Tea for Creatives: Omar Lyefook
Meet Omar Lyefook. Omar is a vocalist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and one of the driving forces of the UK Soul music scene. Omar stepped into the forefront with his first album There’s Nothing Like This (1990). Then in 1994 he caught the ear of the American music buying public with the release of his third album, For Pleasure. The arrival of that album on the soul music scene coincides with two other great musicians and Omar’s peers who dropped classic albums around that time, Maxwell (Urban Hang Suite) and D’Angelo (Brown Sugar); thus joining these luminaries in putting a stamp on that era of soul music. Throughout his career Omar has recorded with such artists as Stevie Wonder, Erykah Badu, Angie Stone, Leon Ware and Lamont Dozier to name a few. Now Omar is about to release his seventh album, The Man, this spring. This latest offering will include a brand new version of his classic, “There’s Nothing Like This” featuring the incomparable Pino Palladino on bass.
Although it’s been six years since Omar’s last studio release, he has stayed very busy. This vocalist/songwriter made a foray into acting and recently completed a run of his one-man show LoveSong at the English Touring Theatre written and directed by Ché Walker. The show is a blend of monologues and Omar’s original musical works. The production is set to hit the States some time this year. Keep checking Omar’s website www.omarmusic.net and his Facebook page for updates on his forthcoming album and show dates. You can also follow Omar on Twitter @omarlyefook. If you are hearing of Omar for the first time, fasten you seat belt. You are in for a fun ride.
What does creativity mean to you and how has it defined your career?
In my line of work it’s about expressing myself. That’s basically my credo. That’s what makes me do everything that I do. I get a moment to express myself musically, and all the stuff that you’ve heard if you have been checking the music throughout the years, is just me letting off? I set a vibe to do something slow, to do something medium tempo, something Latin, something funky, that’s just how my brain works. I have no control over that. I see myself as a vessel. Somebody’s channeling something through me. That’s what I’m here to do. As long as there is a fire in my belly every time I make music then I’m going to be doing it.
How do you navigate the creative process?
That’s funny you ask that because I’m going to be doing a course in March in Denmark teaching people what I do, but I’ve never really thought about what I do. I just kind of do it, but it is kind of a process. I might start with a beat or a groove. I think in melodies when I think of grooves and stuff as well. It could be the bass line as the melody or it could be the keyboard line as the melody. Obviously the vocal has the melody, but I kind of start from there and get a vibe. Then you try to kind of expand on that. Whether you are going to stay on the same chords or what sounds are you gonna use, if you’re going to use the middle eight or change the chord sequence. Everything just expands from one spot. It might just be a four bar thing that turns around. Because I do everything it’s about brass arrangements and string arrangements, vocal arrangements over that as well, but the main thing is just to put a vibe out there and see if people understand where I’m coming from.
You said you do everything. So when you go in to the studio are laying down all the instruments yourself?
I play the bass drums and keys. So I’m just taking about arranging the brass and strings as well. I mean I’ve used Chris Cameron before who used to be George Michael’s musical director, but I tend to do most of the arranging myself.
What is one of the greatest creative obstacles that you have faced and how did you hurdle it?
I think it’s just getting the music out there. I’m still battling that kind of thing right now. Trying to get your music out there within a sea of Pop and Dance music and stuff like that. My thing is kind of a niche market, but people know the music. So it’s battling the elements like the TV and the radio that don’t want to play the music. Generally that’s the biggest thing and it still goes on today because now it’s an age thing. Somebody’s just not on your wavelength. But it’s all good.
We’ve got the Internet, and now people can get to my site and listen to the music directly without waiting on TV and stuff like that, which I think is fantastic because musically or creatively worldwide I think it’s going to make a big difference. The job of the A&R man is sort of dying down. He’s got less of a responsibility now. Where as they used to control the TV and the radio, they can’t control the Internet. So people can make pretty much anything they want to. Now whether you get paid or not is a whole other question, you know what I mean (LOL), but at least in terms of the creative process people are thinking less about impressing one person and in terms in impressing a whole bunch.
Who is one of your favorite creative figures and how they inspired you and your creativity?
Why Stevie Wonder has to be right on top of the list because as far back as about 10 or 11 years old I was listening to his music. Obviously my parents were playing it, but I was listening to things like Secret Life of Plants, which is one of his albums that a lot of people don’t know, but that for me is one of my favorite albums. It was so experimental at the time, but it’s still kind of relevant because of the sounds and he kind of shaped sounds that I like to use. I like sort of organic sounds as well as the electronic because I’m manipulating them in such a way that makes them come alive; they sounded real. And then vocally I wish I could aspire to be a tenth of that mans range and ability. But singing along with Stevie’s music I think taught me harmony because I always tried to find the harmony that wasn’t there; the note that’s not there in terms of his music. That shaped the way I put my harmonies together. There are whole bunch of people underneath that. There’s Bob Marley, Dennis Brown, John Holt, singers like that, Reggae singers. Jazz singers, King Pleasure, and people like that spurred me along to keep doing what I do and I try to emulate them in certain ways as well.
So how was it singing with Stevie Wonder?
That’s a little boy’s dream come true right there because basically I’ve been singing this man’s music in my bedroom and bathroom from when I was about 8 or 9 years old. So to actually get a chance to sit with him and for him to say he was going to write me a song and then he came in with two songs that just kind of blew my mind. You know he did everything that you want Stevie to do in the studio. He’s singing, he’s playing the drums, he’s on the piano, just being one of the guys.
If you could choose one quote or life mantra what would it be?
Live life like it’s the last day. ~ Omar
Just love everybody, and enjoy yourself because you never know when it’s going to stop. Live life like it’s the last day.
The Tea for Creatives series celebrates the creative minds that Possibiliteas seeks to serve with its brews. We aim to bring the creative community insightful and eye-opening profiles of the best and brightest creative professionals across various industries. Join us on Facebook and Twitter for more conversations on creativity.
Tags: Creativitea, creativity, For Pleasure, funk, London, Lyefook, music, musician, Omar, Possibiliteas, songwriter, soul, UK, United Kingdom, vocalist
