Omar

Many view Omar as the originator of British neo-soul, an influence that also reaches American listeners. The singer, songwriter, and producer first surfaced among the U.K.’s leading R&B prospects through the early-’90s worldwide success of “There’s Nothing Like This.” Refusing to trade artistic integrity for mainstream fame, he earned admiration from India.Arie, Erykah Badu, Angie Stone, Gilles Peterson, and his foremost inspiration, Stevie Wonder—the first three of whom have cited him as an influence. Although often placed in the R&B category, Omar recognizes no strict stylistic limits. Across successive albums he has fused soul and urban music with an expanding array of elements such as ragga, hip-hop, funk, jazz-pop, rock, and Latin/Caribbean dance. Lacking widespread chart breakthroughs, his distinctive methods have nevertheless built a loyal following in Britain and a committed audience in far-flung territories worldwide.

Omar Lye-Fook entered the world on October 14, 1968, in London and grew up in Canterbury. Music claimed him early; his father, Byron Lye-Fook, worked as a studio musician and drummer alongside reggae figures Bob Marley and Horace Andy as well as the Rolling Stones. By age five Omar had begun studying drums. Throughout his school years he received formal instruction on piano, trumpet/cornet, and additional percussion instruments while also mastering bass in the manner of Level 42’s Mark King. Before turning fifteen he appeared with various brass, jazz, and percussion groups in Italy, Brazil, and the United States. Enrolled at London’s Guildhall School of Music, he withdrew after a single year to launch a professional career. On his father’s Kongo imprint he issued his debut single, “Mr. Postman,” in 1985 at age sixteen. Further white-label releases on Kongo through the late ’80s sustained his growing reputation for a timeless yet refreshed soul style, well before neo-soul acquired recognized status.

The single “There’s Nothing Like This” emerged in 1990, reached the U.K. Top 20 the next year, and held the summit of the R&B and dance charts for several weeks during a period when acid jazz and house dominated British urban sounds. The soulful ballad secured Omar a contract with Gilles Peterson’s pioneering Talkin’ Loud label. There he completed the albums There’s Nothing Like This (1990), assembled from prior Kongo material, and Music (1992), a more assured work reflecting greater maturity in both performance and vocals. Some early releases credit him as Omar Hammer, the surname of his stepfather. He next joined major-label RCA for For Pleasure (1994) and This Is Not a Love Song (1997). The first of those projects paired him with former Motown songwriters and producers Leon Ware and Lamont Dozier, both already admirers of his work. Keyboardist and producer David Frank—known for his contributions to recordings by Chaka Khan, Phil Collins, Christina Aguilera, and his own group the System—oversaw the second album.

Disappointed by the promotional support received at RCA, Omar departed for the French label Naïve Records. On the 2000 album Best by Far he enjoyed greater latitude to explore soundtrack-inspired compositions and Latin jazz, incorporating his characteristic string and horn arrangements. A prolonged hiatus followed the 2000 release, though he contributed to U.S. rapper Common’s Electric Circus LP in 2004. During this interval Omar built his own studio and founded Blunt Music. Feeling newly autonomous, he issued his sixth studio album, Sing (If You Want It), in 2006 to considerable personal satisfaction. American guests Common and Angie Stone joined British artists Rodney P and Estelle on the project, yet the standout collaboration remained the Stevie Wonder duet “Feeling You,” a track Wonder had reportedly pledged to record with him fifteen years earlier. Omar’s brother, hip-hop and reggae producer Scratch Professor, supplied additional drum-driven rhythms suited to the dancefloor. Late that year the Urban Music Awards, which honor urban-music artists internationally, presented Omar with the Best Neo-Soul Act and Outstanding Achievement Awards. Another extended pause ensued, during which he pursued acting. In 2012 his contributions to music received further recognition when he was named Member of the Order of the British Empire. The following year he released The Man on Shanachie, featuring appearances by Caron Wheeler and Pino Palladino. Love in Beats appeared on the Freestyle label in 2017 and included soul veteran Leon Ware on the track “Gave My Heart.”