Although "Mr. USA" wasn't a hit for the the Super Monkey's, they got their first hit with "Try Me", their fifth single. Other successes followed such as "Taiyo No Season" and "Stop the Music". Namie soon left the group to pursue a solo career. Tetsuya Komuro became her producer and produced her first single "Body Feels Exit".
Under Tetsuya Komuro Production, Namie's style had changed and she became more successful than ever. All of her singles produced by Tetsuya Komuro skyrocketed to number one on the charts. Her first album, "Sweet 19 Blues", sold more than 3.7 million copies. It consisted of a total of 19 tracks including some remixes of her greatest hits.
1996 and 1997 were very successful years for Namie. Right from the start, Namie began her year round tour throughout Japan. First it was the Spring Tour I: A Walk in the Park 97. In the summer, she had the Summer Dome Tour. Her single "Can You Celebrate?", released on February 19, sold over 1.5 million copies in five days! Afterwards, it sold more than 2.5 million copies. Her summer concerts were successful. Tickets sold out within half an hour. Namie's 1997 album Concentration 20 was excellent. At 19, she became the youngest artist to win the coveted 1996 Japan Records Award. She sold an impressive number of copies, over 10 million that year.
In the fall of 1997, Namie married Sam Maruyama from the group TRF. She gave birth to a baby boy in May of 1998. She named him Haruto. A year later, Namie announced that she would be back on the stage. Her first live performance was the annual Japan Ko Haku (men vs. women) Competition.
Tragedy struck Namie's family in March of 1999, when her mother Emiko Taira was murdered by Namie's brother in law. Namie was scheduled to attend the presentation of her new TV commercial for a new drink. She had to cancel the presentation.
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