Jamelia Niela Davis
(born on 11 January 1981), known by her stage name Jamelia
, is an English singer-songwriter and model, most famous for her use of a capella and prolific work in the R&B genre. She has released three studio albums, each of which has reached the Top 40 in her native UK, which collectively have spawned eight UK top ten singles. In addition, Jamelia has won four MOBO Awards, a Q award and has received six BRIT Award nominations.
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JAMELIA TICKETS
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Biography
Jamelia was born in
Smethwick in the
county of the
West Midlands of the United Kingdom, to a
Zimbabwean father and a
Jamaican mother and raised in the
Winson Green area of
Birmingham. She was signed to
Parlophone at the age of fifteen, after impressing record executives with self-written
a cappella songs. Jamelia attended the
The City Technology College in
Kingshurst,
Solihull. She gave birth to her first daughter Teja on 18 March 2001 and her second daughter Tiani on 21 October 2005. On 9 October 2007 she announced her engagement to footballer
Darren Byfield, the father of Tiani. Jamelia is one of the UK's most successful female solo artists. Jamelia had three Top 5 hits from her album, 'Thank You'. Her UK success was emulated in Europe where she was a continual serious chart presence, and in Australia and New Zealand where she reached No 1.
Music career
1999-2000: Drama
Jamelia was signed to
Capitol Records at the age of fifteen after record producers were informed of her talents via her self-written a cappella music she recorded on a karaoke machine. Impressed music executives offered her a record deal and she was hot footed for success. In late 1999, Jamelia debuted on the music scene with the single "
So High", a collaboration with fellow R&B vocalist Rosita Lynch. The single failed to chart in both the UK and mainland Europe, and did not appear on any of Jamelia's subsequent albums. Following the poor sales of the single, Jamelia left Capitol Records, but was quickly signed up with record company
Parlophone, a branch of the
EMI company.
Taking some time to record her debut album,
Drama
, Jamelia returned the music scene in early 2000 with the single "
I Do", which became her first commercially successful single in the UK and mainland Europe, making the UK top forty and holding top twenty positions in France and Sweden. The single's mediocre chart success, however, led to the delay of the release of
Drama
. Jamelia's third single, "
Money" (featuring rapper
Beenie Man and co-written by UK
The X Factor
finalist Daniel De Bourg), was released in February 2000. The single was the singer's breakthrough in the UK, peaking at number five and spending nine weeks inside the UK top seventy-five; it later won a
MOBO Award for "Best Video" in 2000. Despite the success of "Money",
Drama
did not make a major chart impression in the UK, where it peaked at number thirty-nine. The third single from the album, "
Call Me", reached number eleven, and the fourth single, "
Boy Next Door", peaked at number forty-two.
2003-2005: Thank You
Jamelia recorded her second studio album,
Thank You
, in 2002 and early 2003 following the birth of her daughter Teja in 2001. The first single lifted from
Thank You
was the R&B-influenced "
Bout", on which she collaborated with American rap star
Rah Digga; it debuted at number thirty-seven in the UK. The second single, the much poppier "
Superstar", became Jamelia's highest peaking at the time (it reached number three) and the twenty-sixth best-selling of 2003 in the UK.
Thank You
, released shortly after "Superstar", was widely expected to duplicate the single's success, but the album entered the UK chart at number sixty-five. Subsequently, a number of record producers worked with Jamelia on a re-release of the album that features new artwork and track listing, including two new songs: her collaboration with
Coldplay's
Chris Martin, "
See It in a Boy's Eyes", and "
DJ".
Promoting the re-release, title track "
Thank You" was released shortly before. Known to be Jamelia's favourite of all her releases, the song became her highest charting single to date in the UK, where it peaked at number two and received the 2004 MOBO Award for "Best Single" and a
BRIT Award nomination in the same category. Fourth single "See it in a Boy's Eyes" was released in mid 2004 and became Jamelia's third consecutive top five hit, winning a MOBO Award for "Best Video" and a Q Award for "Best Single". The success of
Thank You
resulted in five BRIT Award nominations for Jamelia in 2004 and 2005. The album became the thirty-fifth best-selling of 2004 and has been certified double platinum by the
BPI in recognition of 600,000 copies shipped to retailers.
