Lemar

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Not to be confused with Kendrick Lamar.
For the given name, see Lemar (given name). For the surname, see Lemar (surname). For the TV channel, see Lemar (TV channel).

Lemar Obika
Lemar performing in 2008
Lemar performing in 2008
Background information
Birth nameLemar Obika
Born (1978-04-04) 4 April 1978 (age 46)
Tottenham, North London, England
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • record producer
Instrument(s)
  • Vocals
  • piano
  • guitar
  • keyboards
Years active2001–present
LabelsSony BMG
Websitelemar-online.com

Lemar Obika (born 4 April 1978), known as Lemar, is an English singer, songwriter and record producer. Initially rising to fame after finishing third on the

platinum or double platinum by the British Phonographic Industry
(BPI).

Lemar's double-platinum debut album

UK and Ireland
, releasing ten top 20 singles, seven of which peaked in the top 10, and has sold over two million albums.

Early life

Lemar Obika was born in Tottenham,[1] North London, England to Nigerian parents. He grew up listening to R&B and soul music. He used to sing at home with his siblings, pretending to be Michael Jackson and the Jacksons. He was 17 when he had his first concert at the Junior Jam at 'The Temple' in Tottenham supporting American singer

Total on their UK club tours and after some years, managed to secure a recording contract with BMG. Following this, he released his debut single "Got Me Saying Ooh". His record deal with BMG fell through in less than a year due to restructuring at the record label.[3] He had to eventually take a job working as an accounts manager at NatWest in Enfield, North London. At age 24, his mother died of cancer and he found listening to Eric Clapton's "Tears in Heaven" brought "clarity" and aims to "write songs as moving as this".[2]

Career

Main article: Fame Academy

Lemar was most notably brought to public attention on the

Easy". While he ended up finishing third in the show, which was won by David Sneddon, he caught the eye of fellow British soul singer Beverley Knight, who invited him to sing a duet with her during her concert at the Hammersmith Apollo
.

Eurobest, coming fifth (the eventual winner being Chenoa from Spain).[4]

Lemar's second single "

50/50" and "Another Day" also achieving chart success in the UK.[4] Following the success of the album, he commenced his first headlining tour of the UK. After completing his UK tour, Lemar was the opening act for Justin Timberlake's UK tour dates.[4] Thus, he is considered the "most successful graduate.[2]

On 12 November 2004 Lemar guested on

Prince Charles' Prince's Trust
.

In early November 2004, Lemar released his first single from the album Time to Grow. "If There's Any Justice" reached number three on the UK Singles Chart, and has become one of Lemar's most recognised songs.[4] Time to Grow was released following the single and peaked at number 8 on the UK Albums Chart, to date, the album has been certificated 2× Platinum by the BPI.[4] Two other singles were released from the album, "Time to Grow" and "Don't Give It Up".[4]

He is also one of the artists included on Band Aid 20's single "Do They Know It's Christmas?".[4]

4 September 2006 saw Lemar return with his eighth single, entitled "

Sway's first single "Saturday Night Hustle" from the album The Signature LP.[4]

Lemar's fourth studio album,

GMTV.[4]

Lemar performed his new single "

So You Think You Can Dance on 9 January 2010.[4] He also performed the single on GMTV in February.[4] The single was released on Valentine's Day and peaked at number eight on the UK Singles Chart.[4] On 8 March, the single was followed by his much anticipated album, The Hits.[4] Which - as well as including 10 hit singles from his four studio albums - also features four new tracks. In addition to "The Way Love Goes", these include a duet with JLS on a re-recording of Lemar's own 2003 ballad "What About Love".[5] On 19 March, Lemar and JLS performed the song together on Sport Relief.[4]

On 11 March 2010, Lemar's album

Sweet Dreams" and Alicia Key's "Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart".[4]

Lemar appeared as a special guest on the UK Dates of

MEN Arena. The first date, in London, was on 2 November 2010.[4] It was also announced that Lemar would be the special guest on the UK dates of Enrique Iglesias' tour in 2011.[6]

Lemar returned with his single "Invincible", which he performed for the first time at Stoke 2012 Live. The release date for the single was 12 August, and will be the first single to be taken from the as yet untitled fifth studio album this year.[7] on 21 June Lemar leaked the single via his official website, speaking to Digital Spy about the single he commented saying "Sticking together is what makes you invincible. When times are hard, it's important to stick together and know what your values are."[8]

On his site The Re-View, Nick Bassett praises "Invincible" for its "narrative journey which showcases Lemar’s songwriting talents as well as his impressive vocal."[9]

Lemar returned again in 2015 with his single "The Letter", which got its first airplay on BBC Radio 2's breakfast show with Chris Evans. The Letter was also the title of his latest album. The album featured a duet with Joss Stone, a cover of "Someday We'll Be Together", made famous by Diana Ross & the Supremes.

