J-rock Belgium: J-Pop Corner: Nami Tamaki (玉置成実)

Nami Tamaki (玉置成実) is well known in the anime and gaming industry since the majority of her songs are used as opening and ending themes. Her music style can be described as pop mixed with techno and dance. Nami isn't only popular for her sound, but also for her powerful voice and dance moves. Similar artists are T.M.Revolution and Hitomi Takahashi (高橋瞳)

Nami was born in the Wakayama prefecture on June 1, 1988. The name “Nami” was given to her because her parents wanted their daughter to “attain many fruits” (be successful). Since Nami's dream was to be an entertainer, she took dance lessons around 1999-2000. In the industry she is now known for her excellent dancing skills.

In 2001 she auditioned for “Sony Music Japan” and had to compete with 5000 applicants. In the end, she won the competition with her cover of Destiny's Child's “Survivor”. Her dancing skills were highly praised and Nami said that she wanted to become an artist similar to Janet Jackson. On April 23, 2003, her career was launched with the debut of her single “Believe”. The song “Believe” was used as an opening theme for the anime series “MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM SEED”. The single peaked at #5 in the Oricon charts. On July 24, second single “Realize” was released. This single claimed the #3 spot on the Oricon charts and once again the titular song was used for the “MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM SEED” series.

In March 2004, Nami won the award for “New Artist of the Year” at the “Annual Japan Gold Disc Awards”. Two months later her first nationwide started. There were 7 shows in total, and in between those shows she made her debut in the United States. She performed at “PACIFIC MEDIA EXPO” and “FANIMECON 2004”. The year ended with yet an other success. Single “Reason” was released on November 11 and used as the opening theme for “MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM SEED DESTINY”. It became her best-selling single since it peaked at #2 on the Oricon charts.

On January 27, 2005, the PS2 game “RADIATA STORIES” was released. Nami's 7^th single, “Fortune”, became the theme for this game. She also voiced Nami, a recruitable party character that was modeled after her. In the English version of the game, Nami's name was changed to Rachel and “Fortune” only played during the ending credits.

In September 2006 a new world opened up for Nami. She appeared in the Japanese version of the Broadway musical “Sweet Charity” and starred in the Japanese version of “Highschool Musical” as Gabriella Montez. That same year she also made an appearance live-action movie of “LOVE★CON”(Lovely Complex). In March 2007, Nami graduated from high school. Her first tour after her graduation was a best concert called “My Graduation”.

After the release of album “Don't Say” on April 23, 2008, and her 5^th Anniversary concerts in Tokyo and Osaka, Nami switched labels. She transferred from “Sony Music Entertainment” to “Universal Music” in 2009. In 2010 she released single “Omoide ni Naru no?” and album “STEP”.

2011 was the year that Nami collaborated with 3 members of the Korean boyband “Supernova”. Their song “Missing You ~Time To Love~” is a remake of the Korean song “TTL (Time To Love)” by “T-ara” and “Supernova”. The single reached #42 on the Oricon charts. In April of that same year, Nami held her first Asia Tour. She visited Taiwan, Hong Kong, Seoul (Korea) and Guangzhou (China). In September, she participated in the music event “Shanghai JAPAN WEEK 2011”. In October, she appeared on the theatrical act “Genghis Khan” which was produced by Ennosuke Ichikawa. It was an event to honor the 35th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and China.