Three-time MOBO Award and two-time BRIT Award winner Lemar, one of the most successful male British solo artists of the last two decades, is back with his infectious 80s funk-inspired new single and his first new material in eleven years, ‘Future Love’ – via AMP.
Lemar has also announced his forthcoming seventh studio album, the first new album in eight years, ‘Page In My Heart’, due for release on 24 March.
Working again with longtime writing partners Craig Hardy (who co-wrote Lemar’s smash hit debut single ‘Dance (With U)’ and Mathias Andermo, Lemar set out to write music that was true to himself and as close to what he wanted as possible.
Releasing the album on his own label allowed Lemar to take the reins fully as an independent artist, doing things his way. He says, “It’s very, very personal. It doesn’t get more ‘me’ than this musically. The way this album was written and the way it came to fruition, I don’t think it could have been a purer process than this one.”
‘Page In My Heart’ is a record that’s about and for the fans. Drawing from conversations he has had over the years with a few of his longtime supporters about their lives and relationships, Lemar found that some of those stories landed in the new songs. Lemar hopes that people will be able to relate to his lyrics and make a connection, whatever they’re going through. “This album is about me and my relationships, and my fans’ relationships, and hopefully what they’ve been going through as well in my dialogue with them. It really is a page from my heart.”
Lyrically, the album chronicles Lemar’s emotional journey over the last few years – the ups and the downs. ‘I’ve Been’ was written at a particularly low point and sees him reflecting about his journey in the music industry – “Everyone always asks me, Where have you been? Where have you been? This song is about that”. Though he may not have been releasing music, Lemar has been far from idle, producing for other artists, gaining credibility as an actor, making a string of TV appearances including ‘Little Darlings’ which aired on Sky Cinema in 2022, and hosting his own podcast, The Lemar Show.
“My fans have been really, really patient,” he says. “I always say soon, soon, soon, soon. And they’re like, well, when’s that? I’ve been doing some acting, I’ve done other TV bits which they have supported, but I didn’t want to announce a show celebrating the first album without giving them something new. I’m always writing songs, but I’ve been writing songs for other things over the years. So I thought, let me make sure that I get a new offering on the table.”
Lemar will celebrate two decades of music and the 20th anniversary of ‘Dedicated’ live with two special nights in Manchester and London on the 27th and 28th of April. Tickets are available here
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