Jamelia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jamelia
Jamelia in 2019
Born	Jamelia Niela Davis (1981-01-11) 11 January 1981 (age 44) Handsworth, Birmingham, West Midlands, England
Occupation	Singer songwriter actress television presenter
Spouse(s)	Darren Byfield ​ ​ (m. 2008; div. 2009)​
Children	4
Musical career
Genres	R&B pop hip hop
Labels	Capitol Parlophone All Around the World Universal
Associated acts	Beenie Man Rah Digga Asher D Sway Bubba Sparxxx Estelle Beverley Knight Afrika Bambaataa

Jamelia Niela Davis (born on January 11, 1981) is a British singer, actress, and TV personality. She has released three studio albums. All of them reached the Top 40 in the UK. Together, her albums produced eight UK top-ten songs.

Jamelia has also won four MOBO Awards and a Q Award. She has been nominated for nine BRIT Awards. Her music career started in 1999. She released her first song, "So High". Then came "I Do", which was more popular. Her first full album, Drama, came out in June 2000.

Jamelia released more hit songs, like "Superstar". This song reached number three in the UK. It was number one in Australia and became platinum certified. She released two more albums: Thank You (2003) and Walk with Me (2006). After that, she left her record label, Parlophone, due to disagreements.

Jamelia has had a successful career for over ten years. She became a judge on TV shows like Move Like Michael Jackson in 2009. She also made her own TV documentaries. These include Jamelia: Whose Hair Is It Anyway (2008) and Jamelia: Shame About Single Mums (2011). In 2010, she signed a new record deal. From 2013 to 2016, she was a panelist on the ITV show Loose Women.

Early Life and Beginnings

Jamelia was born in Handsworth, Birmingham, England. Her mother, Paulette Davis, raised her. Both her parents are Jamaican. She grew up in Hockley. She went to Brookfields Primary School and then CTC Kingshurst Academy.

Music Career Highlights

Starting Out: 1999–2001 with Drama

Jamelia signed with Capitol Records when she was 15. Record producers heard her singing her own songs. She had recorded them on a karaoke machine. In 1999, Jamelia released her first song, "So High". It did not become a hit. After this, Jamelia left Capitol Records. But she quickly signed with Parlophone.

She took some time to record her first album, Drama (2000). Jamelia returned with the song "I Do" in 1999. This song was her first success in the UK. It reached the UK Top 40. Her third song, "Money", came out in February 2000. This song was a big breakthrough for her in the UK. It reached number five on the charts. "Money" later won a MOBO Award for Best Video in 2000.

Even with the success of "Money", Drama did not sell as well as hoped. It reached number 39 in the UK. The next song from the album, "Call Me", reached number 11. Jamelia was recognized for her early success. She was nominated for several BRIT Awards in 2000 and 2001.

Big Success: 2003–2005 with Thank You

Jamelia recorded her second album, Thank You, in 2002 and 2003. This was after her daughter Teja was born. The first song from Thank You was "Bout". It featured American rapper Rah Digga. It reached number 37 in the UK. The second song, "Superstar", became her biggest hit at the time. It reached number three. It was one of the best-selling songs of 2003 in the UK.

The album Thank You was released after "Superstar". It was expected to be a big hit. But it only reached number 65 on the UK chart at first. So, new songs were added to a re-release of the album. These included "See It in a Boy's Eyes" and "DJ".

The title song, "Thank You", was released to promote the re-release. This song became her highest-charting single in the UK, reaching number two. It won a MOBO Award for Best Single in 2004. The fourth song, "See it in a Boy's Eyes", was released in mid-2004. It became Jamelia's third song in a row to reach the top five. It won a MOBO Award for Best Video and a Q Award for Best Single.

The success of Thank You led to five BRIT Awards nominations for Jamelia in 2004 and 2005. The album became the 36th best-selling album of 2004. It was certified double platinum, meaning it sold over 600,000 copies. Jamelia also sang a cover of "Straight Ahead" for Kool and the Gang's album.

In 2004, Jamelia worked with Italian singer Tiziano Ferro on "Universal Prayer". This song was for the 2004 Olympic Games soundtrack. It became her first number one song in Italy and Spain. Later in 2004, Jamelia joined Band Aid 20. She sang on the charity song "Do They Know It's Christmas?". This song topped the UK Singles Chart. Jamelia also released a cover of "Stop!" for the film Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. It reached number nine in the UK.

New Sounds: 2005–2010 with Walk with Me

Jamelia in 2007.

After her second daughter, Tiani, was born in 2005, Jamelia started recording her third album, Walk with Me. The first song from it, "Something About You", came out in late 2006. It was described as more experimental and less R&B. It became Jamelia's first song to enter the charts based only on digital downloads. It reached number nine after its physical release. Walk with Me was released soon after. Critics liked it, saying it showed a change in her music style.

The album did not sell as well as Thank You. It debuted at number 20 on the UK Albums Chart. The second song, "Beware of the Dog", was highly praised. Many called it one of the best pop songs ever. It reached number 10 in the UK. The last song from the album was "No More". It did not sell well, reaching number 43.

