Lamya facts for kids

Lamya Al-Mugheiry (born 30 October 1973 – died 8 January 2009) was a talented singer, songwriter, and music producer. Most people knew her simply as Lamya. She was born in Kenya and grew up to become a well-known English artist.

Lamya first became famous in the early 1990s. She was one of the main singers for the R&B group Soul II Soul. Later, she sang backup for the popular band Duran Duran. In 2002, she released her first album, Learning from Falling. A song from this album, "Empires (Bring Me Men)", became a number one hit on the Dance music charts.

Sadly, Lamya passed away suddenly on 8 January 2009, from a heart attack. She was 35 years old. At the time, she was working on her second album, which was going to be called Hiding in Plain Sight.

Growing Up and Early Life

Lamya Hafidh Sultan Al-Mugheiry was born in Mombasa, Kenya. Her parents were from Oman. As a child, she lived in many different cities around the world. These included Cairo and London. She spent most of her childhood growing up in Oman.

Later, she studied at the American University in Cairo, Egypt. She also studied in Sheffield, United Kingdom. Her mother encouraged her musical talent and enrolled her in singing lessons. She even trained with a voice coach from the famous Metropolitan Opera. When she was sixteen, Lamya decided to follow her dream of becoming a musician. After watching an interview with the pop star Madonna, she ran away from home to New York City to start her music career.

Lamya's Music Career

Lamya's music journey began in 1989. She recorded a song called "Break 4 Love" with DJ Vaughn Mason. This song reached number 77 on the UK Singles Chart. The song also caught the attention of Jazzie B, the leader of the group Soul II Soul. He asked Lamya to join his band.

In 1990, Lamya sang lead vocals on two songs for Soul II Soul's second album, Vol. II: 1990 - A New Decade. These songs were "Love Come Through" and "In the Heat of the Night". After the album came out, she toured with the group all year. One of their live concerts was even recorded and released as an album called A New Decade: Live from Brixton Academy. Lamya left the group at the end of 1990, but she stayed good friends with the members.

Working with Duran Duran

In 1993, Lamya started working with the famous band Duran Duran. She sang backup vocals on their song "Love Voodoo". This song was on their album, Duran Duran (also known as the "Wedding Album"). Lamya also joined Duran Duran on their two-year tour for this album. She appeared with them on TV shows like MTV Unplugged. During each concert, she had a special moment to sing a solo part in their song "Come Undone".

Lamya continued to work with other artists. In 1994, she sang backup for Charlotte Kelly's song "Queen of Hearts". In 1995, she contributed to Soul II Soul's album Volume V: Believe. She also sang backup on three songs for Duran Duran's album Thank You. Over the years, Lamya also performed with legendary musicians like David Bowie, Prince, and James Brown. In 2001, she sang backup on a song for her former Soul II Soul colleague, Kym Mazelle.

Solo Success

In July 2002, Lamya released her very own first album, Learning from Falling. This album was a success, reaching number 16 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers chart. Lamya wrote and produced all the songs herself. She used poems she had been writing since she was eleven years old. The album included the hit singles "Empires (Bring Me Men)" and "Black Mona Lisa". One music magazine, Blender, even compared her unique style to the artist Björk.

In 2003, Lamya toured with the singer Macy Gray, performing as the opening act. She was also supposed to sing at a big concert in South Africa for Nelson Mandela. This concert was to raise awareness about AIDS, but it was canceled due to other issues.

Lamya's Vocal Style

Lamya was a classically trained singer. This means she learned special techniques for singing. She was a soprano, which is the highest female singing voice. She had an amazing five-octave vocal range. This means she could sing a very wide range of notes, from very low to very high. She could even reach the whistle register, which is the highest part of the human voice.

Personal Life

Lamya had a brief relationship with Nile Rodgers, a musician from the band Chic.

Discography

Here are the albums and singles Lamya released:

Albums

Singles

See also

• List of number-one dance hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart