, situation, etc. at the time. I think music is something that can communicate those things even without words there to explain. I hope everyone can take something different away from this album.” [9]

—Amuro discussing her musical exploration of Feel.

Musically, Feel is predominately inspired by electronic dance music and electro house. [10] [11] Prior to its release, Amuro said the album would "convey the energy and feeling of summer," later confirming that it would feature various dance numbers. [6] Furthermore, she re-iterated her sentiments with Mina magazine, saying, "The album is very summery and high energy, and you can just enjoy it without having to think too much." [12] Billboard Japan noted the diversity of the album's sound, citing "aggressive tracks and simple ballads". [13] Japanese magazine CD Journal echoed similar opinions, but noted the record being influenced by electronic dance music and electro house. [10] Writing for The Japan Times , contributor Patrick St. Michel noted the albums influenced on Westernized production standards, citing electronic dance music and electropop as major musical notes. Additionally, he compared the sound to Japanese musicians Kumi Koda and Ayumi Hamasaki, whom, according to St. Michel, also experimented with this sound previously. [11]

Feel opens with the track "Alive", an electronic dance number that includes a bass drop during its chorus and instrumentation of heavy basslines and electric guitar riffs. [10] [11] The songs producer, Anthony Maniscalco, sampled the composition and placed it into his own song titled "Magnet", under his stage name Hook n Sling. [7] The second song "Rainbow" is also inspired by electro house music, and was compared to the song "I Love It" by Swedish musical act Icona Pop. [10] [11] "Can You Feel This Love?" is the third track on the album, and was produced by Ryuichiro Yamaki, a collaborator whom Amuro had previously worked with during her time with Japanese group Suite Chic. [10] "Big Boys Cry", the fourth song on the album, is a rhythmic-sounding number that was produced by Swedish music team Dsign Music. [10] The fifth track on the album is "Hands on Me", an club-oriented electro house number with elements of complextro sounds and heavy drum beats. [10] Produced by German-Russian producer Zedd, the albums sixth track "Heaven" is another electro house-driven song that lyrically touches on themes of love. [10]

"Poison" is the seventh track on Feel, and is a club-inspired number that was described as "sexy" and "dangerous". [10] [11] "La La La", the albums eighth track, is a confident electro house track. [10] The albums ninth track, "Supernatural Love", is inspired by both electropop and dancehall sounds, alongside elements of K-pop and Korean contemporary dance music. [10] "Let Me Let You Go" is the only ballad that appears on the record, and is a simple-piano driven song that showcases Amuro's vocal deliveries. [10] [11] "Contrail", the eleventh song that appears on the album, is mid-tempo dance number that includes instrumentation of synthesizers, keyboards and a drum machine. [14] The album closes with the song "Stardust in My Eyes", which features various string arrangements over an electro house and drum and bass composition. [10]

Release and formats

"This album requires the use of your senses to enjoy, so the design covering various parts of the face ties into that. The ways people obtained information in the past was very limited, but we currently live in an era of information overload. In such an age, it becomes especially important to decide what is right for yourself. So I hope people can be truly free to choose the way they want to enjoy music." [8]

—Amuro talking about the photoshoot for Feel.

Feel was released on July 10, 2013. It is her eleventh musical effort, and her second studio album to incorporate the English language. Additionally, it is Amuro's first release with Dimension Point, a sub-division of her label Avex Trax, and her final record working with her management company Rising Production (formerly Vision Factory). [7] The album features 12 tracks totaling more than 42 minutes in length. Two other formats, the DVD and Blu-Ray version, included seven music videos; "Alive", "Big Boys Cry", "Hands on Me", "Heaven", "Let Me Let You Go", "Contrail", and an unreleased English version of the album track "Can You Feel This Love?". [7]

All three versions of Feel were released on various physical formats. First-pressings of the album were distributed as a digipack, which included the album booklet and details exclusive to Amuro's fanclub. [7] Retail outlets in Japan issued either a large poster or stickers to the first-press editions of the album, whilst a T-shirt with the album art was released through Amuro's fanclub. [15] After the roll-out of the first-pressings, the album was distributed with a jewelcase packaging. [7] The album artwork and photoshoot was photographed by Takaki Kumada, which featured black and white close-up shots of Amuro's face, while the art direction and the album's booklet was designed by Masaru Yoshikawa from AEI. [7] All three cover arts of the album are loosely inspired by the depiction of the three wise monkeys; it shows Amuro covering her ears, eyes, and mouth. [7]

After Amuro's retirement from the entertainment industry, Dimension Point published all of her music on streaming services and various digital outlets in mid-2019, including Feel. [16] However, in November 2023, Feel, alongside the rest of Amuro's music releases, were removed from physical retailers, digital outlets, and streaming services due to unexplained reasons. [17]

Promotion

Singles and other songs

Feel being promoted at Shibuya Crossing. Crossing @ Shibuya 2013 (9238103262).jpg
Feel being promoted at Shibuya Crossing.

