Jai Amore

Last updated

Julian "Jai Amore" Amoah (born 14 July 1985) is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. In 2006 he won the MOBO Award for Best Unsigned Act, gaining recognition when he opened the stage with at the Awards Ceremony at The Royal Albert Hall. He went on to win the 2007 UK Unsigned Award for Best Performer and Best Singer Songwriter. In 2009 Jai Amore won the BBC Performing Arts Grant, [1] and he began work as a vocal producer for a number of artists and producers in the UK and abroad. These included Zalon Thompson who is signed to Amy Winehouse's Lioness label, Heshima Thompson, Wiley, Bless Beats, Daniel "D-Boy" Naqvi, and an array of signed and unsigned acts in the UK. He featured on "Masseuse" as the lead vocalist alongside UK rapper Chipmunk and US rapper Joe Budden, which quickly gained radio and industry interest including top radio stations BBC Radio 1, KISS FM, and Radio 1Xtra. [2]

Contents

Early life

Jai Amore was born in Central Middlesex Hospital in London, to Ghanaian parents. At the Harlesden Methodist Church, where his father was the head organist and conductor of the church choir, Jai Amore learned to play the piano. He went on to study music at Cardinal Wiseman RC High School, gaining an A in Music GCSE, and going on to study Music Technology at Brunel University, where he trained in studio engineering and vocal production.

Career

After performing at the 2006 MOBO Awards Ceremony, Jai Amore was invited to perform as opening act for US RnB singers Ginuwine and Montell Jordan during their live shows in the UK. He went on to perform at a number of high-profile events and venues across the UK, including Miss Black Britain Finals [3] at Manchester United F.C.'s Old Trafford, KEMET Radio Nottingham launch, Choice FM Urban Weekender, ACFest University Weekender, and as a guest performance at the 2008 UK Unsigned Live Finals at the Hackney Empire. [4] After winning the 2009 BBC Performing Arts Fund, [1] he travelled for a year, to New York, where he performed at the Ashford & Simpson's Sugar Bar, and then to Texas. More recently, he spent some time in Ghana, where he met hiplife duet Bradez, [5] and featured on the 2011 single "Conquer the World", while gaining national recognition through a number of live television interviews and public performances in Accra.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ms. Dynamite</span> British rapper

Niomi Arleen McLean-Daley, better known as Ms. Dynamite, is a British singer and rapper. She is the recipient of the Mercury Music Prize, two Brit Awards and three MOBO Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MOBO Awards</span> Annual music awards

The MOBO Awards are an annual British music award presentation honouring achievements in "music of black origin", including hip hop, grime, UK Drill, R&B, soul, reggae, jazz, gospel, and African music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nitin Sawhney</span> British musician

Nitin Sawhney is a British musician, producer and composer. A recipient of the Ivor Novello Lifetime Achievement award in 2017, among multiple international awards throughout his career. Sawhney's work combines Asian and other worldwide influences with elements of electronica and often explores themes such as multiculturalism, politics, and spirituality. Sawhney is also active in the promotion of arts and cultural matters, is chair of the PRS Foundation, on the senate of the Ivor Novello Academy, on the board of trustees of theatre company Complicité, and is a patron of numerous film festivals, venues, and educational institutions. In 2021 he was an ambassador for the Royal Albert Hall.

Derek Andrew Safo, better known by his stage name Sway or Sway DaSafo, is a British rapper of Ghanaian descent. He is also a producer, having established Dcypha Productions, signed to Island/Universal. Safo's 2008 track "Black Stars" gave kudos to popular Ghanaians across the diaspora. Sway's first big track, "On My Own" was released under the name Sway DaSafo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BRIT School</span> City technology college in Croydon, England

The BRIT School is a British performing and creative arts school located in Selhurst, Croydon, England, with a mandate to provide education and vocational training for the performing arts, music, music technology, theatre, musical theatre, dance, applied theatre, production arts and the creative arts film and media production (FMP), interactive digital design (IDD), visual arts and design (VAD). Selective in its intake but free to attend, the school is notable for its celebrity alumni.

Steve "Smooth" Sutherland was a British DJ. He produced music in various genres, including R&B Hip Hop, 2 step vocals, 4x4, and grime.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raghav</span> Canadian singer

Raghav Mathur, known professionally as Raghav, is a Canadian singer. He has released three studio albums: the debut Storyteller in 2004, Identity in 2009, and The Phoenix in 2012. His most known commercial success was with "Angel Eyes" which peaked at number 7 in the UK in 2005. His singles "So Confused", "Can't Get Enough" and "It Can't Be Right" also reached the UK top ten in 2004. Raghav continued to have success on Canadian charts in 2010s with subsequent hits like "So Much" with Kardinal Offishall, "Fire", "Top of the World", "Woohoo" and "Until the Sun Comes Up" (featuring Indian actor Abhishek Bachchan and US artist Nelly. In an interview with Calgary Herald in 2017, Raghav says his upbringing in Calgary plays a crucial role in his musical development.

