Shola Ama (born 8 March 1979) is a British singer from London, who scored h… Read Full Bio ↴Shola Ama (born 8 March 1979) is a British singer from London, who scored her biggest hits with "You Might Need Somebody" (1997), a cover of Randy 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 team Stargate.

Career
When she was 15, Ama was singing to herself on a platform at Hammersmith tube station, and was overheard by Kwame Kwaten, a producer at the FreakStreet record label.[1] In 1995, an unknown independent label released a single titled "Celebrate", which was a ballad produced by D'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 a recording contract with WEA.

The single "You're the One I Love" was Ama's first single release for WEA in 1996; it barely made an impact on the charts, only managing to reach No. 85. Her second WEA single, "You Might Need Somebody", remains her biggest hit. This Turley Richards cover reached No. 4 on the UK 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 album Much Love (1997).

In May 1997, Ama performed her single "You Might Need Somebody" at Wembley Stadium as part of the build-up to the rugby league Challenge Cup Final.

On the success of the album, Ama won a Brit Award for Best British Female and two MOBO Awards for Best Newcomer and Best R&B Act.[3]

In 1999, Ama released her second album In Return. The project saw her working with the record producers Fred Jerkins III, Stargate, Shaun Labelle, Full Crew, D-Influence Productions and Ali Shaheed Muhammad (formerly of A Tribe Called Quest). Co-writers included Angie Stone and Babyface with David 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 with Pony Canyon.

In 2004, Ama featured on the track "You Should Really Know" by the Pirates, a response in song to Mario Winans' "I Don't Wanna Know" which reached No. 8 on the UK chart.

Ama also mentored her sister Sadie 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 rapper Giggs' 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 by Wiley called A-List, alongside her sister Sadie Ama and grime musicians Roll Deep, Mz. Bratt, Wrigley, Margs, Young Kye and Kivanc.[7]

In 2013, Ama narrated on the show My Crazy Jamaican Life.

In October 2015, Ama released a new 8-track EP featuring new reggae influenced tracks titled Surreal on Necessary Mayhem Records, 13 years after her last album Supersonic in 2002.

In April 2016, she featured on the album System Killer by Frisco on the song "Rocket"

Celebrate
Shola Ama Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Celebrate, celebrate our love tonight
Celebrate our love tonight
Celebrate, celebrate our love tonight
Celebrate our love tonight
I've been looking for a way, boy
To let you know
What You mean to me. oh
I wanna let you know

That we don't need a reason
To let love flow
Hold me tight every night
Never let me go
(*Repeat with ad lib)
And I know
That we don't need a reason. no
You're the only one for me, boy I can't deny
I know you feel the same, boy It's in Your eyes
And every time I'm with you
Time just flies
Hold me tight every night
Never let me go
(* Repeat 2 times with ad lib)
Oh baby, don't let me go
Oh baby, hold me in your arms
And oh baby, don't let me go
Hold me tight, so right
Never let me go
(* Repeat with ad lib)
Let's celebrate love
(Celebrate)
Let's celebrate us
Celebrate our love tonight)
Let's celebrate tonight
Celebrate our love tonight)
Celebrate our love
Let's get this party swinging
(Celebrate our love tonight)
Celebrate our love
Let's get this party swinging
(Our love tonight)
Celebrate our love
Let's get this party swinging

Celebrate our love
Let's get this party swinging

Overall Meaning

In Shola Ama's song Celebrate, the lyrics celebrate love and the joy it brings. The song's upbeat tempo and repetition of the phrase "Celebrate our love tonight" create a feeling of excitement and happiness. The lyrics suggest that there is no reason to hold back from sharing and expressing love in any way possible - through actions or words. Therefore, the singer is seeking to show her partner just how much they mean to her.

The lyrics also suggest that the singer's intention is not only to express her love but aims to celebrate it. The repetition of the phrase "Hold me tight every night, never let me go" emphasizes the importance of the physical aspect of the relationship for the singer. Her partner provides solace and comfort for her, and she wants to enjoy the intense feelings of love while being held tightly.

Moreover, the lyrics' final section emphasizes the upbeat nature of the song, with the repeated phrase "Let's get this party swinging" and exhortations to celebrate love. The overall interpretation of the song is that love should be celebrated, embraced, and held tight.

Line by Line Meaning

Celebrate, celebrate our love tonight
Let's rejoice and enjoy our love together tonight

I've been looking for a way, boy To let you know What You mean to me. oh I wanna let you know
I have been searching for a way to express how much you mean to me, and I finally found it

That we don't need a reason To let love flow Hold me tight every night Never let me go
We do not require any occasion to love and care for each other, hold me tightly every night and never leave me

And I know That we don't need a reason. no You're the only one for me, boy I can't deny I know you feel the same, boy It's in Your eyes And every time I'm with you Time just flies Hold me tight every night Never let me go
I am confident that no reason is needed for the love we share. You are the one for me, and I know that you feel the same, which is evident from your eyes. Time flies every time we are together, hold me tight every night and never leave me alone

Oh baby, don't let me go Oh baby, hold me in your arms And oh baby, don't let me go Hold me tight, so right Never let me go
My darling, never leave me alone, always hold me in your arms, and never let me go. I feel so right and comfortable when you hold me like this, and I never want it to end

Let's celebrate love (Celebrate) Let's celebrate us Celebrate our love tonight) Let's celebrate tonight Celebrate our love tonight) Celebrate our love Let's get this party swinging (Celebrate our love tonight) Celebrate our love Let's get this party swinging (Our love tonight) Celebrate our love Let's get this party swinging Celebrate our love Let's get this party swinging
Let's rejoice in our love, celebrate ourselves and our love tonight, and get this party going. We celebrate our love together tonight, and we want to make this party swing with our love all around us

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: JOSH POWELL

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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