Lemar was born in London to Nigerian (Igbo) parents, and was raised in Tottenham, London, listening to Soul Music and R&B. He used to sing at home with his brothers and sister, pretending to be The Jacksons. He was seventeen when he had his first concert at the Junior Jam at the Temple in Tottenham supporting Usher. He gave up an opportunity to study pharmacy at the Cardiff University to pursue a musical career. Lemar had some success supporting various artists such as Destiny's Child, Total, Uncle Sam and Usher Raymond on their UK club tours and after some years, managed to secure a recording contract with BMG. Following this, he released his debut single "Got Me Saying Ooh" in 2001. Unfortunately his record deal with BMG fell through in less than a year due to restructuring at the record label. He had to eventually take a job working as an accounts manager at NatWest in Enfield, north London.
Lemar's second single "Dance (With U)" reached number two on the UK Singles Chart in early 2003. His first album Dedicated was released late in 2003 with additional singles "50/50" and "Another Day" also achieving chart success in the UK. Lemar won a BRIT Award for "Best Urban Act" in 2004. Following the success of the album, he commenced his first headlining tour of the UK.
On the 12th of November 2004 Lemar guested on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge and performed a cover of U2's song "Vertigo". He has also performed for Prince Charles' Prince's Trust.
4 September 2006 saw Lemar return with his eighth single, entitled "It's Not That Easy", which became his sixth UK top ten hit. A week later his new album The Truth About Love was released, which saw guest appearances from Styles P from The L.O.X., Mica Paris and Joss Stone. The album became Lemar's highest charting album to date, peaking at number three on the UK Albums Chart.
Lemar's 4th studio album "The Reason" is set for release on November 24th 2008. While the first single of the album will be called "If She Knew" released on 10th November 2008. Also the video has been released too.
Lemar featured on Sway's first single "Saturday Night Hustle" from the album The Signature LP. Lemar's fourth studio album "The Reason" was released on 24 November 2008, entering the UK Albums Chart at No. 41. Lead single "If She Knew" was released on 10 November 2008, and peaked on the UK Singles Chart at No. 14.
Lemar performed his new single “The Way Love Goes” on the BBC1 show “So You Think You Can Dance” on Saturday 9th January. The single was released on Valentine’s Day. "The Way Love Goes" first entered the UK Singles Chart on 21, February 2010. The single has so far managed to peak at #8, his first Top 10 single since "It's Not That Easy" in 2006. It became Lemar's seventh Top 10 single and made the Top 10 without making the BBC Radio 1 or BBC Radio 2 playlists.
It was followed on March 8 by his much anticipated album, 'The Hits', which - as well as including 10 hit singles from his four studio albums - also features four new tracks. In addtiton to 'The Way Love Goes', these include a duet with Britain's chart-topping pop/R&B boy-band JLS on a re-recording of Lemar's own 2003 ballad 'What About Love'.
Mayday
Lemar Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I gotta return to base,
I been, hit so hard,
Spinning, all over the place,
And I, can't regain control,
Don't think I'll make it home,
Is anyboday listening, on the radio?
Too many lost in action,
So many wounds that can't heal up,
Both my wings have been broken,
Ohhhh Ohhhhh Ohhhhh
Help me,
I can barely breathe, I got cabin fever,
Lost control so suddenly,
And I'm trapped inside my head,
And every diary's read,
Can't see through the tears,
Somebody let me outta here
Gotta abort this mission,
Too many lost in action,
Cut too deep I keep bleeding,
I can't speak I keep choking,
Ohhhh Ohhhhh Ohhhhh
Mayday,
I gotta return to base,
I been hit so hard,
Left with a life long scar,
See I faught so hard,
Way up there in the sky,
But it's only when you fall,
That's when you realise...
Gotta abort this mission,
Too many lost in action,
So many wounds that can't heal up,
Both my wings have been broken,
Cut too deep I keep bleeding,
I can't speak I keep choking,
There's too many lost in action,
There's too many lost
Ohhhh Ohhhh Ohhhhhhh
The lyrics to Lemar's "Mayday" describe a pilot who has been injured and is struggling to maintain control of their aircraft. They are reaching out for help on the radio, but uncertain if anyone is listening. The pilot realizes that they may not make it home, and as they spiral out of control, they reflect on the many sacrifices that have been made in the name of their mission. The wounds they have sustained, both physical and emotional, are too great to overcome, and they feel trapped inside their own mind. The repeated refrain of "gotta abort this mission, too many lost in action" speaks to the devastating toll of war and the high cost of human life.
Line by Line Meaning
Mayday
Urgent distress signal indicating that the singer needs help immediately.
I gotta return to base
The singer needs to get back to a safe place because they are in danger.
I been hit so hard
The singer has been impacted or hurt severely.
Spinning, all over the place
The artist is confused, disoriented, and doesn't know which way is up.
And I can't regain control
The artist has lost control of their situation and can't get it back.
Don't think I'll make it home
The singer is afraid they won't survive and make it back to safety.
Is anybody listening on the radio?
The singer is reaching out for help and support but doesn't know if anyone is receiving their message.
Gotta abort this mission
The artist needs to stop what they're doing and retreat for their own safety.
Too many lost in action
There have been too many casualties or losses already and the artist can't risk staying in the fight.
So many wounds that can't heal up
There is too much damage that can't be fixed or repaired.
Both my wings have been broken
The singer's ability to fly or move forward has been severely damaged or taken away.
Help me
A plea for assistance and support.
I can barely breathe, I got cabin fever
The singer is feeling suffocated and trapped in their current situation, possibly going mad from being isolated.
Lost control so suddenly
The singer's situation went from manageable to out of control very quickly and unexpectedly.
And I'm trapped inside my head
The singer is stuck in their own thoughts and emotions and can't escape them.
And every diary's read
The artist has relived and analyzed their past experiences repeatedly.
Can't see through the tears
The artist is crying and can't see clearly or think straight.
Somebody let me outta here
A plea for someone to help the singer escape their current situation.
Left with a life long scar
The singer has been traumatized and marked for life from their experiences.
See I faught so hard Way up there in the sky
The artist put up a great fight and worked hard to get where they are, but it's all been taken away.
But it's only when you fall That's when you realise...
The artist has learned an important lesson from hitting rock bottom and losing everything.
Cut too deep I keep bleeding
The artist has been hurt too severely and the wound won't stop bleeding.
I can't speak I keep choking
The singer is struggling to communicate and express themselves.
There's too many lost in action
There have been too many casualties or losses already and the artist can't continue in good conscience.
Contributed by Juliana W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Alia Y.
I can't believe this album isn't in Spotify.😞
FattyCake85
Lemar- your voice is one of a kind! God has blessed u for real!
Patricia Chuka
Your voice alone brings healing to the soul😊
Tunde Michael
All these years it still felts new to my ears, I so much love lemar songs.
Kat Brain
this is one of my favs from his new album, im seeing him in march for the 2nd time woop woop! cant wait hes amazeing live!
littlechef38
this song is AMAZING!!
Meditate with Kam
Its a great song, I just love it;) His voice is wonderfull!!!
adamsmed7
simply amazing song, love it
PoloPicasso
Love this song
ellie ryan
Saw and met him at Albert hall in april, hes so talented and actually so nice and down to earth!