K.Maro
| K.Maro | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Cyril Kamar |
| Born | January 31, 1980 |
| Origin | Beirut, Lebanon |
| Genres | Hip hop, rap, pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, rapper, producer |
| Instruments | vocals |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Labels | K.Pone.Inc Music Group |
| Associated acts | LMDS, Vaï |
| Website | kmaro.com |
Cyril Kamar, (in Arabic سيريل قمر) (born January 31, 1980 in Beirut, Lebanon) better known by his stage name K.Maro, sometimes also K'Maro, is a Canadian pop singer-songwriter and producer of Lebanese origin. He sings in French and English. He is also founder, owner and CEO of K.Pone.Inc Music Group, an entertainment company, and K.Pone.Inc record label, which has signed a host of well-known artists.
In 2002, K.Maro released an album entitled I am à l'ancienne only in Canada. He released his official solo debut album La Good Life in mid-2004, with three singles released from it. He released his second studio album, Million Dollar Boy, in late 2005. In 2006 he released his first remix album, 10th Anniversary: Platinum Remixes. His third studio album, Perfect Stranger was released on October 24, 2008. His most recent album 01.10 was released on April 27, 2010.
Biography
K.Maro is a francophone and anglophone singer based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. His real name is Cyril Kamar, and he was born in Beirut, Lebanon on January 31, 1980. After a short stay in Paris, France, his family moved to Canada in 1991.
In LMDS
K.Maro first broke through to the Quebec charts with his group LMDS, an abbreviation for "Les Messagers du Son". This was a French language hip hop duo in Montreal, Quebec, Canada formed in 1993 and made up of Cyril Kamar, called Lyrik, and Adil Takhssait, called Mélo in the duo. Production duties were handled by producer/composer Phil Greiss.
The band achieved great success in Quebec and launched two successful albums, Les Messagers du Son in 1997 and Il Faudrait Leur Dire in 1999. LMDS broke up in 2001. Both artists continued their musical careers, Cyril Kamar (Lyrik) as K.Maro and Adil Takhssait (Mélo) as Vaï.
Solo career
After the breakup of LMDS, Cyril Kamar became successful as a solo artist, taking the name K.Maro (alternatives K'Maro and K-Maro). As a hip hop and R&B singer-songwriter and producer, he became an instant international success particularly with his first major hit, Femme Like U in 2004.
His songs are frequently a mix of French and English lyrics, and sometimes Arabic. The album Perfect Stranger was his first all-English language album.
K.Maro also established and owns K.Pone Inc Music Group entertainment company, the K.Pone Inc record label, and the Balbec line of clothing.
Collaborations
In addition to his solo career, K.Maro has collaborated with a number of artists, including:
- Many collaborations with DJ Shortcut, notably in Fresh, which also featured Moshine. Another collaboration with DJ Shortcut and Moshine was in On est là.
- He was featured in Chance of The 411, version exclusively available on the French edition of Between the Sheets.
- He was featured in Le clan chill of Corneille.
- He was also featured in Nos couleurs of Cheb Mami.
- He featured Shy'm in his own single Histoires de Luv.
- Has written a lot of material for Shy'm's debut album Mes Fantaisies, and was featured in À l'abri in the second album of Shy'm, Reflets.
- He collaborated with Belly and Rad in Change The Game.
- His song "Love It or Leave It" features Imposs.
- His song "Out in the Streets Remix" features Jim Jones.
- His song "Never Walk Away" features Odessa Thornhill.
- His song "Take You Away (Part 2)" features the Canadian rock singer Jonas Tomalty.
- He produced the 2013 version of Indonesian singer Anggun's hit "Snow on the Sahara" for her album, Best-Of: Design of a Decade 2003–2013.
K.Pone.Inc
K.Maro also runs the K.Pone.Inc. Music Group,[1] an entertainment group that goes into music production, promotion and distribution. K-Pone Inc.'s label, K.Pone Inc., has signed many artists, including:
- Shy'm (real name Tamara Marthe)
- Imposs (real name S. Rimsky Salgado)
- Ale Dee (real name Alexandre Duhaime)
- Vaï (real name Adil Takhssait)
Balbec
Balbec is K.Maro's upmarket clothing line.[2] It is named after his hometown Baalbek in Lebanon.
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album | AUT | CAN | FIN | FRA | GER | SUI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | I am à l'ancienne | ||||||
| 2004 | La Good Life | 30 | 7 | 7 | 12 | 26 | |
| 2005 | Million Dollar Boy | 5 | 20 | ||||
| 2006 | 10th Anniversary: Platinum Remixes | 76 | |||||
| 2008 | Perfect Stranger | 79 | |||||
| 2010 | 01.10 | ||||||
Chart positions:[3]
Singles / Videos
| Year | Single | AUT | BEL | CAN | DEN | FIN | FRA | GER | NED | SUI | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | "Symphonie pour un dingue" | I am à l'ancienne | |||||||||
| 2004 | "Femme Like U" | 4 | 1 | 17 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 22 | 1 | La Good Life | |
| 2004 | "Crazy" | 32 | 14 | 9 | 2 | 19 | 8 | La Good Life | |||
| 2005 | "Sous l'oeil de l'ange" / "Qu'est ce que ça te fout" |
10 | 29 | La Good Life | |||||||
| 2005 | "Histoires de Luv" | 5 | 6 | 21 | Million Dollar Boy | ||||||
| 2005 | "Les frères existent encore" | 8 | 31 | Million Dollar Boy | |||||||
Chart positions:[4]
- Non-charting singles / videos
- 2006: "Gangsta Party"
- 2006: "Let's go"
- 2008: "Out in the Streets"
- 2008: "Take You Away"
- 2009: "Out In The Streets" (remix) feat. Jim Jones
- 2009: "Elektric"
- 2009: "Music"
Awards
In 2008, K-Maro won the International Achievement Award at the Francophone SOCAN Awards in Montreal.[5]
- In November 2006, K-Maro won The International Achievement Award at the 17th Gala of the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada.[6]
References
External links
- K.Maro Official site
- K.Maro Official Myspace site
- K.Maro TV Official site
- Balbec K.Maro's fashion clothing line
- K.Pone Inc label site
- K.Pone Inc YouTube site