Lamya facts for kids

Lamya Al-Mugheiry (born October 30, 1963 – died January 8, 2009), known simply as Lamya, was a talented singer, songwriter, and music producer. She was born in Kenya and grew up in England. Lamya became well-known 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 famous band Duran Duran. In 2002, Lamya released her first album, Learning from Falling. This album featured her hit song "Empires (Bring Me Men)", which reached number 1 on the Dance music charts. Lamya passed away on January 8, 2009, from a sudden heart attack. She was working on her second album, Hiding in Plain Sight, at the time.

Growing Up and Starting Music

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, like 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. Lamya's mother helped her take singing lessons. She even trained with a voice coach from the famous Metropolitan Opera in New York. When Lamya was sixteen, she was inspired by an interview with the singer Madonna. She decided to move to New York City to follow her dream of becoming a musician.

Music Career Highlights

Lamya's music journey began in 1989. She recorded a song called "Break 4 Love" with DJ Vaughn Mason. This song became popular and reached number 77 on the UK music charts. The song also caught the attention of Jazzie B, the leader of the group Soul II Soul. He invited Lamya to join his group. In 1990, Lamya sang lead vocals on two songs, "Love Come Through" and "In the Heat of the Night." These songs were on Soul II Soul's second album, Vol. II: 1990 - A New Decade. After the album came out, Lamya toured with Soul II Soul for a whole year. One of their concerts was even recorded live at Brixton Academy and released as an album. Even after she left the group in 1990, Lamya remained good friends with the members.

Working with Famous Bands

In 1993, Lamya started working with the famous band Duran Duran. She sang backup vocals on their song "Love Voodoo." She also joined them on their two-year tour for their album, sometimes called the Wedding Album tour. Lamya also appeared with them on TV shows like MTV Unplugged. During their concerts, she often had a special moment to sing a solo part in their song "Come Undone." Lamya continued to sing backup for other artists. In 1994, she sang for Charlotte Kelly's song "Queen of Hearts." In 1995, she sang on Soul II Soul's album Volume V: Believe. She also sang backup on several songs for Duran Duran's album Thank You. Over the years, Lamya also performed with music legends like David Bowie, Prince, and James Brown.

Solo Album Success

In July 2002, Lamya released her very first solo album, Learning from Falling. This album was a big success, reaching number 16 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers chart. Lamya wrote and produced all the songs on the album herself. She used poems she had been writing since she was eleven years old. Music critics praised her album. The magazine Blender even compared her to the unique singer Björk. In 2003, Lamya toured with the singer Macy Gray, performing as the opening act for her concerts.

Lamya's Passing

Lamya was planning to release her second album, Hiding in Plain Sight, in 2009. However, she sadly passed away on January 8, 2009. She was in Oman at the time and died from a sudden heart attack. Lamya was 45 years old.

Her Amazing Voice

Lamya had a truly special voice. She was trained in classical singing and was a soprano. This means she could sing very high notes. She had an incredible five-octave vocal range, which is like being able to sing across five full pianos! She could even reach the whistle register, which are the highest notes a human voice can make, sounding almost like a whistle.

Personal Life

Lamya was briefly in a relationship with Nile Rodgers, a musician from the band Chic.

Discography

Albums

Singles

See also

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