Nathaniel Thompson, better known professionally as Giggs, is a British rapper and songwriter from Peckham, London. He released his debut studio album Walk in da Park in 2008 and released a follow-up album Let Em Ave It the following year.

Kristyna Myles is a MOBO nominated British singer-songwriter who is currently based in Manchester. Originally from Leicestershire, she came into prominence after winning Busk Idol, a 2005 nationwide singing competition organised by BBC Radio 5 Live. Since winning, she has featured on albums by Chris de Burgh and Rick Guard, and has performed on television programmes such as Songs of Praise, Wogan Now & Then and Play It Again. She also sang a duet with de Burgh on his European tour. In 2009, she was nominated for a MOBO award as part of gospel act DTWG : Desire To Worship God and most recently nominated for a MOBO for her own music in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">JLS</span> English pop/R&B group formed in 2007

JLS are an English boyband, which consists of members Aston Merrygold, Oritsé Williams, Marvin Humes, and JB Gill, originally formed by Williams. They initially signed to Tracklacers production company New Track City and then went on to become runners-up of the fifth series of the ITV reality talent show The X Factor in 2008, coming second to Alexandra Burke. Following their appearance on The X Factor, JLS signed to Epic Records. Their first two singles "Beat Again" and "Everybody in Love" both went to number one on the UK Singles Chart.

Jahmaal Noel Fyffe, better known by his stage name Chip, is a British rapper and songwriter from Tottenham, North London. In the past 14 years he has collaborated with the likes of Skepta, T.I., Meek Mill, Young Adz and many others. In 2009, he released his debut album, I Am Chipmunk, featuring four songs which peaked in the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart, including the chart-topping "Oopsy Daisy". In 2011, Chipmunk released his follow-up album, the American hip hop-influenced Transition. It included the single "Champion" featuring Chris Brown, which peaked at #2 on the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tinie Tempah</span> British rapper

Patrick Chukwuemeka Okogwu, better known by his stage name Tinie and formerly Tinie Tempah, is a British rapper. He has been signed to Parlophone Records since 2009, a subsidiary of Warner Music Group. He created his own entertainment company Disturbing London in 2006, along with his cousin Dumi Oburota.

Camp Mulla was an alternative hip hop group originating from and based in Nairobi, Kenya. The group rose to prominence with the release of their single "Party Don't Stop" on 31 August 2010, with that and their subsequent works earning them a nomination for Best International Act (Africa) at the 2012 BET Awards. Following the release of their debut studio album, Funky Town, the group's lead singer Karun and rapper Taio both left the group to pursue higher education and solo careers. In September 2017 the main four members announced their reunion at The Wave performance at the Waterfront, Ng'ong racecourse, but soon after disbanded again. The group's musical style, fashion sense and origins have drawn comparisons to The Black Eyed Peas, while they have also been criticised for making "bubblegum music".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Trinity Band</span>

The Trinity Band is a five piece musical group founded in 2004 from Derby, England. The band consists of Rukus (rapper), Dwaine Hayden (singer), Craig Dawkins (keyboards), James Dawkins (drums) and Pete Sharpe (bass).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sermstyle</span> Musical artist

Jamie Michael Robert Sanderson, known professionally as Sermstyle, is a British singer, songwriter, record producer, and remixer who lives and works from Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rudimental</span> British band

Rudimental are a British drum and bass band, signed to Asylum Records, Atlantic Records and Black Butter Records. The band consists of Piers Aggett, Kesi Dryden and Leon "Locksmith" Rolle.

Time2Shine Gospel Talent Search was a UK gospel-based singing and music performance competition featuring auditions and a live final, all of which were recorded for transmission on the Sky platform.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shakka (singer)</span> Musical artist

Shakka Philip, known simply as Shakka, is a British singer, songwriter and record producer signed to Pitched Up, Columbia Records and Sony Music.

Clive James Brooks, also known as Yungen, is a British rapper, singer and songwriter from Herne Hill, South London. Yungen gained initial recognition for his 2011 F64 freestyle video for SB.TV, and by 2015 had been nominated for Best Newcomer at the MOBO Awards. As a grime artist, Yungen takes inspiration from numerous music genres, which varies from rap to R&B and his own experimentations. Yungen's most successful song is "Bestie", which features Yxng Bane, and this song reached top 10 in the UK Singles Chart in October 2017 and also became his first platinum single in February 2018.

Mensa Ansah, better known as M3NSA is a British Ghanaian producer, composer, rapper, singer and filmmaker. Known for his recognizable sound and instinctual storytelling, while still being deeply rooted in his motherland, he has grown into an international sensation through the years because of his ability to navigate different languages, cultures, and art expressions.

References

  1. 1 2 "BBC - Performing Arts Fund - Winners". Archived from the original on 19 April 2013. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
  2. "BBC - Radio 1 - Trevor Nelson - Tracklisting". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  3. "Miss Black Britain Finals". Archived from the original on 31 August 2011. Retrieved 10 June 2011.
  4. "Shows : UK Unsigned GRAND FINALS". 29 September 2011. Archived from the original on 29 September 2011. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  5. "Bradez". Ghanaweb.com. Retrieved 16 July 2020.