Lemar

Lemar Obika was born in Tottenham, North London, England, to Nigerian parents. He grew up listening to R&B and soul music. He used to sing at home with his siblings, pretending to be Michael Jackson and the Jacksons. He was 17 when he had his first concert at the Junior Jam at 'The Temple' in Tottenham supporting American singer Usher. At the time, he was designing a website to sell logos for the Ericsson PH337 phone. Later on, he gave up an opportunity to study pharmacy at Cardiff University to pursue a musical career. Lemar had some success supporting various artists such as American girl groups Destiny's Child and Total on their UK club tours and after some years, managed to secure a recording contract with BMG. Following this, he released his debut single "Got Me Saying Ooh". His record deal with BMG fell through in less than a year due to restructuring at the record label. He had to eventually take a job working as an accounts manager at NatWest in Enfield, North London. At age 24, his mother died of cancer and he found listening to Eric Clapton's "Tears in Heaven" brought "clarity" and aims to "write songs as moving as this". ==Career==

Lemar was most notably brought to public attention on the BBC's Fame Academy in 2002, a combination of a talent quest and a reality television show. He made the finals of the show winning plaudits for his version of "Let's Stay Together" by Al Green and singing a duet with Lionel Richie on "Easy". While he ended up finishing third in the show, which was won by David Sneddon, he caught the eye of fellow British soul singer Beverley Knight, who invited him to sing a duet with her during her concert at the Hammersmith Apollo. Sony Music was so impressed with his potential that they signed him to a five-year record deal worth £1 million. He was also the contestant from Fame Academy chosen to represent the UK in Eurobest, coming fifth (the eventual winner being Chenoa from Spain). Lemar's second single "Dance (with U)" reached number two on the UK Singles Chart in early 2003. His first album Dedicated was released late in 2003 with additional singles "50/50" and "Another Day" also achieving chart success in the UK. On 19 March, Lemar and JLS performed the song together on Sport Relief. Lemar returned with his single "Invincible", which he performed for the first time at Stoke 2012 Live. The release date for the single was 12 August, and will be the first single to be taken from the as yet untitled fifth studio album this year. on 21 June Lemar leaked the single via his official website, speaking to Digital Spy about the single he commented saying "Sticking together is what makes you invincible. When times are hard, it's important to stick together and know what your values are." On his site The Re-View, Nick Bassett praises "Invincible" for its "narrative journey which showcases Lemar’s songwriting talents as well as his impressive vocal." Lemar returned again in 2015 with his single "The Letter", which got its first airplay on BBC Radio 2's breakfast show with Chris Evans. The Letter was also the title of his latest album. The album featured a duet with Joss Stone, a cover of "Someday We'll Be Together", made famous by Diana Ross & the Supremes. In 2018, Lemar was a contestant on the tenth series of Dancing on Ice, replacing Monty Panesar; his ice skating partner was Melody Le Moal. Lemar survived three skate offs, beating Candice Brown, Stephanie Waring and Perri Shakes-Drayton. On 11 February, he was voted off after ending up in the skate off for a fourth time with Donna Air. On 7 February 2023, Lemar released the single "Future Love", which he wrote and produced by himself. The single preceded Lemar's seventh studio album, Page in My Heart, which was released on 24 March 2023. A radio mix of "Dust" was released as the album's second single on 28 April 2023. Lemar appears as Lord Smythe-Smith in episode 5 of the 2023 Netflix series Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story (2023). He participated as "Cricket" on the fifth series of The Masked Singer and finished in third place. In 2024, Lemar starred in London's West End revival of Sister Act (musical), playing the role of Curtis Jackson, alongside Beverley Knight. Lemar went on tour with JLS for their summer tour where they played in various outdoor venues. == Filmography ==

Lemar is an ambassador for The Prince's Trust. His cousin, Jonathan Obika, is a footballer who plays for Motherwell, and another cousin, Sam Oji, played for Birmingham City. As of May 2009, Lemar had an accumulated wealth of £4 million. ==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 ==References==