Shola Ama facts for kids

Shola Ama (born March 8, 1979) is a British singer from London, England. She became famous for her hit songs "You Might Need Somebody" in 1997 and "You're the One I Love". "You Might Need Somebody" was a cover of an older song by Randy Crawford. Another popular song was "Still Believe" in 1999. This song was one of the first big productions by the Norwegian music team Stargate.

Shola Ama's Music Journey

How Shola Ama Started Singing

When Shola Ama was 15 years old, she was singing to herself. She was at Hammersmith tube station in London. A music producer named Kwame Kwaten heard her. He worked for the FreakStreet record label.

In 1995, a small music label released her first song. It was called "Celebrate" and was a slow, emotional song. Even though it wasn't a big hit, it helped people notice Shola Ama's talent. On her 16th birthday, she signed a recording contract with WEA. This was a major step for her career.

First Hits and Debut Album

Shola Ama's first song with WEA was "You're the One I Love" in 1996. It didn't do very well at first. Her next song, "You Might Need Somebody", became her first big success. It reached number 4 on the UK Singles Chart in April 1997. This song stayed popular for almost two months. It became one of the biggest hits of 1997.

After this success, "You're the One I Love" was released again in August 1997. This time, it reached number 3 on the charts. Her third song, "Who's Loving My Baby," came out in November 1997 and reached number 13. When she was 18, Shola Ama released her first album. It was called Much Love (1997).

In May 1997, Shola Ama performed "You Might Need Somebody" at Wembley Stadium. This was a special event before a big rugby league game.

Awards and Second Album

Because her album Much Love was so successful, Shola Ama won some important awards. She won a Brit Award for Best British Female Artist. She also won two MOBO Awards. These were for Best Newcomer and Best R&B Act.

In 1999, Shola Ama released her second album, In Return. For this album, she worked with many famous music producers. These included Fred Jerkins III and Stargate. Other artists like Angie Stone and Babyface also helped write songs.

Even with a lot of support from her record label, In Return did not sell as well. After this, Shola Ama took a break from making music.

Returning to Music

In 2002, Shola Ama went back to the recording studio. She worked on her third album, Supersonic. She couldn't get a deal with a major record label. So, she made a deal with a company called Pony Canyon to release her music.

In 2004, Shola Ama sang on a popular song called "You Should Really Know". This song was by a group called The Pirates. It reached number 8 on the UK chart.

Shola Ama also helped her younger sister, Sadie Ama, with her music career. Sadie Ama also signed a record deal and released her own songs.

Shola Ama continued to work with other artists. In 2009, she sang on the song "DJ Play" by Perempay & Dee. This song was played a lot on the radio. She also sang on two songs with the rapper Giggs. These songs were "Cut Above the Rest" and "Blow Em Away."

In 2010, Shola Ama joined a new music group. It was formed by the artist Wiley and called A-List. Her sister Sadie Ama was also part of this group.

In 2013, Shola Ama narrated a TV show. It was called My Crazy Jamaican Life.

In October 2015, Shola Ama released a new collection of songs. It was an 8-track EP called Surreal. These songs had a reggae music style. This was 13 years after her last album, Supersonic. In April 2016, she sang on the song "Rocket" for the album System Killer by Frisco.

Shola Ama's Background

Shola Ama was born in London. Her father was from Scotland. Her mother was from Dominica and had family from Saint Lucia.

Shola Ama's Albums

• Much Love (1997)
• In Return (1999)
• Supersonic (2002) (Released only in Japan)
• Surreal (2015)

See also

In Spanish: Shola Ama para niños