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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.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.