Marking a new chapter in his music career, Lemar, is set to release his fourth studio album The Reason and the lead single If She Knew this November.
Almost 5 years ago, Lemar released his debut album Dedicated, ushering in a new exciting juncture in UK soul music. Since then, Lemar has become the most successful black British soul artist of our time, commandeering the UK’s radio airwaves with the hit singles 50/50, Dance (With U), If There’s Any Justice and Its Not That Easy. With 3 top ten UK albums, Lemar has sold well over 2 million albums, and most notably been awarded 2 MOBO Awards and 2 BRIT Awards.
Lemar’s latest musical offering The Reason, is set to capture an even wider audience, and keep him on the path as one of Britain’s leading solo artists. He spent the last two years crafting his new LP, recording in Los Angeles, Miami and Sweden.
Showcasing his production and writing talent, the new album signals a new direction in Lemar’s musical sound. Defining this new musical backdrop are the producers: Jim Johnson (Lil Wayne), Jack Splash (Alicia Keys, Cee-Lo) and Salaam Remi (Amy Winehouse, Nas, Fugees).
On the recording process, Lemar says “I didn’t go into the studio with an agenda; I tried to remind myself of the reasons why I do music, the reasons why i wanted to be an artist in the first place and the reasons behind life."
Yet the collection of 10 songs remains gloriously synonymous with Lemar’s vocal style. The first single, If She Knew, co-produced by SoulShock and Karlin combines Lemar’s heartfelt lyrics with layers of acoustic guitar.
Lemar’s signature balladry features on the album too, including the piano driven Mayday. He also, ventures back to his soul roots with the infectious Over You and the up tempo feel good track Heartbreaker produced by Jim Beanz (Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Nelly Furtado) and Weight Of The World produced by Jim Johnson (Lil Wayne)
Having already established a repertoire, based on his incredible vocals, and fine songwriting, The Reason, captures an artist ready to take his place amongst classic soul singers in a cutting edge modern Pop / R&B setting.