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 first series of British talent show ''

Fame Academy ''Fame Academy'' was a British television talent competition to search for and educate new musical talents. The winner received a chance to become a successful music artist and part of the international franchise ''Star Academy'' known under va ...

'', he was later signed to

Sony BMG Sony BMG Music Entertainment was an American record company owned as a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann. The venture's successor, the revived Sony Music, is wholly owned by Sony, following their buyou ...

, where he has gone on to release five studio albums, three of which are certified

platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Pla ...

or double platinum by the

British Phonographic Industry British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company with ...

(BPI). Lemar's double-platinum debut album '' Dedicated'' was released in November 2003 and contained the successful singles "

Dance (With U) "Dance (With U)" is the second single released by British R&B singer Lemar and his first for Sony Music UK after coming third place in the BBC show ''Fame Academy ''Fame Academy'' was a British television talent competition to search for a ...

", " 50/50" and " Another Day", all of which charted in the top 10 of the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. His second effort, ''

Time to Grow ''Time to Grow'' is the second studio album by English singer Lemar. It was released by Sony BMG on 29 November 2004 in the United Kingdom. The album has been certified double platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). Critical recepti ...

'', saw similar success, again achieving double platinum certification and spawning his most successful single, "

If There's Any Justice "If There's Any Justice" is the first single taken from British R&B singer Lemar's second album, ''Time to Grow'' (2004). Originally offered to Hear'Say, the song was rejected by the group after they decided it was "too mature" for them. It wou ...

", which peaked at number 3 and spent four months in the

. Lemar has seen considerable chart success in the UK and

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

, releasing ten top 20 singles, seven of which peaked in the top 10, and has sold over two million albums. He is seen as one of the most successful artists to come out of a reality TV show.

Early life

Lemar Obika was born in

Tottenham Tottenham () is a town in North London, England, within the London Borough of Haringey. It is located in the ceremonial county of Greater London. Tottenham is centred north-northeast of Charing Cross, bordering Edmonton to the north, Wal ...

North London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshire. The term ''nor ...

, England to

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

n parents. He grew up listening to R&B and

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became ...

. He used to sing at home with his siblings, pretending to be

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the " King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over ...

and

the Jacksons The Jackson 5 (sometimes stylized as the Jackson 5ive, also known as the Jacksons) are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and for most ...

. He was 17 when he had his first concert at the Junior Jam at 'The Temple' in Tottenham supporting American singer

Usher Usher may refer to: Several jobs which originally involved directing people and ensuring people are in the correct place: * Usher (occupation) ** Church usher ** Wedding usher, one of the male attendants to the groom in a wedding ceremony ** F ...

. At the time, he was designing a website to sell logos for the Ericsson PH337 phone.Prince's Trust trading Ltd. (2009). Inspired* by music. London: Shoehorn Arts & Culture Books. pp. 94-97. . Later on, he gave up an opportunity to study pharmacy at

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to pursue a musical career. Lemar had some success supporting various artists such as American

girl group A girl group is a music act featuring several female singers who generally harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female pop music singing groups, many of wh ...

Destiny's Child Destiny's Child was an American girl group whose final line-up comprised Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams. The group began their musical career as Girl's Tyme, formed in 1990 in Houston, Texas. After years of limited ...

and 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. He had to eventually take a job working as an accounts manager at

NatWest National Westminster Bank, commonly known as NatWest, is a major retail and commercial bank in the United Kingdom based in London, England. It was established in 1968 by the merger of National Provincial Bank and Westminster Bank. In 2000, i ...

in Enfield, North London. At age 24, his mother died of cancer and he found listening to

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list o ...

's " Tears in Heaven" brought "clarity" and aims to "write songs as moving as this".

Career

2002–2003: Fame Academy and ''Dedicated''

Lemar was most notably brought to public attention on the BBC's ''

'' in 2002, a combination of a talent quest and reality television show. He made the finals of the show winning plaudits for his version of " Let's Stay Together" by

Al Green Albert Leornes Greene (born April 13, 1946), better known as Al Green, is an American singer, songwriter, pastor and record producer best known for recording a series of soul hit singles in the early 1970s, including " Take Me to the River", ...

and singing a duet with

Lionel Richie Lionel Brockman Richie Jr. (born June 20, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He rose to fame in the 1970s as a songwriter and the co-lead singer of funk band the Commodores; writing and recor ...

on " Easy". While he ended up finishing third in the show, which was won by

David Sneddon David Sneddon (born 15 September 1978) is a Scottish singer, songwriter, musician and music producer of contemporary pop music. He began his career performing on stage and television, singing lead roles in stage musicals in Glasgow. In 2002, h ...

