This makes me happy. One of my favorite UK imports, Jamelia is about to bust back onto the scene for the first time in 3 years after signing a new record deal with All Around The World (N-Dubz, Cascada, September) (via The Sun). The UK singer/songwriter signed the new deal live on UStream, in front of her management team and her two kids. “Obviously this is really really exciting for me,” she said. “Let the games begin!” (via Digital Spy) This is great news! While UK-based All Around The World does typically release more dance/pop they do have N-Dubz on their roster and have worked with Ice Cube and Coolio in the past, so it’s hard to tell which direction Jamelia is going in on the next record. Back in 2009, Digital Spy asked her about her new sound. “It’s still pop-R&B, but I’d say I’ve definitely gone back to my more R&B days.” I CAN’T WAIT!
I first discovered Jamelia after picking up Now That’s What I Call Music! 56, where I listened to “Superstar” for the first time. After hearing her next two singles, “Thank You” and “See It In A Boy’s Eyes” I was pretty much sold. While Jamelia’s first record, 2000’s Drama, was more R&B-influenced, (listen to her top 5 hit “Money,” featuring Beenie Man) her next album, 2003’s Thank You was more of a pop/R&B hybrid. Four singles from Thank You managed to peak within the Top Ten (“Superstar,” “Thank You,” “See It In A Boy’s Eyes,” and double A-Side “DJ“/”Stop“), which is pretty impressive. By the time Jamelia released Walk With Me in 2006 I was already on the Jamelia train. While “Something About You” and “Beware Of The Dog” managed to hit the #9 and #10 spots respectively, third single “No More” barely scraped by the Top 50 and it seemed like the beginning of the end. Sure enough, Jamelia parted ways with her long time label, EMI shortly thereafter. Talking about her split with Metro back in June, Jamelia says things are amicable. “Me and EMI weren’t in love any more. I still speak to everyone at the label, they’re still my friends, it’s just one of those things.” Everything happens for a reason and right now Jamelia is forging ahead with her career, telling Metro that the first single is ready to go and that a video shoot would happen once the ink dried on her new record deal. It’s been FAR too long since we’ve heard anything from the Jamelia camp so here’s to a speedy return!
