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-- MTV News staff report
In a time when the road to the chart highlands often runs through Orlando's pop factories, newcomer Lamya has taken a decidedly different route.
Born in Kenya, the aspiring songbird grew up an only child in the Middle Eastern country of Oman. She sang before she could speak and devoted her youth to poetry and classical opera training, leaving her with a five-octave range and certain way with words.
Despite such noble pursuits, Lamya was eventually drawn to pop — and the land that perfected it — courtesy of one of its most high-profile ambassadors.
"I literally ran away," Lamya said of her move to America as a teenager. "I saw something on Madonna, a concert of hers that was just amazing, and she gave me the courage to think I could do that as well. Dreams do come true."
The young vocalist immersed herself in the New York dance scene, and scored her big break — singing vocals on DJ Vaughn Mason's "Break 4 Love" — at the ripe old age of 17. Supporting roles with David Bowie, James Brown, Soul II Soul and Duran Duran soon followed.
All the while, Lamya honed her voice through her poetry, and now the 28-year-old is drawing on those words as she prepares her solo debut. Dipping back into a well of writings that she began at the age of 11, Lamya has put together Learning From Falling, which hits stores this summer.
"Now everyone's going to know a lot about me in a sense, but it's also a release," Lamya said. "It's cathartic."
The artist, who now calls London home, spreads her wings creatively on the album, writing, arranging and performing all her own material. She even had a hand in producing the album along with Nellee Hooper (Soul II Soul, Massive Attack, Björk), Mark Ronson and Justin Stanley (Nikka Costa) and David Kahne (Sublime, Sugar Ray).
The result is an eclectic debut that has drawn comparisons to Björk and Kate Bush. But with personal words like "You give me that Judas kiss/ 'Cause you hurt me more than this/ Oh, won't you tell it like it is" from her "Counterfeit Love," this introspective artist is likely to make her own mark.
Lamya's Learning From Falling hits stores on June 25.
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