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Singer Omar Bridges Gap Between U.S., British Soul

Omar's newest release features guest appearances by Common, Angie Stone and Stevie Wonder.
Omar's newest release features guest appearances by Common, Angie Stone and Stevie Wonder.

Soul singer Omar has built a large following in Britain with a signature sound that combines jazz, soul, cabaret and Caribbean funk.

Omar isn't well known in the United States, and his music can be hard to find.

But over the past decade, he has developed a small, yet influential fan base here that includes some of the leading voices of R & B and hip-hop: Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, Common and Stevie Wonder.

With their support -- and occasional guest appearances -- Omar now is trying to break into the U.S. market with a new release, Sing (If You Want It).

Omar talks about the differences between the sound of British and American soul, how he thinks of himself as an "actor in different roles" when writing songs, and what it was like meeting and working with the legendary Stevie Wonder.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.


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