Five singles were released to promote Feel. "Big Boys Cry" and "Beautiful" were released the album's lead singles on March 6, 2013, through Dimension Point, both distributed as a double A-side format. [18] Despite its commercial release, "Beautiful" did not appear on the track list for Feel. The songs underperformed in Amuro's native Japan, reaching number four on the Oricon Singles Chart, and ultimately became Amuro's lowest-selling physical single in her career. [19] [20] A music video for each song appeared on the DVD formats of the single. [18] The albums second single, "Contrail", was released on May 19, 2013, through Dimension Point. It was distributed through digital outlets, making it ineligible to chart on Oricon in Japan. [21] However, it did peak at number eight on Japan Hot 100 chart, and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for digital sales of 250,000 units. [22] [23]

"Hands on Me" was released as the albums fourth single by Dimension Point through digital outlets on July 3, 2013. Commercially, the song peaked at number 19 on the Japan Hot 100 chart. [22] An accompanying visual was shot in Los Angeles, California, featuring the singer on a rooftop dancing to the song, and attending a pool party; cameo appearances of American girl group TLC were featured. [24] Seven days later, on July 10, the same day as the release of Feel, album track "Heaven" was released as the albums fifth and final digital single, distributed by Dimension Point. The song peaked at number 26 on the Japan Hot 100 chart. [22] A music video featured Amuro in a neon-lit rooms, surrounding by party aesthetics and back-up dancers. [25] Although not released as a single, "La La La" charted at number 53 on the Japan Hot 100 chart. [26]

Several songs included on the album were included in various commercials and advertisements promoted in Japan. "Big Boys Cry", "Beautiful", and "La La La" were used as commercial tracks for the skincare brand Kose Esprique; a visual commercial was filmed and included Amuro. [27] [10] "Contrail" was used as the theme track to the 2013 television series Flying Public Relations Office, which was broadcast by Japanese network Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS). [28] "Can You Feel This Love?" was used as the theme song to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Fuji Television series Mezamashi TV. [29] Tracks and promotional footage of the album were used in MTV's "Artist of the Month" segment in July 2013. [30]

Feel Tour 2013

Feel
NamieAmuroFeel.jpg
The cover artwork was used on digital formats.
Studio album by
Namie Amuro
ReleasedJuly 10, 2013 (2013-07-10)
Recorded2012–2013
Studio
  • Avex Studios (Tokyo)
  • Prime Sound Studios (Tokyo)
  • LAB Recordings (Tokyo)
Genre
Length42:29
Language
  • English
  • Japanese
Label Dimension Point
Producer
Namie Amuro chronology
Uncontrolled
(2012)		Feel
(2013)		 Ballada
(2014)
Alternative cover
FEELDVDCOVER.jpg
CD+DVD edition
Namie Amuro Feel Tour 2013
Tour by Namie Amuro
Namieamurofeeltour.jpg
Official DVD and promotional artwork.
LocationJapan
Associated albumFeel
Start dateAugust 16, 2013
End dateDecember 23, 2013
Legs1
No. of shows45
Namie Amuro concert chronology

Amuro announced her Feel tour in early mid 2013. The dates were confirmed via a flyer given out with the purchases of Feel, enclosed in the album's booklet. [7] A total of 44 shows in over 20 different cities were scheduled in Japan, spanning from August 16 at the Yokosuka Arts Theatre, Kanagawa Prefecture, and finishing on December 23 at the Fukuoka Convention Center in Fukuoka. [31] A special website was hosted by Avex Trax during the concert tour, showing a live report and special photos from specific concert dates. [32] An Asian leg was originally added to the concert tour, having Amuro travel to Singapore for a live show with promotion handled by Midas Promotions; this would have been the singer's second visit to the country. However, in April 2013, a tour promoter cancelled the show and cited "local promoter issues". However, Midas Promotions uploaded a press release, believing poor ticket sales and expensive rates to be the primary issue. [33]

