Shola Ama | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Shola Ama Mathurin- Campbell |
| Born | (1979-03-08)8 March 1979 (age 46) London, England |
| Genres | Soul,R&B |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 1995–present |
Shola Ama (born 8 March 1979) is a British singer from London, who scored her biggesthits with "You Might Need Somebody" (1997), acover ofRandy Crawford's 1981 hit, "You're the One I Love" and "Still Believe" (1999) which was one of the first productions by the Norwegian producing teamStargate.
When she was 15, Ama was singing to herself on a platform atHammersmith tube station, and was overheard byKwame Kwaten, a producer at the FreakStreet record label.[1] In 1995, an unknown independent label released a single titled "Celebrate", which was aballad produced byD'Influence. Although the single was not a commercial success, it did draw attention to Shola Ama as an artist. On her 16th birthday, she signed arecording contract withWEA.
The single "You're the One I Love" was Ama's first single release for WEA in 1996; it barely made a dent in the charts, only managing to reach No. 85. Her second WEA single, "You Might Need Somebody", aTurley Richards cover, became her breakthrough hit, reaching No. 4 on theUK Singles Chart[2] in April 1997. It remained in the top 40 for almost two months, becoming one of 1997's biggest hits. A re-release of "You're the One I Love" followed in August 1997 and reached No. 3.[2] Her third single "Who's Loving My Baby" was released in November 1997 and reached No. 13.[2] At the age of 18, Shola Ama released her debut albumMuch Love (1997).
In May 1997, Ama performed her single "You Might Need Somebody" at Wembley Stadium as part of the build-up to therugby league Challenge Cup Final.
On the success of the album, Ama won aBrit Award for Best British Female and twoMOBO Awards for Best Newcomer and Best R&B Act.[3]
In 1999, Ama released her second albumIn Return. The project saw her working with the record producersFred Jerkins III,Stargate, Shaun Labelle, Full Crew,D-Influence Productions andAli Shaheed Muhammad (formerly ofA Tribe Called Quest). Co-writers includedAngie Stone andBabyface withDavid Foster.
Despite having support from her record label,In Return was a commercial flop. Following this, Ama took a break from recording.[4][5]
In 2002, Ama went back into the recording studio to record her third album,Supersonic. Unable to obtain a major label deal, she instead formed a distribution deal withPony Canyon.
In 2004, Ama featured on the track "You Should Really Know" by the Pirates, aresponse in song toMario Winans' "I Don't Wanna Know" which reached No. 8 on the UK chart.
Ama also mentored her sisterSadie Ama, who signed her own recording contract and released "So Sure" (2004) and "Fallin" (2007).
Ama featured as vocalist on the Perempay & Dee single "DJ Play". The song was released in October 2009 and received heavy rotation on the radio.[6] She also featured on one of rapperGiggs' songs, "Cut Above the Rest", and later featured on the bonus disc to his album,Let Em Ave It, on a song called "Blow Em Away".
In February 2010, Ama joined a new collective group formed byWiley calledA-List, alongside her sisterSadie Ama andgrime musiciansRoll Deep,Mz. Bratt, Wrigley, Margs, Young Kye and Kivanc.[7]
In 2013, Ama narrated on the showMy Crazy Jamaican Life.
In October 2015, Ama released a new 8-track EP featuring new reggae influenced tracks titledSurreal on Necessary Mayhem Records, 13 years after her last albumSupersonic in 2002.
In April 2016, she featured on the albumSystem Killer byFrisco on the song "Rocket".
Ama was born in London to a Scottish father andDominican mother ofSaint Lucian descent. Her father abandoned her when she was young.[8][9]
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [10] | FRA [12] | GER [13] | IRE [14] | NL [15] | NZ [16] | |||
| 1995 | "Celebrate" | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1996 | "You're the One I Love" | 85 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1997 | "You Might Need Somebody" | 4 | 10 | 21 | 9 | 8 | 8 | |
| "You're the One I Love" (re-issue) | 3 | 81 | — | — | 93 | 45 | ||
| "Who's Loving My Baby" | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998 | "Much Love" | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Someday I'll Find You"(featuringCraig Armstrong) | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999 | "Still Believe" | 26 | 9 | 72 | — | — | — | |
| "Imagine" | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002 | "This I Promise You"(with D'Influence and D-Vas) | 95 | — | — | — | — | — | Supersonic |
| "Symphony"(featuring Moïse) | — | 53 | — | — | — | — | ||
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [10] | FRA [12] | IRE [14] | NL [15] | NZ [16] | |||
| 1999 | "Taboo"(Glamma Kid featuring Shola Ama) | 10 | 78 | — | 26 | 22 | Single only |
| "Mai più"(Sottotono featuring Shola Ama) | — | — | — | — | — | Sotto lo stesso effetto | |
| 2001 | "Feels So Good"(B-15 Project featuring Shola Ama andMs. Dynamite) | 82 | — | — | — | — | Singles only |
| 2004 | "You Should Really Know"(The Pirates featuring Shola Ama,Naila Boss, Ishani andEnya) | 8 | 49 | 25 | — | — | |
| 2009 | "DJ Play"(Perempay & Dee featuring Shola Ama) | — | — | — | — | — | Written in My History |
| "Cut Above the Rest"(Giggs featuring Shola Ama) | — | — | — | — | — | Single only | |
| 2010 | "Blow Em Away"(Giggs featuring Shola Ama) | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2011 | "Take It Back"(Toddla T featuring Shola Ama andJ2K) | 59 | — | — | — | — | |
| 2014 | "For You"(Roses Gabor featuring Shola Ama) | — | — | — | — | — |
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