, he caught the eye of fellow

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

soul singer

Beverley Knight Beverley Knight (born Beverley Anne Smith, 22 March 1973) is an English recording artist and musical theatre actress. She released her first album, '' The B-Funk'', in 1995. Heavily influenced by American soul music icons such as Sam Cooke and ...

, who invited him to sing a duet with her during her concert at the

Hammersmith Apollo The Hammersmith Apollo, currently called the Eventim Apollo for sponsorship reasons, and formerly known as the Hammersmith Odeon, is a live entertainment performance venue, originally built as a cinema called the Gaumont Palace. Located in Ha ...

Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainmen ...

was so impressed with his potential that they signed him to a five-year record deal worth £1 million. He was also the contestant from ''

'' chosen to represent the UK in

Eurobest The Eurobest Festival of Creativity (formerly the European Advertising Festival) is an annual event which celebrates and rewards "creative excellence" in creative communications, advertising and related fields in Europe. The first Festival took p ...

, coming fifth (the eventual winner being

Chenoa María Laura Corradini Falomir (born June 25, 1975, in Mar del Plata, Argentina) popularly known as Chenoa, is an Argentine-Spanish music artist who rose to fame as a contestant on reality television singing competition ''Operación Triunfo''. H ...

from

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

). Lemar's second single "

Dance (with U) "Dance (With U)" is the second single released by British R&B singer Lemar and his first for Sony Music UK after coming third place in the BBC show ''Fame Academy ''Fame Academy'' was a British television talent competition to search for a ...

" reached number two 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. 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 Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with sales of over 88 million records. Timberlake is the recipient of numerous awards and ac ...

's UK tour dates. Thus, he is considered the "most successful graduate.

2004–2005: ''Time to Grow''

On 12 November 2004 Lemar guested on Radio 1's Live Lounge and performed a cover of U2's song "

Vertigo Vertigo is a condition where a person has the sensation of movement or of surrounding objects moving when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. This may be associated with nausea, vomiting, sweating, or difficulties w ...

". He has also performed for

Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to a ...

Prince's Trust The Prince's Trust ( cy, Ymddiriedolaeth y Tywysog) is a charity in the United Kingdom founded in 1976 by King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) to help vulnerable young people get their lives on track. It supports 11-to-30-year-olds who are u ...

. In early November 2004, Lemar released his first single from the album ''

''. "

" reached number three on the UK Singles Chart, and has become one of Lemar's most recognised songs. ''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. Two other singles were released from the album, "

" and " Don't Give It Up". He is also one of the artists included on

Band Aid 20 Band Aid 20 was the 2004 incarnation of the charity supergroup Band Aid. The group, which included Daniel Bedingfield, Dido, Justin Hawkins of The Darkness, Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead, Chris Martin of Coldplay, Bono of U2, and ...

's single " Do They Know It's Christmas?".

2006–2008: ''The Truth About Love'' and ''The Reason''

4 September 2006 saw Lemar return with his eighth single, entitled " It's Not That Easy", which became his sixth UK top ten hit. A week later his new album '' The Truth About Love'' was released, which saw guest appearances from

Styles P David R. Styles (born November 28, 1974), better known by his stage name Styles P (also known mononymously as Styles), is an American rapper, best known as a member of hip hop group the Lox, alongside childhood friends Sheek Louch and Jadakiss ...

from

The L.O.X. The Lox (stylized The LOX or The L.O.X.) is an American hip hop group from Yonkers, New York, formed in 1994. The group is composed of East Coast rappers Sheek Louch, Styles P and Jadakiss. They had originally signed to Puff Daddy's Bad Boy Re ...

Mica Paris Michelle Antoinette Wallen (born 27 April 1969), known professionally as Mica Paris (), is an English singer, presenter and actress. Paris was born in Islington in North London, but moved to Brockley, South London, when she was nine. She rel ...

and

Joss Stone Joscelyn Eve Stoker (born 11 April 1987), known professionally as Joss Stone, is an English singer, songwriter and actress. She rose to prominence in late 2003 with her multi-platinum debut album, ''The Soul Sessions'', which made the 2004 Merc ...

. The album became Lemar's highest charting album to date, peaking at number three on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...