A live album and DVD/Blu-Ray were recorded at the Saitama Super Arena on December 1. A total of 28 songs were added on the track list, including a bonus track of "Contrail", which was recorded at the National Yoyogi Stadium First Gymnasium to commemorate her 500th live performance. [34] [35] Titled Namie Amuro Feel Tour 2003, the formats were a success in Japan; it reached the top spot on the Oricon DVD chart, and number two on the Blu-Ray Chart, and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for shipments of 100,000 copies. [36] [37] [38]


Set list

2013 show set-list [34]
  1. Video Introduction
  2. "Alive"
  3. "Hands on Me"
  4. "Sit! Stay! Wait! Down!"
  5. "Hot Girls"
  6. "Yeah-Oh!"
  7. "Poison"
  8. "Ballerina"
  9. "Rainbow"
  10. "Go Round"
  11. Video Interlude
  12. "Make It Happen!"
  13. "La La La"
  14. "Let Me Let You Go"
  15. Video Interlude
  16. "Wonder Woman"
  17. "Damage"
  18. "In The Spotlight (Tokyo)"
  19. Video Interlude
  20. "Only You"
  21. "Love Story"
  22. "Supernatural Love"
  23. "Big Boys Cry"
  24. "Stardust in My Eyes"
  25. Video Interlude
  26. "Unusual"
  27. "Neonlight Lipstick"
  28. "Let's Go"
  29. "Heaven"
  30. "Fight Together"
  31. "Can You Feel This Love"
  32. "Contrail"
Namie Amuro Feel Tour 2013 DVD track list [34]
  1. "Alive"
  2. "Hands on Me"
  3. "Sit! Stay! Wait! Down!"
  4. "Hot Girls"
  5. "Yeah-Oh!"
  6. "Poison"
  7. "Ballerina"
  8. "Rainbow"
  9. "Go Round"
  10. "Make It Happen!"
  11. "La La La"
  12. "Let Me Let You Go"
  13. "Wonder Woman"
  14. "Damage"
  15. "In The Spotlight (Tokyo)"
  16. "Only You"
  17. "Love Story"
  18. "Supernatural Love"
  19. "Big Boys Cry"
  20. "Stardust in My Eyes"
  21. "Unusual"
  22. "Neonlight Lipstick"
  23. "Let's Go"
  24. "Heaven"
  25. "Fight Together"
  26. "Can You Feel This Love"
  27. "Contrail"
  28. "Contrail" (Live at Yoyogi Stadium for her 500th live performance celebration)

Shows

DateCityVenueAttendance
August 16, 2013 Kanagawa Yokosuka Arts Theater 240,000 [39]
August 19, 2013 Kobe Kobe Kokusai Hall
August 20, 2013
August 24, 2013 Miyagi Sendai Sun Plaza
August 25, 2013
August 28, 2013 Aomori Aomori City Cultural Center
August 29, 2013 Iwate Iwate Prefectural Civic Center Great Hall
September 1, 2013 Shiga Biwako Hall Centre
September 2, 2013 Okayama Kurashiki City Hall
September 5, 2013 Kanazawa Honda no Mori Hall
September 6, 2013 Toyama Toyama Shimin Plaza
September 9, 2013 Hiroshima Bunka Gakuen HBG Hall
September 9, 2013 Hiroshima Bunka Gakuen HBG Hall
September 10, 2013
September 12, 2013 Tottori Yonago Convention Centre
September 17, 2013 Kagawa Kenmin Hall
September 18, 2013 Ehime Himekin Hall
September 22, 2013 Oita Oita Prefectural General Culture Center
September 23, 2013
September 26, 2013 Miyazaki Miyazaki City Hall
September 26, 2013 Kagoshima Kagoshima Citizens' Cultural Hall
October 1, 2013 Niigata Niigata Prefectural Civic Center
October 2, 2013
October 19, 2013 Chiba Makuhari Messe Event Hall
October 20, 2013
November 2, 2013 Hokkaido Hokkaido Prefectural Sports Center
November 3, 2013
November 7, 2013 Osaka Osaka-jō Hall
November 8, 2013
November 10, 2013
November 19, 2013 Aichi Nippon Gaishi Hall
November 20, 2013
November 22, 2013
November 26, 2013 Tokyo Yoyogi National Gymnasium
November 27, 2013
November 30, 2013 Saitama Saitama Super Arena
December 1, 2013
December 7, 2013 Tokyo Yoyogi National Gymnasium
December 8, 2013
December 10, 2013
December 14, 2013 Osaka Osaka-jō Hall
December 15, 2013
December 21, 2013 Fukuoka Fukuoka Convention Center
December 22, 2013
December 23, 2013

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Billboard Japan (neutral) [13]
CDJournal(neutral) [10]
The Japan Times (mixed) [11]

