NIA date for Lemar

R&B superstar Lemar has announced a gig at Birmingham's NIA next March as he prepares to release his fourth album.

But Midlands fans can see him even sooner this Saturday, when he switches on Birmingham's Christmas Lights.

He'll also headline a free gig later that evening featuring the likes of Alphabeat, The Saturday's and Alesha Dixon. Lemar will release The Reason and its lead single If She Knew this month.

He has also announced a massive UK Tour which calls Into Birmingham's NIA on Friday March 27, 2009.

Tickets, priced £25 plus booking and transaction fee, go on general sale at 9am on Friday November 7 and can be purchased online at www.theticketfactory.com or by calling 0844 33 88 000.

It is nearly five years since Lemar released his debut album Dedicated. Since then, Lemar has become one of the most successful black British soul artist of our time, commandeering the UK's radio airwaves with the hit singles 50/50, Dance (With U), If There's Any Justice and It's Not That Easy.

With three top ten UK albums, Lemar has sold well over two million albums, and been awarded 2 MOBO Awards and 2 Brit Awards.

The Reason, is set to capture an even wider audience, and keep him on the path as one of Britain's leading solo artists. He spent the last two years crafting his new LP, recording in Los Angeles, Miami and Sweden.

Showcasing his production and writing talent, the new album signals a new direction in Lemar's musical sound.

Defining this new musical backdrop are the producers: Jim Johnson (Lil Wayne), Jack Splash (Alicia Keys, Cee-Lo) and Salaam Remi (Amy Winehouse, Nas, Fugees).

On the recording process, Lemar says "I didn't go into the studio with an agenda; I tried to remind myself of the reasons why I do music, the reasons why I wanted to be an artist in the first place and the reasons behind life.'

The first single, If She Knew, co-produced by SoulShock and Karlin combines Lemar's heartfelt lyrics with layers of acoustic guitar.

Lemar's signature balladry features on the album too, including the piano driven Mayday.

He also, ventures back to his soul roots with the infectious Over You and the up tempo feel good track Heartbreaker produced by Jim Beanz (Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Nelly Furtado) and Weight Of The World produced by Jim Johnson (Lil Wayne).