In 2018, Lemar was a contestant on the

Candice Brown, Stephanie Waring and Perri Shakes-Drayton. On 11 February, he was voted off after ending up in the skate off for a fourth time with Donna Air
.

On 7 February 2023, Lemar released the single "Future Love", which he wrote and produced by himself.[10][11] The single preceded Lemar's seventh studio album, Page in My Heart,[12][13] which was released on 24 March 2023.[14] A radio mix of "Dust" was released as the album's second single on 28 April 2023.[15][16]

Lemar appears as Lord Smythe-Smith in episode 5 of the 2023 TV-Series Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story (2023). Created by Shonda Rhimes and directed by Tom Verica, the series is a prequel spin-off of the Netflix series Bridgerton (2020) that focuses on young Queen Charlotte's rise to prominence and power.

He participated as "Cricket" on the

fifth series of The Masked Singer
and finished in third place.

In 2024, Lemar starred in London's West End revival of Sister Act (musical), playing the role of Curtis Jackson, alongside Beverley Knight.

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
2023 Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story Lord Smythe-Smith Episode 5

Personal life

He is an ambassador for

The Prince's Trust.[2]

On 19 January 2008, MSN UK reported that Lemar became a father for the first time with his long-term partner Charmaine Powell, who gave birth at London's private Portland Hospital to a girl. Lemar and Charmaine then had another child, a son. The couple married on 17 July 2010 at St Mary the Virgin, Monken Hadley.[citation needed]

Lemar is a fan of English football club Tottenham Hotspur F.C..[17] His cousin, Jonathan Obika, is a footballer who plays for Motherwell, and another cousin Sam Oji played for Birmingham City.[18]

As of May 2009, Lemar had an accumulated wealth of £4 million.[19]

Discography

Main article: Lemar discography

Awards and nominations

Brit Awards:

  • Winner 2006 - British Urban Act
  • Winner 2004 - British Urban Act
  • Nominee 2007 - British Male Solo Artist
  • Nominee 2006 - British Urban Act
  • Nominee 2005 - British Male Solo Artist
  • Nominee 2005 - British Urban Act
  • Nominee 2004 - Best British Breakthrough Act
  • Nominee 2004 - Best British Urban Act

MOBO Awards:

  • Winner 2006 - Best UK Male
  • Winner 2005 - Best UK Male
  • Winner 2005 - Best Album - Time to Grow
  • Nominee 2009 - Best R&B/Soul Act
  • Nominee 2007 - Best R&B Act
  • Nominee 2005 - Best Video - "If There's Any Justice"
  • Nominee 2005 - Best R&B Act
  • Nominee 2004 - UK Act of the Year
  • Nominee 2004 - Best R&B Act

References

  1. ^ Cordor, Cyril (4 April 1978). "Lemar - Music Biography, Credits and Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
  2. ^
    ISBN 978-190714901-6
    .
  3. ^ "Lemar: From Fame Academy to fame". BBC News. BBC. 25 August 2005. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t RETROFUZZ. "Website Coming Soon! | Lemar". Lemar-online.com. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
  5. ^ Lemar: Cometh the hour... Pete Lewis, Blues & Soul, March 2010
  6. ^ "Enrique Iglesias announces UK tour - Music News". Digital Spy. 13 October 2010. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
  7. ^ "Lemar". Stoke 2012 Live. Archived from the original on 17 December 2013. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
  8. ^ "Lemar debuts new single 'Invincible' - listen - Music News". Digital Spy. 21 June 2012. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
  9. ^ "Lemar: Invincible (New Single)". There-view.tumblr.com. Archived from the original on 30 November 2012. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
  10. ^ "Lemar - Future Love". Spotify. 7 February 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  11. ^ Adejobi, Alicia (7 February 2023). "Lemar returns after 11 years with funky new single Future Love and it's a banger". Metro. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  12. ^ Simper, Paul (22 March 2023). "Lemar on the evolving nature of TV talent shows: 'Back in the day you wanted the mystery. Now it's more the guy next door'". Metro. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  13. ^ McFarland, Kelly (13 February 2023). "LEMAR ANNOUNCES 'PAGE IN MY HEART, HIS FIRST NEW ALBUM IN OVER 8 YEARS". TBHonest. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  14. ^ "Lemar - Page In My Heart". Apple Music. 24 March 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  15. ^ "This Friday! DUST Radio Mix will be yours". Twitter. 26 April 2023. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  16. ^ "Lemar - Dust (Radio Mix)". Apple Music. 28 April 2023. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  17. ^ "Famous Fan: Lemar, Tottenham | Goal.com". Goal.com.
  18. ^ Evans, Gregg (6 January 2012). "Sam Oji hoping to be on song for Tamworth against Everton". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  19. ^ The 10 richest reality TV stars Archived 1 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine Times Online, 31 May 2009

External links

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