Feel received mixed-to-positive reviews from music critics. A review from Billboard Japan noted the albums diverse set of genres and sounds, describing the record as "cutting-edge." [13] Similarly, a review from CDJournal also complimented the albums set of sounds. Although the review was ambivalent towards a few "simple songs" on the record, Feel was praised for its "ambitious" production and for Amuro's vocal deliveires. [10] Blerds Online held a ranking of all of Amuro's studio albums, and listed Feel at number five, highlighting its "cohesive sound" and labelled it as "unique". The review highlighted "Rainbow", "La La La", and "Stardust In My Eyes" as the album standouts. [40]

Contributing for The Japan Times , Patrick St. Michel wrote a mixed review. He opined that Feel was a "calculated stab at Western sensibilities", noting the overwhelming use of the English language and collaborations with producers outside of Japan as factors. [11] Although he highlighted "Alive", "Rainbow", "Big Boys Cry" and "La La La" as standouts, he felt the production standards lacked "ambition". [11] Overall, he summarised the album by saying, "Had Amuro and her team focused on perfecting this sound, Feel would match up to any Western electro-pop album from 2013. Unfortunately it doesn't, and the inconsistency makes for a frustrating listen." [11]

Commercially, Feel was a success. In Japan, Feel debuted at the top of the daily and weekly Oricon Albums Chart, opening with sales of 247,689 copies in its first-six days. [41] It became Amuro's eleventh album to top both charts on Oricon, and also became the highest first-week sales for a solo female artist that year, beating Nanda Collection (2013) by Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. [42] Feel spent six weeks inside the top ten on the weekly chart, and lasted 45 weeks in total. [43] By the end of 2013, the album was the sixth-best selling record in the country, having sold 382,684 copies. Additionally, Amuro became the highest-selling solo artist in terms of pure album sales that year. [44] Moreover, the album opened at number one on the Billboard Japan Hot Album Sales chart. [45] Feel was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for shipments of 250,000 units. [46]

Elsewhere, Feel charted in other territories in Asia. In South Korean, the album debuted and peaked number 25 on the South Korean Gaon Albums Chart, her highest entry in the region, and also appeared on the Overseas chart at number five. [47] [48] In Taiwan, Feel peaked at number six on the G-Music standard chart and number one on the East Asian chart for a sole week. [49] [50]

Track listing

CD / Digital download. [7]
No.TitleLyricsProducerLength
1."Alive"
A. Maniscalco3:27
2."Rainbow"
Ambience3:03
3."Can You Feel This Love"
  • CH
  • Erina
R. Yamaki 
4."Big Boys Cry"
  • Okajima
  • Harambasic
  • Wik
  • Svendsen
  • Aitken
  • Johansen
  • Larsen
3:22
5."Hands on Me"
  • Fredro
  • A. Kapit
3:15
6."Heaven" Emyli Zedd3:31
7."Poison"
  • Tiger
  • N. Tranquillo
A. Kapit3:51
8."La La La"
  • David Dawood
  • Natalia Hajjrar
  • Ana Diaz
DaWood2:59
9."Supernatural Love"
S. Lee3:23
10."Let Me Let You Go"
  • Shelly Peiken
  • JD Walker
JD Walker4:02
11."Contrail"Nao'ymtNao'ymt4:12
12."Stardust in My Eyes"
HyGrade3:25
Total length:42:29
DVD and Blu-ray (Music Videos)
No.TitleDirector(s)Length
1."Alive"IKIOI 
2."Big Boys Cry"Daisuke "Nino" Ninomiya (IKIOI) 
3."Contrail"Daisuke "Nino" Ninomiya (IKIOI) 
4."Hands on Me"Daisuke "Nino" Ninomiya (IKIOI) 
5."Heaven"Daisuke "Nino" Ninomiya (IKIOI) 
6."Let Me Let You Go"Daisuke "Nino" Ninomiya (IKIOI) 
7."Can You Feel This Love (English ver.) -Making Movie-"IKIOI 

Personnel

Personnel details were sourced from Feel's liner notes booklet. [7]

Visuals and imagery

Performers and musicians

Technical and production

Charts

Certification and sales

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ) [46] Platinum382,684 [44]

Release history

RegionDateFormatLabel
Japan [7] July 10, 2013Dimension Point
Worldwide [52] Digital download Avex Trax
Taiwan [53] July 19, 2013
  • CD
  • DVD
Avex Taiwan
Indonesia [53] CDAvex Indonesia
South Korea [53] July 24, 2013 Genie Music