Jamelia also contributed a cover version of
Kool and the Gang's "
Straight Ahead for their Remix/Covers album
The Hits: Reloaded
.
In mid 2004, she collaborated with Italian singer
Tiziano Ferro on "
Universal Prayer" for the
2004 Olympic Games soundtrack. It became her first number-one single in Italy and Spain and was added to non-UK editions of
Thank You
. In late 2004, Jamelia was asked to contribute to the
Band Aid 20 charity single "
Do They Know It's Christmas?", on which she sang with
Will Young. The single topped the UK Singles Chart and was certified platinum. Around the same time, Jamelia released the lead single from the soundtrack of the film
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason
, a cover of
Sam Brown's 1988 single "
Stop!"; it was released as double A-side in the UK with the aforementioned "DJ", and peaked at number nine.
2006-2007: Walk With Me
Following the birth of her second daughter, Tiani, in 2005, Jamelia began recording her third album,
Walk With Me
. Its lead single, "
Something About You", was released in late 2006 and described as "less R&B, more experimental", with
Popjustice hailing it as "one of the best pop singles for a long time".
Walk with Me
was released shortly after and drew critical praise, with many critics claiming that it marked a significant turn in the singer's career. The album did not emulate the chart success of
Thank You
; it debuted at number twenty on the UK Albums Chart and was certified gold by the BPI. The second single, "
Beware of the Dog", features a sample from
Depeche Mode's 1989 song "
Personal Jesus" and was heavily praised as being Jamelia's best single to date, with
BBC Radio 1's "Chart Blog" stating that it "might just be one of the best pop songs ever made". The single reached number ten in the UK and was nominated for Popjustice's 2007 £20 Music Prize, coming in second place. "
No More", the third and final single from
Walk with Me
that samples The Stranglers' 1981 single "
Golden Brown", peaked at number forty-three in the UK despite being A-listed on
BBC Radio 2.
Jamelia subsequently left Parlophone, citing their lack of support for and promotion of the album. She has since been offered several recording contracts that she is choosing between.
2007: Superstar - The Hits
Jamelia released a collection of her singles on a
greatest hits album,
Superstar - The Hits
, in late 2007. The album features eleven of her fourteen releases, omitting the 1999 single "So High",
Drama
singles "I Do" and "Boy Next Door" and the non-UK 2004 release "Universal Prayer".
Superstar - The Hits
failed to attract any critical or commercial acclaim, peaking at number fifty-five on the UK top 100 albums chart. It is believed that because Jamelia left Parlophone earlier in 2007, the singles collection was released only so that contractual agreements could be met on both Jamelia's and Parlophone's side; consequently, the album contained no new material and had limited promotional support..
2009: Gettin' Started
Jamelia will release her new album, currently untitled, in 2009. The album will be the first to be released by Jamelia since parting ways with former record label Parlophone. On 7 April 2008, Jamelia confirmed that she had been in the studio with producers
Shea Taylor (
Rihanna,
Beyoncé,
Janet Jackson) and
Syience (
Jay-Z,
John Legend,
Mary J Blige).
On 8 July 2008, it was reported that hip hop producer
Pharrell Williams wants to work with Jamelia on her upcoming album.
It was revealed on Jamelia's Offical My Space that the new album will be called 'Gettin' Started' and will be revealed on the 9th November at 8PM. The title track 'Gettin' Started' can also be heard on the page along with several unreleased songs from
Walk With Me.
[1]
Other projects
In Spring 2004, Jamelia was signed by the prestigious model agency, ICM. Just a week later she was signed as the face and legs of
Pretty Polly in a high profile advertising campaign and shortly afterwards was featured in a poster campaign for
Reebok. Since pursuing work in modelling, Jamelia has also endorsed
Listerine Softmint Sensation
,
Jaguar Cars and
BMW, was the brand ambassador for the maternity wear line
Seraphine
, has appeared in print advertising for
Oxfam and on the front cover of magazines such as
Cosmopolitan,
Company,
Elle and
Harpers & Queen.
