Lemar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Lemar | ||
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 Lemar pictured on the front of the album The Truth About Love
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| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Lemar Obika | |
| Born | April 04, 1978 (age 29) | |
| Origin | Tottenham, London, England | |
| Genre(s) | Soul, R&B | |
| Years active | 2001–present | |
| Label(s) | RCA (2001) Sony Music (2003–present) |
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| Website | LemarOnline.com | |
Lemar (born Lemar Obika, 4 April 1978 in Tottenham, London) is a British R&B singer who has had a run of chart success in the UK since appearing on Fame Academy on BBC Television. He is one of a number of British acts to have launched a career through reality TV.
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[edit] Life
Lemar was born to Nigerian (Ibo) parents, and grew up listening to soul music and R&B and used to sing at home with his brother pretending to be The Jacksons. He was eighteen when he had his first concert at the Junior Jam at the Temple in Tottenham supporting Usher. He gave up an opportunity to study pharmacy at the Cardiff University to pursue a musical career. Lemar had some success supporting Destiny's Child and secured a recording contract. Following this, he released his debut single "Got Me Saying Ooh", which did not chart in the UK Singles Chart. When the record deal fell through due to restructuring at the record label he was signed to, he had to eventually take a job working as an accounts manager at NatWest Bank.
[edit] Fame Academy
Lemar saw an advertisement for Fame Academy in 2002, a combination of a talent quest and reality television show and decided to put his name forward. He made the finals of the show winning plaudits for his version of "Let's Stay Together" by Al Green and singing a duet with Lionel Richie on "Easy". While he ended up finishing third in the show, he caught the eye of the English R&B singer Beverley Knight, who invited him to sing a duet with her during her concert at the Hammersmith Apollo. Sony Music was so impressed with his potential that they signed him to a five year record deal worth £1 million.
[edit] Recorded career
Lemar's second single "Dance With U" reached number 2 on the UK Singles Chart in early 2003. His first album Dedicated was released late in 2003 with additional singles "50/50" and "Another Day" also achieving chart success in the UK. Lemar won a BRIT Award for Best Urban Act in the 2004 BRIT Awards. Following the success of the album, he commenced his first headlining tour of the UK featuring an appearance at Party in the Park in Birmingham. He has also done work with Prince Charles's the Prince's Trust and appeared on Band Aid 20's Do They Know It's Christmas.
In February 2006 he won a second Brit Award for Best Urban Act.
4 September 2006 saw Lemar return with his eighth single, entitled "It's Not That Easy", which became his sixth UK Top 10 hit. A week later his new album The Truth About Love was released, which saw guest appearances from Styles P from The L.O.X., Mica Paris and Joss Stone. The album became Lemar's highest charting album to date, peaking at number three in the UK Albums Chart, outpeaking Time To Grow (number eight) and Dedicated (number sixteen).
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- Dedicated (2003) UK #16
- Time To Grow (2004) UK #8
- The Truth About Love (2006) UK #3
[edit] Singles
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | From Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart | UK Download Chart | New Zealand Single Chart | |||
| 2001 | "Got Me Saying Ooh" | - | - | - | - |
| 2003 | "Dance (With U)" | 2 | - | 6 | Dedicated |
| 2003 | "50/50" / "Lullaby" | 5 | - | - | Dedicated |
| 2004 | "Another Day" | 9 | - | - | Dedicated |
| 2004 | "If There's Any Justice" | 3 | - | 21 | Time To Grow |
| 2005 | "Time To Grow" | 9 | - | - | Time To Grow |
| 2005 | "Don't Give It Up" | 21 | - | - | Time To Grow |
| 2006 | "It's Not That Easy" | 7 | 29 | - | The Truth About Love |
| 2006 | "Someone Should Tell You" | 21 | 23 | - | The Truth About Love |
| 2007 | "Tick Tock" | 45 | - | - | The Truth About Love |
[edit] Trivia
- Many people in Barbados believe Lemar's last name to be Bedingfield, and not Obika; because they heard a female radio announcer indicate that his name appeared as Bedingfield in Billboard magazine.
- Lemar has co-written for other artists as well - he notably co-wrote a track on boyband V's debut album You Stood Up, entitled "Walk On".
- He is a fan of Tottenham Hotspur, an English football team based in the area where he went to college.
- He appeared on the March 4, 2007 episode of Top Gear, where James May attempted to drive him to Earl's Court for an awards show in his homemade stretch limousine. When James May got lost, he got angry and left.