See also

Notes

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    "Go Round" is a song by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro from her tenth studio album Uncontrolled (2012). It was released as a double a-side single with another album track "Yeah-Oh" and was served as the fourth single on March 21, 2012 by Avex Trax. "Go Round" was written by Aili, produced by T-Sk and co-composed by Tesung Kim and Australian duo Nervo. With a cover sleeve, photographed by Takaki Kumada, showing Amuro in front of a blurry window pane, "Go Round" was recorded both in English and Japanese language and is a dance-pop song.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Fighter (Namie Amuro song)</span> 2016 single by Namie Amuro

    "Fighter" is a song recorded by Japanese singer Namie Amuro, released as a double A-side single with "Dear Diary". It was released on October 26, 2016 via Dimension Point and Avex Trax in two CD formats, and a DVD package; a digital release was made available for consumption on November 16. The single serves as the insert song to the Japanese drama–horror film Death Note: Light Up the New World, and the theme song to its accompanying spin-off series Death Note: New Generation (2016). "Fighter" was written, composed and produced by Japanese vocalist Emyli, with additional production credits to Reason.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Dr. (Namie Amuro song)</span> 2009 single by Namie Amuro

    "Dr." is a song by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro, taken as the only A-side single from her ninth studio album Past<Future (2009). The track was written, composed, arranged and produced entirely by long-time collaborator Nao'ymt, and recorded at Azabu-O Studios in Minato, Tokyo. Musically, "Dr." is a dance number that is influenced by modern club music, and also samples an orchestral section from the musical piece "Boléro", composed by French conductor Maurice Ravel. Lyrically, it is a love song that uses the titular term to metaphorically describe Amuro's lover.

    References

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    2. ↑ "Namie Amuro, first new work in two years reaches first place. Currently the best album sold by a solo artist this year with 292,000 copies" (in Japanese). Oricon . Retrieved November 25, 2023.
    3. ↑ "Works Receiving Certifications List (Gold, etc) (June 2012)" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ). Retrieved November 25, 2023.
    4. ↑ 5 Major Domes Tour 2012: 20th Anniversary Best (liner notes). Namie Amuro. Avex Trax. 2012. AVBD-92026.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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    8. 1 2 "One Tough Flower: The Muse of Beauty and Strength, Namie Amuro". Numero Tokyo: 116–122. September 2013.
    9. ↑ "Jewel Me Up!". Gisele (in Japanese). August 2013.
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    18. 1 2 Citations regarding the physical formats of "Big Boys Cry/Beautiful":
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    28. ↑ "『 空飛ぶ広報室 』 の主題歌が安室奈美恵さんの新曲 「 Contrail 」 に決定！" (in Japanese). Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS). March 13, 2013. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
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    33. ↑ "Press Release - May 2013 - Namie Amuro". Midas Promotions. May 2013. Archived from the original on December 27, 2017. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
    34. 1 2 3 Feel Tour 2013 (Live DVD). Namie Amuro. 2014. AVBN-99006.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
    35. ↑ Feel Tour 2013 (Live Blu-Ray). Namie Amuro. 2014. AVXN-99007.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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    37. ↑ "Oricon Weekly Blu-Ray Rankings" (in Japanese). Oricon News. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
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    42. ↑ "【オリコン】安室奈美恵、今年ソロ1位の初週24.8万枚" (in Japanese). Oricon. July 16, 2013. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
    43. 1 2 "Feel – Namie Amuro" (in Japanese). Oricon . Retrieved November 25, 2023.
    44. 1 2 3 "2013年　アルバム年間TOP100". Archived from the original on April 15, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
    45. 1 2 "Top Albums Sales" (in Japanese). Billboard Japan. July 17, 2013. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
    46. 1 2 "Japanese album certifications – 安室 奈美恵 – Feel" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan . Retrieved January 31, 2021.Select 2013年7月 on the drop-down menu
    47. 1 2 "Gaon Albums Chart" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. July 27, 2014. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
    48. 1 2 "Gaon Overseas Albums Chart" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. July 27, 2014. Archived from the original on July 25, 2014. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
    49. 1 2 "G-Music Albums Chart" (in Japanese). G-Music.tw. July 25, 2013. Archived from the original on July 31, 2013. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
    50. 1 2 "G-Music East Asian Albums Chart" (in Chinese). G-Music.tw. July 2013. Archived from the original on August 3, 2013. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
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    52. ↑ "Feel by Namie Amuro". iTunes Store. July 10, 2013. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
    53. 1 2 3 Citations regarding the international formats of Feel:
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