Jahméne
{{Short description|British singer (born 1991)}}
{{EngvarB|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Jahméne
| image = Jahméne Douglas 1.jpg
| birth_name = Jahméne Aaron Douglas
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1991|02|26|df=y}}
| birth_place = Birmingham, England
| occupation = Singer
| instrument = Vocals
| years_active = 2012–present
| label = RCA (2012–2014)
Moonshot Music (2014–2017)
| website = {{URL|http://jahmenemusic.com/}}{{Dead link|date=May 2024}}
| associated_acts = {{Flat list|
| caption = Portrait of Jahméne
}}
Jahméne Aaron Douglas (born 26 February 1991) is a British soul/gospel singer who records under the mononym Jahméne. He was the runner-up to James Arthur on the ninth series of The X Factor in 2012.
In December 2012, he signed a record deal with Sony Music. In July 2013, he released his debut studio album, Love Never Fails, which peaked at number one on the UK Albums Chart and included appearances from Nicole Scherzinger, in a duet of "The Greatest Love of All", and Stevie Wonder, who lent his harmonica skills on "Give Us This Day". In September 2014, Jahméne signed his second deal with Independent Label Moonshot Music and released his second album, Unfathomable Phantasmagoria, in September 2016.
Career
=2012: ''The X Factor''=
{{Main|The X Factor (British series 9)}}
On 30 May 2012, Douglas auditioned in London for the ninth series of The X Factor. He sang Etta James' "At Last" with a powerful voice in what Louis had stated as a "revelation" and received four yeses from judges Louis Walsh, Tulisa, Gary Barlow and Nicole Scherzinger. Douglas managed to advance to judges' houses, where he impressed mentor Nicole Scherzinger with his rendition of David Guetta's "Titanium", thereby making it to the live shows. He fought his way through to the finals with James Arthur and Christopher Maloney. On 8 December, he was the first act to make it safely through to the second night of the live finals, along with Arthur. He finished the competition in second place.
=2013: ''Love Never Fails'' and ''X Factor Around the World''=
{{Main|Love Never Fails (Jahméne Douglas album)|l1=Love Never Fails}}
On 19 December 2012, it was announced that Douglas had signed a record deal with Sony Music.{{cite news|url=http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/tv-radio/x-factor-runner-up-jahmene-douglas-latest-contestant-to-sign-record-deal-3331912.html|title=X Factor runner up Jahmene Douglas latest contestant to sign record deal|last=O'Reilly|first=Brian|date=19 December 2013|work=The Irish Independent|access-date=3 June 2013}} On 25 January 2013, it was confirmed that he had signed with RCA Records and would be releasing his debut album in May.{{cite news|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/s103/the-x-factor/news/a453780/x-factor-jahmene-douglas-joins-rca-records-debut-album-out-in-may.html|title='X Factor' Jahmene Douglas joins RCA Records, debut album out in May|last=Corner|first=Lewis|date=25 January 2013|work=Digital Spy|publisher=Hearst Magazines UK|access-date=3 June 2013}}
It was announced by RCA Records that Douglas' first album would be called Love Never Fails and would be released on 22 July. It debuted at number one in the UK. Douglas also donated all of his profits from the single "Titanium" to the domestic abuse campaigns of the charity Women's Aid. The album features appearances from his X Factor mentor Scherzinger and Stevie Wonder.{{cite web|url=http://www.contactmusic.com/press/jahmene-douglas-to-collaborate-with-stevie-wonder-on-album-love-never-fails-out-july-22nd-2013|title=Jahmene Douglas To Collaborate With Stevie Wonder On Album 'Love Never Fails' Out July 22nd 2013|work=Contactmusic.com|date=19 June 2013}} He released a single from the album, a cover of David Guetta's "Titanium", onto his Vevo account on 12 June 2013.{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGSZ5QP0qZY|title=Jahméne Douglas - Titanium|date=12 June 2013|work=YouTube}}
