Shola Ama - Early Life and Career

Early Life and Career

Shola Ama was born in Paddington, London, England, of a white father (Scottish and Irish) and St Lucian mother. She attended Quintin Kynaston School in the early 1990s. At 15 she was singing to herself on a platform at Hammersmith tube station, and was overheard by Kwame Kwaten, a producer at the FreakStreet record label. 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 her first single release for WEA in 1996, although it barely made an impact on the charts, only managing to reach #85. Her second WEA single "You Might Need Somebody" remains her biggest hit. This Randy Crawford cover reached #4 in the UK Singles Chart. 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 and reached #3. At the age of 18, Shola Ama released her debut album Much Love (1997).

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