The R&B star Lemar talks of the artists that inspired him and how to get the measure of a musician. He says that giving a performance “shows who you are inside.”

Lemar, known for a voice that harks back to the heyday of soul music, is a firm believer that what a musician does on stage is the key to judging quality. “Do you crumble under pressure or do you stand and rise to the occasion?” For him, it’s a matter of setting aside the worries that plague any performer and getting to the heart of what music is all about. “You’ve got to rise to the occasion and enjoy it” says the London native, who had his first concert at seventeen.

Lemar’s influences, unsurprisingly, are the great talents of R&B and soul. He names “Sam Cook (oten called ‘The King of Soul’), Marvin gaye, Al Green and Aretha Franklin.” These “old school, soulful people,” in his words, “take singing to a whole ‘nother level.”

During his time on BBC’s Fame Academy, Lemar performed a duet with Lionel Richie but he has another star in his sights; “I want to collaborate with Alicia Keys.” Small wonder, as the artist deemed ‘The Princess of Soul’ holds the record for the number of Grammy’s won in a single night, shared with the likes of Beyonce and Amy Winehouse.

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