In August 2013, Douglas performed in Indonesia for RCTI's 24th anniversary television special, X Factor Around the World, along with Samantha Jade, The Collective, Melanie Amaro, Novita Dewi and Fatin Shidqia.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqYpIEBrDlg|title=RCTI 24 Tahun "X Factor Around The World"|publisher=YouTube}} "Titanium" subsequently hit number 1 the following day in Indonesia.{{citation needed|date=January 2017}}
=2016: ''Unfathomable Phantasmagoria''=
{{BLP unsourced section|date=January 2017}}
The album, Unfathomable Phantasmagoria, was released on 23 September 2016. This album features 16 tracks with Jahméne also writing several tracks. Samuel L. Jackson lent his voice to the project. Jahméne met Jackson in 2012 when he invited Jahméne to sing at a charity ball he was hosting. He lends his voice to the intro of the album opening the record with the Bible verse 1 Corinthians 13:4–8. Jackson then goes on to read from, Galatians 5:22–23 as an interlude on the album, which also features in the lead single's video, "Is This the Time?" Jahméne then went on to release "I Wish" from the album as the anthem for the charity [http://www.peaceoneday.org Peace One Day]. The song was written by Diane Warren.
The album consists of his signature sound, including soul, R&B and gospel. Notable writers other than Diane Warren include Andrea Martin, Stanley Brown (Shirley Caesar, Hezekiah Walker, Karen Clark Sheard), Sacha Skarbek, Electric (Little Mix, Rihanna, The Wanted) and Jim Beanz (Timbaland, Chris Brown, Dru Hill).
Jahméne stated that he had more control over the process of making the album in comparison to his first, from the sound, to his songwriting, down to the artwork and title. The sleeve inside the physical copy even includes one of Jahméne's poems entitled "Shadow Serpent".
Track listing
| class="wikitable" | ||||
| No. | Track title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "1 Corinthians 13:4–8" (featuring Samuel L. Jackson) | Bible verse; Andrea Martin | Damian Montagu | 1:00 |
| 2 | "Never Too Far Away" | Andrea Martin, Jenay Daniels | Stanley Brown | 3:33 |
| 3 | "Love" | Jim Beanz, Raghav Mathur, Donnell Shawn Butler | Charlie J Perry, SOS, Harmony Samuels | 3:18 |
| 4 | "Catch the Rhythm" | Jahméne, Sacha Skarbek | Damian Montagu, Charlie J Perry | 3:48 |
| 5 | "Tornado" | Jahméne, Tim Kellett, Christian 'Crada' Kalla | Crada | 3:11 |
| 6 | "Down for Love" | Jahméne, Davinché, Tim Kellett | Davinché | 3:50 |
| 7 | "Get It Right" | Jahméne, Mo Brandis, Tim Kellett | Charlie J Perry, Damian Montagu | 3:00 |
| 8 | "Galatians 5:22–23" (featuring Samuel L. Jackson) | Bible verse; Jahméne, Max Marshall, Electric | Charlie J Perry, Damian Montagu | 0:59 |
| 9 | "Is This the Time?" | Jahméne, Max Marshall, Electric | Charlie J Perry | 3:27 |
| 10 | "Look Up" | Jahméne, Stanley Brown, Courtney Rumble | Stanley Brown | 4:23 |
| 11 | "When I See Ya" | Andrea Martin, Bruce Robinson | Stanley Brown, Charlie J Perry | 4:08 |
| 12 | "My Faith" | Phil Taylor, Said Hussain | Phil Taylor | 3:44 |
| 13 | "I Wish" | Diane Warren | Damian Montagu | 4:08 |
| 14 | "Forever & Eternity" | Jahméne, Charlie J Perry | Charlie J Perry, Damian Montagu | 3:43 |
| 15 | "Reach You" | Laura Leanne Critchley, Joseph Spenser Mott | Damian Montagu | 4:36 |
| 16 | "If You Just" | Jahméne, Arden Hart | Damian Montagu | 4:04 |
| 17 | "Right Away" (hidden track) | Jahméne, Arden Hart | Arden Hart | - |
Personal life
