OMI is a Jamaican-American singer who shot to fame with his 2014 earworm single, Cheerleader. He is here in Dubai to perform at a fashion show to help promote Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF). The rising star hit the scenes last year with his song Cheerleader going number 1 in 20 countries around the world. He talks to tabloid! about his his song writing process, how to stay positive as a new artist trying to break into the scene and who his real life cheerleader is. See more at: http://gulfnews.com/gntv
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00:00I'm singing some songs from my catalogue, from my album, actually, Me For You.
00:19You know, I think it's going to be fun.
00:22I like all my performances to be fun and interactive, you know, it's that moment where you get to
00:27share the same space with your fans.
00:34It's a good song and I think like all good music from all the greats, you know, it's
00:39timeless.
00:40You know, they're, yeah, I mean it's timeless and people are able to, it's very easy to
00:46sing along to.
00:50My mother has been like my biggest cheerleader and I always try to promote that, you know,
00:57because if I didn't look at her in that light then I wouldn't be able to look at any other
01:02woman in the face of this earth in that light, you know what I mean?
01:05It starts with her, really.
01:10I admire vocals, delivery, you know, in terms of performance, you know, I admire the artistry
01:21behind the writing, you know, so these are certain things that, you know, I tend to draw
01:26inspiration from.
01:30I always like to write from a metaphoric standpoint, you know, that's always been my thing, you
01:34know.
01:36It doesn't matter what the topic is, you know, I like to keep it interesting by giving people
01:40something to think about.
01:45Like I remember like being on a plane, you know, for 10, 11 hours, you know, and getting
01:53off that plane and going on to a stage immediately afterwards, you know, just running to your
01:58hotel, maybe get a shower, and then heading on stage.
02:02And it's that kind of devotion that will keep you up there, you know, because all the top
02:10guys are doing it, you know, and these are people who have been in the business for quite
02:16a while, so when you as a newcomer, you know, you get here, it's no different.
02:22In fact, it's even more intense for you.
02:29If it's not broken, don't fix it, you know what I mean?
02:32If the formula works, then you shouldn't change it, basically.
02:36You know, it's about staying consistent, it's about staying relevant, and not necessarily
02:41trying to use controversy to stay relevant, but, you know, through your work, and that
02:46which is evident.
02:48So it is basically these qualities that I've just listed that is going to keep me up there,
02:54you know?
02:57My dad, my dad actually gave me that name when I was a baby, you know, and I'm really
03:03glad when I met my manager, Mr. Dillon, that we kind of stuck with it, because it became
03:09like a household name, and I'm usually a pretty shy and reserved guy, you know, so when I
03:16hear my fans call me by the name that I've always been called by, then it feels a little
03:21bit more at home, and, you know, it makes me feel a little bit more relaxed.
03:29You gotta keep yourself busy, you know what I mean?
03:32Don't just be, you know, channeling all the energy, you know?
03:37You have to sometimes, it's like a catapult, you know, Tyrese once said it, and I totally
03:43believe him.
03:44Sometimes life is like a catapult.
03:48You pull back, the further you get pulled back is the further you're going to project,
03:52you know, forward, you know, when you get that break, so sometimes you gotta look at
03:58the situation, you know, like that.
04:04Because there are good songs on the album!
04:06It's that simple, you know, there are very good songs on the album, and it's getting
04:10to know the artist on a deeper level, you know, that's what an album is about anyway,
04:13you know?