Omar Samuel Pasley (born 3 September 1986), better known by his stage name Omi ( ; 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 dancehall, ska, and reggae artist.
2014–present: Me 4 U In 2014, "Cheerleader" got a second life when Patrick Moxey, the president of Ultra Music, a dance label partly owned by Sony Music heard the song and liked it offering to remix the song and relaunch it as a dance track. In early 2014, Ultra Music commissioned two remixes for the song, one by Ricky Blaze and the other by Felix Jaehn, a 20-year-old German producer. Eventually, Ultra Music opted for the airy tropical house version of "Cheerleader" as remixed by Jaehn. The remix initially became a huge hit in Sweden, eventually certified 5 times platinum. Soon the song spread through other European charts, notably France, Italy and Germany. It topped the charts in several European countries and in Australia. In the United Kingdom, OMI made history on 24 May 2015, when "Cheerleader" topped the UK Singles Chart for a fourth week in a row, marking the longest consecutive period any Jamaican artist has held that position on the chart. In the United States, the song entered the Billboard Hot 100 in May 2015; it later made the top spot of the Hot 100 after 12 weeks in the chart. Claiming the top spot, OMI has achieved recognition worldwide. On 27 August 2015, he released the single "Hula Hoop". He released his debut studio album Me 4 U on 16 October 2015. The album includes the singles "Cheerleader", "Hula Hoop", "Stir It", and "Drop in the Ocean".
Discography
Studio album Title Details Peak chart positions Certifications AUS CAN DEN FRA SWE SWI US Me 4 U Release date: 16 October 2015 Format: CD, digital download Label: Ultra, Columbia, Sony 37 18 25 62 9 89 51 IFPI DEN: Gold MC: Platinum RIAA: Gold
Remix album Title Details Me 4 U: The Remixes Release date: 4 March 2016 Format: CD, digital download Label: Ultra, Columbia, Sony
Singles
As lead artist Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album AUS CAN DEN FRA GER NL SWE SWI UK US "Cheerleader"(Felix Jaehn remix) 2014 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ARIA: 6× Platinum BPI: 6× Platinum BVMI: 4× Platinum GLF: 7× Platinum IFPI DEN: 5× Platinum MC: Diamond RIAA: 3× Platinum SNEP: DiamondMe 4 U "Hula Hoop" 2015 8 19 8 67 12 20 3 37 75 — ARIA: Platinum BPI: Silver BVMI: Gold GLF: 2× Platinum IFPI DEN: Platinum MC: 2× Platinum "Drop in the Ocean" 2016 — — — — — — — — — — "Masterpiece"(with Felix Jaehn)2018 — — — — — — — — — — Formula "As Long as I'm with You"(featuring CMC$) — — — — — — — — — — "Better for Ya"Better for Ya – Single by Omi on Apple Music2019 — — — — — — — — — — "I Want You" — — — — — — — — — — "Bring My Baby Back"2020 — — — — — — — — — — "Roller Coaster" — — — — — — — — — — "Party Like It's Your Birthday"2021 — — — — — — — — — — "Hello Hater" — — — — — — — — — — "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.
Notes
As featured artist Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album UK IRE ITA SCO SWI "I Found a Girl"(The Vamps featuring Omi) 2016 30 98 — 11 — BPI: Silver Wake Up "Seasons"(Shaggy featuring Omi)2017 — — — — — "Never"(Marcus & Martinus featuring Omi) — — — — — Moments "Jambo"(Takagi & Ketra featuring Giusy Ferreri and Omi) 2019 — — 1 — 11 FIMI: 4× Platinum IFPI SWI: Platinum "I'm on My Way"(Bob Sinclar featuring Omi) 2020 — — — — — "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.
Awards and nominations Year Association Category Work Result 2015Teen Choice Awards Choice Summer Song "Cheerleader" MOBO Awards Best Reggae Act Himself MTV Video Music AwardsSong of Summer "Cheerleader" NRJ Music Award International Song of the Year International Breakthrough of the Year Himself 2016Billboard Latin Music AwardsCrossover Artist of the Year Himself2016Radio Disney Music AwardsSong of the Year"Cheerleader"Best Song That Makes You Smile"Cheerleader"2016Billboard Music AwardsTop New Artist HimselfTop Selling Song"Cheerleader"
See also List of artists who reached number one in the United States
References
External links Official website