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OMI
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OMI

Omar Samuel Pasley (born 3 September 1986), better known by his stage name Omi ( OH-mee; stylised in all caps as OMI), is a Jamaican singer. He is best known for his 2012 single "Cheerleader", the remixed version of which was a worldwide hit. He was signed to Ultra Music, a part of Sony Music, and released his album Me 4 U in 2015.

Career

Beginnings

Omar Samuel Pasley was born in the parish of Clarendon. He established in Kingston, after being discovered by the dancehall impresario Clifton Dillon (known as Specialist) and signed to Oufah, an independent Jamaican label. His first recorded single was "Standing On All Threes" released with a music video. OMI had composed his future hit song "Cheerleader" in 2008. He eventually recorded it and performed and released in 2012. It was released in Jamaica along with a low-budget, high-concept video shot in Oregon during OMI's first trip to the United States, becoming a modest hit in Jamaica and also popular in Hawaii and in Dubai. Never releasing an album, OMI had various local hits in Jamaica like "Take It Easy", "Fireworks" (accompanied by a music video) and "Color of My Lips", the latter featuring Busy Signal, a well-known Jamaican...

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From the archive

Career timeline

Stories about OMI from the JamaicansMusic archive, oldest first · 1985–2013

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  1. 1985

    Music

    ‘What One Dance Can Do’: Beres Hammond Founds Harmony House, Crosses Into Dancehall and Lands His Biggest Jamaican Hit

    Tired of being paid in promises, the balladeer starts his own label in 1985 and puts out two reggae singles: the self-produced ‘Groovy Little Thing’ and, with Willie Lindo, ‘What One Dance Can Do’. Both top the Jamaican chart and enter the British reggae charts; Audrey Hall’s answer record goes to No. 2 in the UK. Then a 1987 home invasion sends him to New York — and, with Maxi Priest, to ‘How Can We Ease the Pain’.

  2. 1987

    Music

    ‘No Nuclear War’: Peter Tosh’s Final Album Wins the Grammy for Best Reggae Recording, 1987

    Released months before his death, ‘No Nuclear War’ is Peter Tosh’s last studio statement — a plea against atomic weapons and apartheid that won the Grammy for Best Reggae Recording at the 30th Annual Grammy Awards. The Stepping Razor’s final bow came with the Recording Academy’s highest reggae honour.

  3. 1994

    Music

    Grammy Nomination: Dennis Brown’s Light My Fire Earns a Best Reggae Album Nod, 1994

    Released in May 1994 on Heartbeat/Rounder, Light My Fire earns Dennis Brown his first solo Grammy nomination for Best Reggae Album at the 37th Annual Grammy Awards — recognition for a catalogue that already spanned more than seventy-five albums.

  4. 2001

    Music

    ‘It Wasn’t Me’: Shaggy and RikRok Top the Billboard Hot 100 and Earn a Grammy Nomination, 2001

    The Sting International-produced confession anthem from Hot Shot dethrones Destiny's Child's 'Independent Women' for two weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100 in February 2001 — and earns Shaggy his only nomination outside Best Reggae Album at the 44th Grammys.

  5. 2002

    Music

    ‘Music Is Life’: Beres Hammond Earns His First Grammy Nomination as the VP Records Years Make Him Lovers Rock’s Elder Statesman

    From ‘Love From a Distance’ (1996) through ‘A Day in the Life’ (1998), the Harmony House–VP partnership turns a hitmaker into an institution. ‘Music Is Life’ (2001) — with ‘They Gonna Talk’, ‘Rock Away’ and a Wyclef Jean duet — is nominated for Best Reggae Album at the 44th Grammy Awards on February 27, 2002, alongside Luciano and two Marleys. Damian Marley’s ‘Halfway Tree’ wins.

  6. 2010

    Music

    The Later Years: Gregory Isaacs Takes ‘Brand New Me’ to the Grammys, His Fourth Nomination in a Four-Decade Career

    Self-produced at his own Poor People Recording Studio in St Andrew and distributed by Tads Records, ‘Brand New Me’ earns the 58-year-old Cool Ruler a Best Reggae Album nomination at the 52nd Grammy Awards on January 31, 2010. He loses to Stephen Marley. ‘I always think I can win,’ he tells the Sunday Gleaner. A look at the road from the 1990s to this night.

  7. 2012

    Magazine

    Estonia Reggae Global Report

    Reggae music is reaching everywhere. In Estonia, it was possible to listen to reggae-influenced music from as early as the 70s. A strong reggae community emerged in the 90s when Estonia got its independence back. Then, people started to use and wear symbols that were coming from Rasta culture

  8. 2013

    Music

    An exclusive look into Omi's next big singles

    With singles Cheerleader and Standing on all Threes propelling his sound through rave reviews, Omi lets loose his next big singles Take It Easy and Fireworks.

139 more stories about OMI in the archive →

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