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"
My heart
Shola Ama Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
don't break my heart
no no no no
no no no no no
ummm
never thought i would loose control
never wanted to love somebody
never wanted my dreams to fold
never wanted to cry about you
now i am all alone praying that you will call and make it alright
so why you hurt me so bad
i give my all to you and you give nothing back
baby don't break my heart don't break my heart
why you wanna do me this way do me this way
trust in you in every way why did you lie
don't break my heart baby don't you break my heart
why you wanna do me this way
promise me you'll always stay don't break my heart
remember telling me the things we do
now you wanna go on without me
made me believe when all along you lied to me
watchin' me getting into you
guess you have cause you really got me
i went ahead and did everything i said i'd never do
so why you hurt me so bad
baby i give my all to you
and you give nothing back
don't break my heart why you wanna do me this way
trust in you in every way why did you lie
don't break my heart why you wanna do me this way
promise me you'll always stay don't break my heart
don't break my heart baby no i'm falling apart baby yeah
so why you hurt me so bad i give my all to you
you give nothing back nothing back
why you hurt me baby why
don't break my heart why you wanna do me this way
trusted you in every way why did you lie
don't break my heart why you wanna do me this way
promise me you'll always stay don't break my heart
don't break my heart why you wanna do me this way
trusted you in every way why did you lie
don't break my heart why you wanna do me this way promise me you'll always stay
don't break my heart
The song "My Heart" by Shola Ama is a powerful ballad filled with desperation for love and longing for commitment. The lyrics express the pain of betrayal and the fear of heartbreak that come from being in a one-sided relationship. The opening lines "never thought I would lose control, never wanted to love somebody, but now I know there was no escape from loving you" emphasize the singer's hesitation to let herself love someone else but being unable to resist the irresistible charm of her lover. As the song goes on, she becomes more vulnerable, admitting that she went ahead and did everything she promised herself she wouldn't do to be with him.
The chorus of the song reveals the singer's deep fear of being hurt and left alone. She begs her lover not to break her heart and to promise her that he will always stay. However, the truth is that he has lied to her and betrayed her trust, leaving the singer hurt and confused. The second verse highlights how the singer believed her lover's lies and committed to him in a relationship that he, in the end, didn't reciprocate. The song ends with her pleading for him not to break her heart as she falls apart.
Overall, "My Heart" is a song that speaks to the universal experience of longing for love while fearing the pain of falling for someone who doesn't feel the same way. The passionate vocals and soulful instrumentals make it a moving and emotional song.
Line by Line Meaning
yeah uh
Introduction to the song
don't break my heart
Request for the listener to not hurt the singer emotionally
no no no no
Repetition of the request to emphasize its importance
no no no no no
Further repetition of the request to emphasize its importance even more
ummm
Sigh of frustration and sadness
never thought i would loose control
The singer did not expect to fall in love and lose emotional control
never wanted to love somebody
The singer was not actively looking for love
but now i know there was no escape from loving you
The singer has realized that they cannot help but love the person they are addressing in the song
never wanted my dreams to fold
The singer did not want to give up their hopes and aspirations because of love
never wanted to cry about you
The singer did not want to be hurt by the person they love
now i am all alone praying that you will call and make it alright
The singer is currently feeling lonely and is hoping for a call from the person they love to make things better
so why you hurt me so bad
The singer is wondering why the person they love is causing them so much pain
i give my all to you and you give nothing back
The singer is giving their full effort and love to the person they are addressing, but feels like they are not receiving anything in return
baby don't break my heart don't break my heart
Repeat of the initial request to not hurt the singer emotionally
why you wanna do me this way do me this way
The singer is questioning why the person they love is treating them poorly
trust in you in every way why did you lie
The singer trusted the person they love completely and is now questioning why they were lied to
don't break my heart baby don't you break my heart
Repeat of the request to not hurt the singer emotionally with added emphasis
promise me you'll always stay don't break my heart
The singer is requesting a promise from the person they love to never hurt them emotionally
remember telling me the things we do
The singer is reminiscing about past conversations with the person they love
now you wanna go on without me
The singer is hurt that the person they love wants to continue without them
made me believe when all along you lied to me
The singer feels like they were misled and lied to by the person they love
watchin' me getting into you
The singer is reflecting on the moment they realized they were falling in love with the person they are addressing in the song
guess you have cause you really got me
The singer realizes that the person they love has a hold on their emotions
i went ahead and did everything i said i'd never do
The singer went against their own beliefs and values for the person they love
so why you hurt me so bad
Repeat of the question from earlier in the song
baby i give my all to you
Repeat of the fact that the singer is giving their full effort and love to the person they are addressing
and you give nothing back
Repeat of the fact that the singer feels like they are getting nothing in return from the person they love
don't break my heart why you wanna do me this way
Repeat of the request for the person to not hurt the singer emotionally with added questioning of their motives
trusted you in every way why did you lie
Repeat of the fact that the singer trusted the person they love completely and is now questioning why they were lied to
don't break my heart why you wanna do me this way
Repeat of the request to not hurt the singer emotionally with emphasis on the questioning of their motives
promise me you'll always stay don't break my heart
Repeat of the request for a promise to never hurt the singer emotionally
don't break my heart baby no i'm falling apart baby yeah
The repetition of the request to not hurt the singer emotionally with added emphasis on the fact that they are already emotionally falling apart
so why you hurt me so bad i give my all to you
Repeat of both the question and the fact that the singer is giving their full effort and love to the person they are addressing
you give nothing back nothing back
Repeat of the fact that the singer feels like they are getting nothing in return from the person they love
why you hurt me baby why
Final questioning of why the person they love is causing them so much pain
don't break my heart why you wanna do me this way
Final repetition of the request to not hurt the singer emotionally with emphasis on the word 'why'
trusted you in every way why did you lie
Final questioning of why the person they love betrayed their trust
don't break my heart why you wanna do me this way promise me you'll always stay
Final request for a promise to never hurt the singer emotionally with emphasis on the importance of the promise
don't break my heart
Final plea to not hurt the singer emotionally
Contributed by Jake N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.