Lemar facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lemar
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Lemar performing in 2008
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Lemar Obika |
| Born | 4 April 1978 Tottenham, North London, England |
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| Years active | 2001–present |
| Labels | Sony BMG |
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Lemar Obika (born 4 April 1978), known simply as Lemar, is an English singer, songwriter, and music producer. He became famous after coming third on the first series of the British TV show Fame Academy. After the show, he signed with Sony BMG. He has released five studio albums, and three of them have sold so many copies that they are "platinum" or "double platinum" certified. This means they sold over 300,000 or 600,000 copies!
Lemar's first album, Dedicated, came out in November 2003. It sold double platinum and included popular songs like "Dance (With U)", "50/50", and "Another Day". All these songs reached the top 10 in the UK Singles Chart. His second album, Time to Grow, was also very successful. It also went double platinum and featured his most famous song, "If There's Any Justice". This song reached number 3 and stayed on the UK Singles Chart for four months. Lemar has had great success in the UK and Ireland. He has released ten songs that made it into the top 20, with seven of them reaching the top 10. He has sold over two million albums.
Contents
Early Life and Music Dreams
Lemar Obika was born in Tottenham, North London, England. His parents were from Nigeria. Growing up, he loved listening to R&B and soul music. He often sang at home with his brothers and sisters, pretending to be Michael Jackson and the Jacksons.
When he was 17, Lemar had his first concert. He opened for the American singer Usher in Tottenham. At that time, he was also designing websites for phones. Later, he chose to follow his dream of becoming a musician instead of studying pharmacy at Cardiff University. Lemar supported other artists like the American groups Destiny's Child and Total on their UK tours. After some time, he got a music contract with BMG. He released his first song, "Got Me Saying Ooh". However, his deal with BMG ended quickly because the record company changed things. He then worked as an accounts manager at a bank in Enfield. When he was 24, his mother passed away. He found comfort in Eric Clapton's song "Tears in Heaven" and hoped to write songs that could touch people in the same way.
Lemar's Music Career
Lemar became well-known to the public on the BBC show Fame Academy in 2002. This show was a mix of a talent competition and a reality TV show. He made it to the finals and was praised for his performance of "Let's Stay Together" by Al Green. He also sang a duet with Lionel Richie on the song "Easy". Even though he finished third, another British soul singer, Beverley Knight, was impressed. She invited him to sing with her at her concert.
Sony Music was very impressed with Lemar and signed him to a five-year music deal. He was also chosen to represent the UK in a competition called Eurobest, where he came in fifth place.
First Albums and Big Hits
Lemar's second song, "Dance (with U)", reached number two on the UK Singles Chart in early 2003. His first album, Dedicated, came out later in 2003. Other songs from this album, "50/50" and "Another Day", also did well on the charts. After his album's success, he started his first tour across the UK. He also opened for Justin Timberlake's UK tour dates. Many people consider him the most successful person to come from Fame Academy.
In November 2004, Lemar performed a cover of U2's song "Vertigo" on Radio 1's Live Lounge. He has also performed for Prince Charles' Prince's Trust.
In late 2004, Lemar released "If There's Any Justice", the first song from his album Time to Grow. This song reached number three on the UK Singles Chart and is one of his most famous. Time to Grow was released after the song and reached number 8 on the UK Albums Chart. This album has been certified double platinum. Two more songs from the album were "Time to Grow" and "Don't Give It Up".
Lemar was also one of the artists who sang on the Band Aid 20 single "Do They Know It's Christmas?".
Later Albums and Collaborations
On 4 September 2006, Lemar released his eighth song, "It's Not That Easy". This became his sixth song to reach the UK top ten. A week later, his new album The Truth About Love was released. It featured other artists like Styles P, Mica Paris, and Joss Stone. This album became Lemar's highest-charting album so far, reaching number three on the UK Albums Chart. Two more songs from this album were "Someone Should Tell You" and "Tick Tock".
Lemar's fourth studio album, The Reason, was released on 24 November 2008. It entered the UK Albums Chart at number 41. The first song from the album, "If She Knew", came out on 10 November 2008 and reached number 14 on the UK Singles Chart. On 2 March 2009, Lemar released his second song from the album, "Weight of the World", which reached number 31. He performed both songs on the TV show GMTV.