Walk with Me still earned a Gold disk. This means it sold over 100,000 copies. But it was less than Thank You, which sold over 600,000 copies. Jamelia later said she was not surprised the album did not sell better. She felt it did not flow well as an album.

In late 2007, Jamelia released a collection of her hit songs called Superstar - The Hits. This album included 11 of her songs. This was her last album for Parlophone. She left the label shortly after. In 2009, Jamelia said she was working on a new album. She was working with producers who had worked with Lady Gaga and Beyoncé. She promised a "really exciting" album. In 2010, she signed a new record deal. However, no new music was released.

TV and Acting Roles

Jamelia in 2019

In 2013 and 2014, Jamelia was a coach on The Voice of Ireland. In February 2013, she appeared in the BBC drama Death in Paradise. In August 2013, Jamelia was part of the house band on I Love My Country. On November 27, 2013, Jamelia joined the panel of the ITV chat show Loose Women. She made 162 appearances before leaving in 2016.

In 2015, Jamelia took part in Bear Grylls: Mission Survive on ITV. She also competed on thirteenth series of Strictly Come Dancing. She and her dance partner, Tristan MacManus, survived four dance-offs. They were voted out in week 9. In 2016, she acted in an episode of the BBC soap opera Doctors.

In 2023, Jamelia joined the cast of Hollyoaks as Sharon Bailey. She had appeared as herself in 2003 and as Bailey for one episode in 2021. In 2024, she was a cast member on the E4 show Celebs Go Dating.

Other Projects and Appearances

In 2004, Jamelia signed with ICM agency. She became the face of Pretty Polly and was featured in a campaign for Reebok. She has also promoted Listerine, Jaguar Cars, and BMW. She was an ambassador for the maternity wear line Seraphine. Jamelia has appeared on the covers of magazines like Cosmopolitan and Elle.

In January 2007, Jamelia launched a new perfume. It was part of a campaign to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS. Proceeds from Rougeberry sales went to MTV's Staying Alive Foundation. On March 4, 2007, Jamelia appeared on Top Gear. Richard Hammond drove her to the Brit Awards in his homemade stretch limousine. In July 2007, Jamelia, Erin O'Connor, and Helena Christensen teamed up with Toni & Guy. They promoted Model.Me, a hair product for ethnic hair.

On September 18, 2007, Jamelia co-hosted the MOBO Awards. She also walked the catwalk for Naomi Campbell's Fashion for Relief event. Jamelia performed at Nelson Mandela's World Aids Day concert in December 2007. She sang "Something About You", "See It in a Boy's Eyes", and "Superstar".

In January 2008, Jamelia signed a book deal for her autobiography, Stronger. In July 2008, she appeared in a documentary called Jamelia: Whose Hair is it Anyway? for BBC Three. She also guest presented Big Brother's Big Mouth for E4. Jamelia has supported "The Really Good School Dinner" initiative. This program helps provide meals for children in need.

Jamelia has been a guest judge for BBC's Let's Dance for Comic Relief. She has also presented The National Lottery some Wednesday evenings since April 2008. In 2010, she was featured in the Channel 4 documentary The House That Made Me. Jamelia has worked with ActionAid, Princes Trust, and the World Food Programme. She has visited Kenya, Uganda, and India for her charity work. She has met Nelson Mandela and performed for him. In 2012, she took part in the Preston Passion, singing a cover version of "You Got the Love".

Personal Life and Family

Jamelia taking a selfie with then Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn at a 2019 general election campaign rally in Birmingham. Jamelia supported the Labour Party in the 2019 general election.

Jamelia has four daughters. Her first daughter was born in 2001. In August 2007, Jamelia separated from her boyfriend Darren Byfield. They have a daughter together, born in October 2005. They got back together a few months later and announced their engagement. They married on June 14, 2008. In November 2009, they announced they were getting divorced. In August 2022, Jamelia shared that she was expecting her fourth child. In November 2019, Jamelia supported the Labour Party in the 2019 UK general election.

Discography

Studio albums

• Drama (2000)
• Thank You (2003)
• Walk with Me (2006)

Filmography

• Top Gear (2007)
• Loose Women (2007–2011)
• Gok's Fashion Fix (2008)
• The House That Made Me (2010)
• Room 101 (2012)
• The Great Sport Relief Bake Off (2014)
• Celebrity Squares (2014)
• Celebrity Benchmark (2015)
• The Chase Celebrity Special (2016)
• Celebrity Haunted Hotel Live (2016)
• Don't Ask Me Ask Britain (2017)
• Richard Osman's House of Games Night (2020)
• Sorry, I Didn't Know (2022)
• Countdown - Dictionary Corner (February, 2023)

Awards and Nominations

Tours

• 2004 Thank You Tour

Jamelia has also opened shows for artists like Destiny's Child, Justin Timberlake, and Usher. She has also had her own sold-out tours.

See also

In Spanish: Jamelia para niños

• List of one-word stage names
• List of Strictly Come Dancing contestants