, outpeaking ''

'' (number eight) and '' Dedicated'' (number sixteen). Two more singles were released from the album, " Someone Should Tell You" and "Tick Tock". At the Brit Awards in 2007, Lemar was hoping to arrive in a makeshift limo, with

James May James Daniel May (born 16 January 1963) is an English television presenter and journalist. He is best known as a co-presenter of the motoring programme '' Top Gear'' alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond from 2003 until 2015. He also ...

from the BBC's ''

Top Gear Top Gear may refer to: * "Top gear", the highest gear available in a vehicle's manual transmission Television * ''Top Gear'' (1977 TV series), a British motoring magazine programme * ''Top Gear'' (2002 TV series), a relaunched version of the or ...

'' as the driver. Lemar ultimately got frustrated with May and got out of the car after May repeatedly got lost. He featured on Sway's first single " Saturday Night Hustle" from the album '' The Signature LP''. Lemar's fourth studio album, '' The Reason'' was released on 24 November 2008, entering the UK Albums Chart at No. 41. Lead single " If She Knew" was released on 10 November 2008, and peaked on the UK Singles Chart at No. 14. On 2 March 2009, Lemar released his second single from the album, " Weight of the World", the song peaked at number 31 on the UK Singles Chart. He performed both singles on ''

GMTV GMTV (an acronym for Good Morning Television), now legally known as ITV Breakfast Broadcasting Limited, was the name of the national Channel 3 breakfast television contractor/licensee, broadcasting in the United Kingdom from 1 January 1993 ...

''.

2010–2013: ''The Hits'', touring and ''Invincible''

Lemar performed his new single " The Way Love Goes" on the BBC1 show ''

So You Think You Can Dance ''So You Think You Can Dance'' is a franchise of reality television shows in which contestants compete in dance. The first series of the franchise, created by '' Idols'' producers Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe, premiered in July 2005 and ha ...

'' on 9 January 2010. He also performed the single on ''GMTV'' in February. The single was released on Valentine's Day and peaked at number eight on the UK Singles Chart. On 8 March, the single was followed by his much anticipated album, ''

The Hits The Hits was a music video channel broadcast in the United Kingdom and Ireland, owned by Box Television. On 15 August 2008 it was rebranded as 4Music. Overview and availability The channel showcased a range of pop centred on chart hits and cur ...

''. 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". On 19 March, Lemar and JLS performed the song together on Sport Relief. On 11 March 2010, Lemar's album ''

'' hit number one on the R&B download charts on iTunes, along with 9 of Lemar's songs in the top 100 downloads. It peaked at number eighteen on the UK Albums Chart. Toward the end of March 2010, Lemar performed a Radio 1's Live Lounge version of "

Empire State of Mind "Empire State of Mind" is a song performed by American rapper Jay-Z featuring American singer Alicia Keys from the former's 11th studio album, ''The Blueprint 3'' (2009). It was released on October 20, 2009. Produced by Al Shux, the song feature ...

". He also recorded cover versions of Beyoncé's " Sweet Dreams" and Alicia Key's " Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart". Lemar appeared as a special guest on the UK Dates of Mary J. Blige's World Tour. His confirmed dates were at Birmingham's LG Arena, London's

O2 Arena O2 Arena may refer to: *The O2 Arena (London) *O2 Arena (Prague) *The 3Arena The 3Arena (originally The O2) is an indoor amphitheatre located at North Wall Quay in the Dublin Docklands in Dublin, Ireland. The venue opened as The O2 on 16 Decemb ...

and Manchester's

MEN Arena Manchester Arena, currently referred to as the AO Arena for sponsorship reasons, is an indoor arena in Manchester, England, immediately north of the city centre and partly above Manchester Victoria station in air rights space. The arena has the ...

. The first date, in London, was on 2 November 2010. It was also announced that Lemar would be the special guest on the UK dates of

Enrique Iglesias Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler (; (born 8 May 1975) is a Spanish singer and songwriter. He started his recording career in the mid-1990s on the Mexican indie label Fonovisa and became the bestselling Spanish-language act of the decade. By th ...

' tour in 2011. 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. on 21 June Lemar leaked the single via his official website, speaking to

Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...

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." 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."

2015–present: ''The Letter'' and Reality television

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 Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups ...

the Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successf ...

. In 2018, Lemar was a contestant on the tenth series of ''

Dancing on Ice ''Dancing on Ice'' is a British television series presented by Phillip Schofield alongside Holly Willoughby from 2006 to 2011, who then returned in 2018, and Christine Bleakley from 2012 to 2014. The series features celebrities and their prof ...