Lemar performed his song "The Way Love Goes" on the BBC1 show So You Think You Can Dance in January 2010. He also performed it on GMTV in February. The song was released on Valentine's Day and reached number eight on the UK Singles Chart. On 8 March, his album The Hits was released. This album included 10 hit songs from his previous albums and four new songs. One new song was a duet with the group JLS on a new version of Lemar's 2003 song "What About Love". In March, Lemar and JLS performed the song together for Sport Relief.
In March 2010, Lemar's album The Hits reached number one on the R&B download charts on iTunes. Nine of his songs were also in the top 100 downloads. The album reached number eighteen on the UK Albums Chart. Later in March 2010, Lemar performed a Radio 1's Live Lounge version of "Empire State of Mind". He also recorded cover versions of Beyoncé's "Sweet Dreams" and Alicia Key's "Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart".
Lemar was a special guest on the UK dates of Mary J. Blige's World Tour in November 2010. He also joined Enrique Iglesias' tour in the UK in 2011.
Lemar released his song "Invincible" in August 2012. He performed it for the first time at Stoke 2012 Live. He talked about the song, saying, "Sticking together is what makes you invincible. When times are hard, it's important to stick together and know what your values are."
In 2015, Lemar returned with his song "The Letter". It was first played on BBC Radio 2's breakfast show. The Letter was also the name of his album. This album included a duet with Joss Stone, a cover of "Someday We'll Be Together", a song made famous by Diana Ross & the Supremes.
Recent Activities
In 2018, Lemar was a contestant on the tenth series of Dancing on Ice. He replaced another contestant and his ice skating partner was Melody Le Moal. Lemar survived three "skate offs" before being voted off on 11 February.
On 7 February 2023, Lemar released the song "Future Love", which he wrote and produced himself. This song came before his seventh studio album, Page in My Heart, which was released on 24 March 2023. A radio version of "Dust" was released as the album's second song on 28 April 2023.
Lemar appeared as Lord Smythe-Smith in episode 5 of the 2023 Netflix series Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.
He also participated as "Cricket" on the fifth series of The Masked Singer and finished in third place.
In 2024, Lemar starred in the musical Sister Act (musical) in London's West End. He played the role of Curtis Jackson alongside Beverley Knight.
Lemar also went on tour with the group JLS for their summer tour, performing at various outdoor places.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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| 2023 | Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story | Lord Smythe-Smith | Episode 5 |
Personal Life
Lemar is an ambassador for The Prince's Trust, a charity that helps young people.
On 19 January 2008, Lemar became a father for the first time. His long-term partner, Charmaine Powell, gave birth to a girl in London. Lemar and Charmaine later had another child, a son. The couple got married on 17 July 2010.
Lemar is a big fan of the English football club Tottenham Hotspur F.C.. His cousin, Jonathan Obika, is a footballer who plays for Motherwell. Another cousin, Sam Oji, played for Birmingham City.
Discography
- Dedicated (2003)
- Time to Grow (2004)
- The Truth About Love (2006)
- The Reason (2008)
- Invincible (2012)
- The Letter (2015)
- Page in My Heart (2023)
Awards and Nominations
Brit Awards
- Winner 2006 - British Urban Act
- Winner 2004 - British Urban Act
- Nominee 2007 - British Male Solo Artist
- Nominee 2006 - British Urban Act
- Nominee 2005 - British Male Solo Artist
- Nominee 2005 - British Urban Act
- Nominee 2004 - Best British Breakthrough Act
- Nominee 2004 - Best British Urban Act
MOBO Awards
- Winner 2006 - Best UK Male
- Winner 2005 - Best UK Male
- Winner 2005 - Best Album - Time to Grow
- Nominee 2009 - Best R&B/Soul Act
- Nominee 2007 - Best R&B Act
- Nominee 2005 - Best Video - "If There's Any Justice"
- Nominee 2005 - Best R&B Act
- Nominee 2004 - UK Act of the Year
- Nominee 2004 - Best R&B Act
