Lemar

After nearly eight years honing his smooth vocals and crafting songs, London-based R&B performer Lemar finally secured an initial recording agreement. BMG Records issued just the solitary track “Got Me Saying (Ooh)” under that arrangement before terminating the contract. Lemar’s path to prominence nonetheless began with a strong showing on the British reality series Fame Academy, where he finished third in 2002. That achievement led to a lucrative Sony Records contract, which, inside his opening three years as a recording artist, delivered six U.K. Top Ten singles, a pair of Music of Black Origin Awards, and two Brit Awards for Best Urban Artist.

Lemar Obika entered the world on April 4, 1978, inside the ethnically diverse Tottenham district of London’s Haringey borough. Drawn to singing from early childhood, he declined his Cardiff University pharmacy placement—favored by his parents—in favor of a music career. He therefore spent daytime hours as a bank accounts manager while performing evening gigs that included opening slots for American acts Usher and Destiny’s Child. Though initially hesitant to join Fame Academy, fearing it would steer him toward mainstream pop rather than the soul material he preferred over Pop Idol’s format, the decision ultimately proved fortunate. Not long after, established British vocalist Beverley Knight noticed Obika on the program and asked him to share the stage with her in a live setting.

Now positioned more favorably, Obika declined an offer from Mercury Records and instead aligned with Sony. His 2003 debut Dedicated and the follow-up Time to Grow, issued in the U.K. in 2004 and abroad the next year, each generated Top Five British singles and earned him his first two Brit Awards. The Truth About Love, released in September 2006, became his highest-placing album by debuting at number three on the U.K. chart. Relying exclusively on live instrumentation, the project was helmed by longtime associate Brian Rawling, whose prior credits include work with Lionel Richie, Tina Turner, and Cher. For his fourth studio effort, The Reason, which surfaced in 2008, Lemar enlisted producers Soulshock & Karlin, Salaam Remi, and Jim Jonsin and shifted toward a more contemporary palette following the organic soul of The Truth About Love. Returning in 2012 with his fifth album Invincible, Lemar saw the set enter the U.K. album chart at number 49.