Namie Amuro fever is back again, it seems. The J-Pop diva of the mid-1990s has scored a #1 hit with her latest CD single, Girl Talk / The Speed Star, her first in five years since she took a break because of motherhood. Moreover, more than 8,000 screaming fans mobbed her when she suddenly showed up at the Shibuya 109 department store in Tokyo recently to endorse a hair product. They created so much human congestion and chaos that the police stepped in and called off the event after two minutes.

Critics may baulk and label her over the hill, but Namie, 27, has proven that she still has what it takes to rule the pop charts. Now looking more mature aned sexier than ever before, she has transformed herself from a bubblegum pop star to a groovy hip-hop queen. Therein lies her secret to success - constant re-invention of her image and music, said industry observers.

With the likes of Ayumi Hamasaki and Hikaru Utada storming the pop scene in her absence, Namie moved her genre towards hip-hop after her comeback in 2000. Working with American producers like Dallas Austin (TLC, Madonna) and dance remixers like Junior Vasquez (Mariah Carey), she formed a hip-hop group called Suite Chic in 2002 and earned recognition by winning a Best Group trophy at Japan's MTV Music Awards.

The success of Namie's concert in Taiwan in May and the warm reception she received when she performed at the MTV BuzzAsia concert in Korea in July also rekindled interest in her back home. It ascertained her position overseas as a legendary Japanese pop queen.

Not even a torrent of bad press about her divorce in 2002 and subsequent custody fight over her son could put a dent in her ambition to climb back to the top. Namie is seen as a very strong woman in Japan, having gone through so many dramatic struggles in her life.

Her female fans have grown with her spiritually, and she makes the statement to Japanese women that they can still regain their life and career against the odds.