'', replacing

Monty Panesar Mudhsuden Singh "Monty" Panesar (born 25 April 1982) is a former English international cricketer. A left-arm spinner, Panesar made his Test cricket debut in 2006 against India in Nagpur and One Day International debut for England in 2007. In E ...

; his ice skating partner was

Melody Le Moal Professional skaters from the British television show ''Dancing on Ice'' are figure skaters who appear with celebrities in front of a panel of judges. Most of the professionals on the series are former ice dancers or pair skaters. Competi ...

. Lemar survived three skate offs, beating

Candice Brown Candice is a given name and a variant spelling of the name Candace. People Notable people with the name include: * Candice Accola, American actress (''The Vampire Diaries'') * Candice Carty-Williams, British writer *Candice Bergen, American ac ...

Stephanie Waring Stephanie Louise Waring (born 19 February 1978) is an English actress, known for portraying the role of Cindy Cunningham in the Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks''. In addition to her work on ''Hollyoaks'', she has also had roles on ''Coronation ...

and

Perri Shakes-Drayton Peirresha Alexandra Shakes-Drayton (born 21 December 1988) is a British retired track and field athlete. After specialising in the 400 metres hurdles in the early part of her career, a knee injury at the 2013 World Championships forced Shakes-D ...

. On 11 February, he was voted off after ending up in the skate off for a fourth time with

Donna Air Donna Marie Theresa Air (born 2 August 1979) is an English actress, television presenter and media personality. Early life and education Donna Marie Theresa Air was born on 2 August 1979, in Wallsend, North Tyneside, to receptionist Marie (née ...

Personal life

He is an ambassador for

The Prince's Trust The Prince's Trust ( cy, Ymddiriedolaeth y Tywysog) is a charity in the United Kingdom founded in 1976 by King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) to help vulnerable young people get their lives on track. It supports 11-to-30-year-olds who are u ...

. 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 The Portland Hospital for Women and Children is a private maternity hospital on Great Portland Street, City of Westminster, London, England, owned by the Hospital Corporation of America. History The Portland was conceived by Barry Lewis, a p ...

to a girl named Nyiema Obika, weighing 7 lb. Lemar and Charmaine then had another child, a son, Uriah Obika. The couple married on 17 July 2010 at St Mary the Virgin, Monken Hadley. Lemar is a fan of English football club

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...

. His cousin,

Jonathan Obika Jonathan Chiedozie Obika (born 12 September 1990) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for League One club Morecambe. Club career Tottenham Obika is a product of the Tottenham Hotspur youth system and was the top score ...

, is a footballer who plays for Morecambe F.C., and another cousin

Sam Oji Samuel Udoka Oji (9 October 1985 – 28 August 2021) was an English professional footballer who played as a centre-back. Oji played in the Football League for Doncaster Rovers, Bristol Rovers, Leyton Orient and Hereford United, and in the Swedi ...

played for

Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Since 2011, the first te ...

. As of May 2009, Lemar had an accumulated wealth of £4 million.The 10 richest reality TV stars
Times Online, 31 May 2009

Discography

* '' Dedicated'' (2003) * ''

'' (2004) * '' The Truth About Love'' (2006) * '' The Reason'' (2008) * ''

Invincible Invincible may refer to: Film and television * ''Invincible'' (2001 drama film), a drama by Werner Herzog about Jewish cabaret during the rise of Nazism * ''Invincible'' (2001 TV film), a fantasy / martial arts TV movie starring Billy Zane ...

'' (2012) * '' The Letter'' (2015) * ''

TBA To be announced (TBA), to be confirmed (TBC), to be determined or decided or declared (TBD), and other variations, are placeholder terms used very broadly in event planning to indicate that although something is scheduled or expected to happen, a ...

'' (2023)

Awards and nominations

Brit Awards The BRIT Awards (often simply called the BRITs) are the British Phonographic Industry's annual popular music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain", or "Britannia" (in the early days the awards were sponsored ...

: * 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 The MOBO Awards (Music of Black Origin, also known as the MOBOs) are an annual British music award presentation honouring achievements in " music of black origin", including hip hop, grime, UK Drill, R&B, soul, reggae, jazz, gospel, and ...

: * Winner 2006 - Best UK Male * Winner 2005 - Best UK Male * Winner 2005 - Best Album - ''

'' * Nominee 2009 - Best R&B/Soul Act * Nominee 2007 - Best R&B Act * Nominee 2005 - Best Video - "

" * Nominee 2005 - Best R&B Act * Nominee 2004 - UK Act of the Year * Nominee 2004 - Best R&B Act