22 MusicWeek 03.08.12 Q&A LEMAR IT’S NOT THAT EASY
Lemar is back with new material, this time released through his own record label. And he’s still working hard almost a decade after hit single Dance (With U) peaked to No.2 on the UK chart
TALENT BY TINA HART
W
hen the trend for reality television talent shows began, Lemar Obika was there. And he’s survived the test of time,
marking ten years in the industry in 2012. Now an established singer-songwriter in his own
right, he came to mainstream attention as a contestant on Fame Academy a decade ago, and was one of the first to prove that just because you didn’t win (he came third), it doesn’t mean you’ve lost out. He went on to achieve seven Top 10 singles, sold over two million albums, won two Brits and three MOBO awards. Lemar is returning this year with a new sound, under his control. He’s releasing new album Invincible (the lead single of which has secured a high-profile sync deal with Sky Sports) via his own label in conjunction with EMI Label Services - Music Week caught up with him to chat about it all.
Your new single Invincible is quite different from your previous material, it has a rock/guitar influence – how did you find that sound? I’ve been trying to keep on developing. On the last tour I did for my fourth album it was a big eye opener performing [Kings of Leon song] Sex On Fire - it filled a space differently to some of the other songs and made me experiment a little bit more in that area.
Is Invincible indicative of the sound on the album? The album is much more singer-songwriter like. There’s guitars in there, there’s tempo in there. But moreso it’s about the lyrics. It’s just real music, live instruments - very real. It’s about where I’m at in my life right now. The tracks have come sporadically over the last
year and a half and largely I’ve been writing and producing by myself. But I’m always going to and from LA, and last year I spent a lot of time there recording and writing with different producers - Deekay, Toby Gad. Otherwise, I’ve collaborated with Steve Booker, Jamie Hartman, some others too.
What was the moment that inspired you to create your own label? I’ve always had a company called Angelic Music Production, I never thought ‘Oh I’ll start my own label’. I’d done five albums by the time I’d finished my deal with Sony and then could shop around for another deal. Things were moving so fast and I wanted to get
back to writing good songs, with no pressure, so that’s what I went back to doing. I spent a lot of time in LA writing for other artists. After writing so many songs I had a handful where I thought
ABOVE
Time to grow | After a decade in the industry, Lemar is releasing his new album on his own label in
conjunction with EMI label services
‘This is different, I want this’ and thought maybe I should finish off the album. I spoke to a few people close to me, played them the stuff, and they said I should give it a shot. The quickest and most natural way for me to
[release the material] was to set up a label. I’ve got a great team of people around me. It’s a good feeling, it feels right. I wanted to make sure everybody that was involved with this album, and this move, was very positive and wanted to do it.
BELOW Invincible | Lemar’s forthcoming single (pictured) is released on August 12 with the album of the same name to follow on
September 17
You were on Fame Academy which was one of the first incarnations of that kind of show on the BBC - what did you think of The Voice this year? Erm… I think it was alright. To be honest I think the trick of the show ends too quickly. The beginning is really cool, you think ‘Yeah it’s all about the voice’ and then when they turnaround it’s not about the voice after that, is it? It’s about everything else. And then do you really know enough about the people on it by that point when they’re asking you to vote? I’m not so sure. But it’s a cool platform, people go on there, they get an opportunity.
After ten years in the business, what have been the most important lessons you’ve learnt? Consistency. You can have a good song and album but having more, that takes much more hard work
than people give it credit for. You have to really know who you are, where you’re trying to get to and how to keep people interested. That’s as well as motivating the people around you and keeping good relationships because ultimately it’s never down to one person and one good song - that’s at the core. It’s a team - you need the right people around that make sure it hits the target.
Who is the best executive you’ve ever worked with?
I had a great time with Nick [Raphael] who signed me at Sony. I learnt so much in the way he analyses a song and what he looks for in a song in order to release it. He’s an absolutely great executive. Also, my previous manager, Richard from Modest. Plus there’s a handful of people off the charts that are great.
If there’s one thing you could change about the industry, what would it be and why? Honestly, I don’t think I would change anything. Every struggle makes you stronger. I think they’ve made me the person I am today. It is what it is and let’s just get on with it. It’s
music, it’s not surgery or saving lives. We put music out and hopefully it helps some people through some stuff.
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