Having taken a few years off from music to focus on business ventures and to raise his newborn son, singer Omi is gearing up to hit the road to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the remix of his breakthrough hit, Cheerleader.
Cheerleader was first released in 2012 on a Ska rhythm and produced by Clifton “Specialist” Dillon and Sly and Robbie. The song first took off in Hawaii and it later caught the attention of Ultra Music, which commissioned a remix that took on another life of its own in Europe, topping charts in 20 countries, among them the United States and the United Kingdom. The Felix Jaehn remix was released in 2014.
Omi is scheduled to perform on multiple shows in Japan starting this week, and will then embark on multiple dates in the United Kingdom and Europe.
“I think that the 10-year anniversary tour is appropriate, because the song has been a monster hit, and it is still going strong. It is very difficult in the music business to have a song that has longevity now, because people’s attention span is so short. As well [with] me making my comeback to the business, being a little bit more present, you know… the fans wanted to see me for some time now,” Omi said in an interview with the Jamaica Observer on Saturday.
The artiste said he is excited about the prospects of the upcoming shows in Japan.
“At the peak of my career we did a few shows there, and also Japan is not a saturated market where live performances are concerned; it is somewhat uncharted territory. There is a fan base over there as well, so we’re looking to build on that. It will be a great feeling being back on the road.”
He said his absence from the music industry was intentional.
“I literally had taken a break to test the waters in other facets and abilities, like real estate and architectural design, interior decorating, these are just some of my passions. I also took the time off to spend time with my son, because I really value family. I had no regrets, I’m happy I did take the time off,” Omi shared.
Asked if he had thought that Cheerleader would have become the monster hit that it became, Omi said: “No, not like I didn’t believe in myself or my song. [But] back in those times I was doing the music that I enjoyed; I didn’t have an audience, there was no sense of competitiveness, it was genuine love for music. When I met Specialist, and got his feedback from the song, that was like motivation for me to take it really seriously and said this is something I would a career out of.”
At the time that he recorded Cheerleader, Omi was an officer in the police force.
Quizzed on when it was that he realised that he had a monster hit on his hands, Omi told the Observer: “One of the high points for me was when I performed at the Summertime Ball in the UK with over 80,000 people in attendance all standing up singing the song. The response from fellow industry people like Taylor Swift [he was also invited to hang out with Swift on her private jet], and I also shared the stage with her. So many others that are undocumented where people would run into me on a one-on-one, people I’ve seen on TV and look up to. That was a wonderful feeling.”
Following the success of Cheerleader, Omi’s début album Me 4 U was released and it contained the hits Hula Hoop and Drop in the Ocean.
Me 4 U was certified gold in America for sales exceeding 500,000 units. Hula Hoop was the follow-up single to Cheerleader and, although it wasn’t a massive hit as its predecessor, it scaled several charts in Europe and was certified 2x platinum in Sweden and Canada, platinum in Denmark, and gold in Germany, Italy, Mexico and New Zealand.
Omi also collaborated with British act The Vamps on the song I Found A Girl, which peaked at #30 in the UK and was certified silver there.
Jambow with Takagi and Ketra and Giusy Ferarri was a #1 hit in Italy and was certified 4x platinum there.
Poker Face is Omi’s new single which was recently released. The song was produced by Specialist in collaboration with Alistair McIntosh.
“This song has been in the catalogue for some time and we just released a visualiser for it, and an official video is coming soon. It’s one of those songs that you feel is gonna do well with promotion behind it,” he said.
Omi’s sophomore album is expected in early 2025.
“We don’t have a title for it as yet, but the fans will be able to see a lot of growth in the music. This time I will be more involved, so you’ll hear a more organic Omi,” shared the 38-year-old artiste.