On 9 November 2006, Jamelia joined
Feeder on stage for the encore of Feeder's WAR Child gig at 'The Coronet' in London. They performed a cover of R.E.M.'s "Everybody Hurts" as well as "Beware Of The Dog".
In January 2007, Jamelia launched a new fragrance as part of a campaign to increase awareness of HIV and AIDS. Proceeds from the sale of every bottle of
The Body Shop's
Rougeberry
will be donated to
MTV's Staying Alive Foundation
. In 2007 she appeared in a high profile poster campaign shot by
Mary McCartney for the animals right charity
PETA, she appeared naked under the headline "Be comfortable in your own skin and let animals keep theirs". The campaign group released her image to coincide with the start of
London Fashion Week.
Jamelia appeared on the 4 March 2007 episode of
Top Gear, where
Richard Hammond drove her to
Earl's Court Exhibition Centre for a
Brit Awards show in his homemade
stretch limousine.
On 27 May 2007, it was announced that Jamelia signed a £100,000 contract to launch a new range of products for
Boots. On 31 July 2007, it was announced that Jamelia, along with
Erin O'Connor and
Helena Christensen, had teamed up with famous hairdressers
Toni & Guy to promote
Model.Me
- a hair product created for women with ethnic hair. Jamelia comments: "I think it's about time that there was a haircare range specifically designed for ethnic hair available on every high street."
On 18 September 2007, Jamelia co-hosted the
MOBO Awards 2007 for the
BBC with
Shaggy and on 20 September she walked the
catwalk in
Naomi Campbell's
Fashion for Relief
event at the
Natural History Museum in London.
Jamelia appeared on ITV's "Saturday Night Divas" to mark the end of
Breast Cancer Awareness Month. She shared the stage with
Jennifer Lopez,
Girls Aloud,
Celine Dion and
Alicia Keys, amongst others and performed a cover version of
Outkast's hit single
Hey Ya
.
On 1 December 2007, Jamelia was invited to perform on stage for
Nelson Mandela's
World Aids Day concert. She performed the hit singles "
Something About You", "
See It In A Boy's Eyes" and "
Superstar".
Currently, Jamelia is deciding which new record label to sign with, and has begun work on her fourth studio album. Talking about the album, Jamelia commented that she is working with producers she'd have never had the chance to previously, and is eager to work with
Timbaland and
John Legend. When asked about the album's release, she said "next year at the earliest".
On 19 December 2007, Jamelia played
Cinderella
in
Channel 4's
The Paul O'Grady Show's
Christmas Pantomime appearing opposite
Joan Collins,
Louis Walsh,
Liz Smith,
Jo Brand,
Christopher Biggins,
Cilla Black,
Kate Thornton,
Patrick McGuinness and
Paul O'Grady himself.
In late January 2008, it was announced that Jamelia had signed a book publishing deal with Orion. She will be releasing her autobiography, currently titled '
Stronger',
[2] in September 2009. It will talk about the singer's struggle in both her personal & professional life amongst other things.
In February 2008, Jamelia announced in a podcast on her personal website (web.mac.com/jembalem) that she had "completed her first official acting role". It was also mentioned that she had landed a TV presenting job.
In July 2008 she appeared in a documentary about the international
Hair Extensions trade
Jamelia: Whose Hair is it Anyway?
for
BBC Three & guest presented a week of episodes of
Big Brother's Big Mouth
for
E4.
On 7 September 2008, she guest presented an episode of
Something for the Weekend (2000s BBC TV series)
with
Tim Lovejoy.
A more recent project is
The Really Good School Dinner
. Jamelia is supporting the initiative which will see children and young people in England pledging to have a school meal and make a donation to provide some of the world’s poorest children with a nutritious meal.
[3]
Jamelia starred in an episode of
Gordon Ramsay's The F Word
, where she and Gordon took part in a cook off competition. Also, she was a guest judge for
BBC's,
Let's Dance for Comic Relief
.