Jahméne Douglas was born in Birmingham in 1991 to Mandy Thomas and Eustace Douglas. He is of mixed heritage which includes English, St. Kitts (Caribbean) and Welsh. He is the first youth ambassador of the UK charity Women's Aid, for children and young people.{{cite web|url=http://www.womensaid.org.uk/domestic-violence-press-information.aspitemid=2950&itemTitle=Women%92s+Aid+announces+X+Factor+finalist+Jahmene+Douglas+as+Ambassador+for+Children+and+Young+People§ion=0001000100150001§ionTitle=Press+releases|title=Women's Aid announces X Factor finalist Jahmene Douglas as Ambassador for Children and Young People - Women's Aid|work=womensaid.org.uk}}{{Dead link|date=December 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Before rising to fame when he appeared on The XFactor, he worked in an Asda supermarket in Swindon.{{fact|date=February 2023}}
Jahméne is a Christian and speaks openly about how his faith has pulled him through many dark places. His debut album's title, Love Never Fails, is taken from the scripture [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+13 1 Corinthians 13], one of his favourite passages in the Bible. The idea of the album was to have spiritual twists on the chosen covers. Jahméne has been seen exercising his faith in public. He refused to sing "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" by Katy Perry, for an X Factor group ensemble performance, because of its graphic/unsuitable lyrical content. He opined that Ella Henderson, 16 at the time, should not be made to sing the song and that lyrically it was not suitable for the family show.{{cite news|url=http://www.unrealitytv.co.uk/x-factor/x-factor-2012-jahmene-douglas-says-he-rebelled-against-katy-perry-song-because-of-ella-henderson/|title=X Factor 2012: Jahmene Douglas says he rebelled against Katy Perry song because of Ella Henderson! - Unreality TV|last=McGarry|first=Lisa|date=6 December 2012|publisher=Unreality TV|access-date=22 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160815004235/http://www.unrealitytv.co.uk/x-factor/x-factor-2012-jahmene-douglas-says-he-rebelled-against-katy-perry-song-because-of-ella-henderson/|archive-date=15 August 2016|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}
Awards
Jahmene Douglas was nominated for Best Newcomer at the MOBO Awards in 2013 and performed "Next to Me". Douglas also received a nomination and subsequently won Best Male Newcomer at the [http://urbanmusicawards.net Urban Music Awards].
Discography
=Albums=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |
| scope="col" rowspan="2"| Title
! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Album details ! scope="col" colspan="4"| Peak chart positions ! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Certifications |
|---|
| scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"| UK Peak positions in the UK:
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"| UK R&B
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"| IRE ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"| SCO
|
| scope="row"| Love Never Fails
|
| 1 || — || 30 || 1 | |
| scope="row"| Unfathomable Phantasmagoria
|
| — || 21 || — || — | |
=Extended plays=
=Singles=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |
| scope="col" rowspan="2"| Year
! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Single ! scope="col" colspan="1"| Peak chart positions ! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Album |
|---|
| scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"| UK |
| rowspan="2"| 2013
! scope="row"| "Titanium" | 94 | rowspan="2"| Love Never Fails |
| scope="row"| "Forever Young"
| — |
| 2015
! scope="row"| "Down for Love" | — | rowspan="3"| Unfathomable Phantasmagoria |
| rowspan="2"| 2016
! scope="row"| "Is This the Time?" | — |
| scope="row"| "I Wish"
| — |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{official website}}{{Dead link|date=May 2024}}
{{Jahméne}}
{{The X Factor (UK)}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jahmene}}
Category:British gospel singers
Category:English male singer-songwriters
Category:English singer-songwriters
Category:Musicians from Swindon
Category:The X Factor (British TV series) contestants
Category:English people of Saint Kitts and Nevis descent
Category:English people of Welsh descent