Biography
Teenage pop-rap duo Bars and Melody, abbreviated B.A.M., created an immediate stir with their appearance on the 2014 edition of Britain's Got Talent. Although they placed third in the final behind soprano Lucy Kay and musical theater boy band Collabro, their youthful, fresh approach attracted a vast following among younger listeners, secured a half-a-million-pound contract with Simon Cowell's label, and generated invitations to tour the United States.
Rapper Leondre "Bars" Devries, born October 6, 2000 in Port Talbot, Wales, and singer Charlie "Melody" Lenehan, born October 27, 1998 in Frampton Cotterell near Bristol, England, first connected through Facebook. Bonded by their mutual passion for music, the pair chose to establish a duo. Devries had already been performing as "Little Dre," while Lenehan had started singing at age 11 after school friends assembled a band and asked him to participate. At ages 13 and 15 respectively, and appearing even younger, they auditioned for BGT with a rendition of Twista's "Hope" that incorporated new verses focused on bullying. The performance ignited the audience, prompting Simon Cowell to award the golden buzzer and advance them directly to the semi-final, where they delivered Puff Daddy's "I'll Be Missing You."
During their ongoing participation in the BGT competition, the duo made an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on U.S. television, resulting in numerous sponsorship opportunities and tour proposals. Once the series concluded, they signed a recording contract with Cowell's Syco label. Their first single, the Twista cover now called "Hopeful," came out in July 2014 and reached number five on the U.K. singles chart. The track later featured on their debut album, 143, issued in 2015. An intensive touring calendar followed, yet they still managed to put out the Teen Spirit EP in 2016.
Rapper Leondre "Bars" Devries, born October 6, 2000 in Port Talbot, Wales, and singer Charlie "Melody" Lenehan, born October 27, 1998 in Frampton Cotterell near Bristol, England, first connected through Facebook. Bonded by their mutual passion for music, the pair chose to establish a duo. Devries had already been performing as "Little Dre," while Lenehan had started singing at age 11 after school friends assembled a band and asked him to participate. At ages 13 and 15 respectively, and appearing even younger, they auditioned for BGT with a rendition of Twista's "Hope" that incorporated new verses focused on bullying. The performance ignited the audience, prompting Simon Cowell to award the golden buzzer and advance them directly to the semi-final, where they delivered Puff Daddy's "I'll Be Missing You."
During their ongoing participation in the BGT competition, the duo made an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on U.S. television, resulting in numerous sponsorship opportunities and tour proposals. Once the series concluded, they signed a recording contract with Cowell's Syco label. Their first single, the Twista cover now called "Hopeful," came out in July 2014 and reached number five on the U.K. singles chart. The track later featured on their debut album, 143, issued in 2015. An intensive touring calendar followed, yet they still managed to put out the Teen Spirit EP in 2016.
Albums
Singles