Jamelia presents the
The National Lottery
some Wednesday evenings, which she has been doing since April 2008.
It has been announced that Jamelia would star in two upcoming movies.
Jericho's Walls Are Falling
is a film based on a true story about a young man who contracts HIV/AIDS and how it effects not only him, but the people closest two him. Jamelia will play the character of Nicca, and will star alongside Gideon Turner,
Bernard Hill and
Jason Flemyng. The film is set for a late 2009, early 2010 release.
Magic Boys
, to be directed by
Róbert Koltai is a comedy feature which will star
Michael Madsen who plays 'an American bad boy who gets entangled in a big scheme business fraud. Just by pure chance, two Hungarian factory workers get mixed in and before they know it they find themselves in a London Chippendale show'. Jamelia will play the character of Cherry Valentine, which is likely the stripper character that she has mentioned in the past. The film is set for a 2010 release.
Personal life
Jamelia has also appeared on the Disney channel show
Under Cover Coach
and coached a girl called Amy in singing.
In August 2007 Jamelia split from partner
Darren Byfield. The couple are parents to daughter Tiani. Jamelia also has another child, Teja, from a previous relationship. The couple were reconciled a couple of months later. and in October 2007 they announced their engagement. On 15 June 2008 it was reported the couple wed on the previous day in
West Sussex.
Jamelia was ranked Number 48 in COED Magazine Online's list of "The 50 Sexiest
WAGs of World Football."
[4]
She participated at the
Peta's campaign "Would Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur"
[5].
Jamelia was good friends with the
Jade Goody and attended her wedding to
Jack Tweed in February 2009 and her funeral in April 2009 alongside her husband and
Davina McCall.
Discography
| Album
| Release Date
| UK Albums Chart [6]
| UK Certification
|
| Drama
| 26 June 2000
| 39
| Gold
|
| Thank You
| 29 September 2003
| 4
| 2x platinum
|
| Walk With Me
| 25 September 2006
| 20
| Gold
|
| Superstar - The Hits
| 24 September 2007
| 55
|
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Filmography
- Jericho's Walls Are Falling
(2009; In production) - Nicca [7]
- The Outsiders
(2010; filming) - Cherry Valentine
Awards and nominations
| Year
| Institution
| Award
|
| Won
|
| 2000
| MOBO Awards
| Best Video - "Money"
|
| 2004
| TMF Awards(Belgium)
| Meest Belovend
|
| 2004
| Q Awards
| Best Single - "See It In a Boy's Eyes"
|
| 2004
| MOBO Awards
| Best British Female
|
| 2004
| MOBO Awards
| Best Single - "Thank You"
|
| 2004
| MOBO Awards
| Best Video - "See It In a Boy's Eyes"
|
| 2004
| Q Awards
| Best Single - "See It In a Boy's Eyes"
|
| 2005
| Urban Music Awards
| Best R&B Act
|
| 2007
| Eska Awards
| Best Foreign Singer
|
| 2007
| Urban Music Awards
| Best R&B Act
|
| Nominated
|
| 2004
| Brit Awards
| Best British Female
|
| 2004
| Brit Awards
| Best British Single - "Superstar"
|
| 2004
| Mercury Music Prize
| Thank You
|
| 2005
| Brit Awards
| Best British Female
|
| 2005
| Brit Awards
| Best British Urban Act
|
| 2005
| Brit Awards
| Best British Single - "Thank You"
|
| 2007
| Brit Awards
| Best British Female
|
| 2007
| Popjustice £20 Music Prize
| "Beware of the Dog"
|
| 2007
| MOBO Awards
| Best British Female
|
Tour history
References
- http://www.myspace.com/officialjamelia
- http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/displayProductDetails.do?sku=6178729
- Jamelia joins forces with The Really Good School Dinner
- Jamelia named to The 50 Sexiest WAGs of World Football list
- Jamelia go naked for Peta
- British Hit Singles & Albums
- [1]