TAMERA
Birth nameTamera Cuthbert
Born (1997-01-28) 28 January 1997
Gravesend, Kent, England
Genres
Occupation(s)Singer
Years active2013–present
Labels

Tamera Cuthbert, also known as Tamera Foster and TAMERA, is an English Afrobeat / R&B singer and songwriter who competed in the tenth series of The X Factor in 2013. She was eliminated in the quarter-final, finishing in 5th place.[1] Former Judge Simon Cowell subsequently signed her to his label Syco Music after dubbing her "the British Rihanna".[2][3]

Early life

Cuthbert grew up listening to many genres of music, but was most inspired by Whitney Houston, Missy Elliott, Erykah Badu, Sammy Davis Jr., James Brown, and Beyonce.[4] She also enjoyed drawing and painting, which became more serious hobbies in her early teens.[5] After being encouraged by her mother and grandmother, Cuthbert performed at church, as well as several local talent shows. She decided to audition for The X Factor one week before the show, at the age of 16. [6] She has been reported to have Synesthesia.[7]

2013: The X Factor

Stage Song Original Artist Date Result
Live Arena Auditions Week 1 "I Have Nothing" Whitney Houston Sept 1, 2013 Advanced to Bootcamp / Judges' Houses
Judges' Houses "Fallin'" / "Stay" Alicia Keys / Rihanna Oct 5/6, 2013 Advanced to Live Shows
Week One (Theme: Songs from the 1980s) "Ain't Nobody" Rufus & Chaka Khan Oct 12/13, 2013 Safe
Week Two (Theme: Love and heartbreak) "Beneath Your Beautiful" Labrinth Oct 19/20, 2013 Safe
Week Three (Theme: Songs from films) "Listen" Beyoncé Oct 26/27, 2013 Safe
Week Four (Theme: Disco) "Wishing on a Star" Rose Royce Nov 2/3, 2013 Was voted into Bottom Two: Saved after performance of "I Have Nothing"
Week Five (Theme: Big band) "Cry Me a River" Julie London Nov 9/10, 2013 Safe
Week Six (Theme: The Great British Songbook) "Diamonds Are Forever" Shirley Bassey Nov 16/17, 2013 Safe
Week Seven (Theme: The Best Of The X Factor) "Impossible" James Arthur Nov 23/24, 2013 Safe
Week Eight/Quarter-Finals (Theme: Contestant's musical heroes/viewers' choice) "We Found Love" / "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" Rihanna & Calvin Harris / Roberta Flack Nov 30/Dec 1, 2013 Was voted into Bottom Two: Performed "The Voice Within" and was Eliminated
Non-competition performances
Episode Song
Week One "Get Lucky"
Week Two "Wake Me Up"
Week Three "Locked Out of Heaven"
Week Four "A Night to Remember"
Week Five "Love Me Again"
Week Six "Never Forget"
Week Seven "Everybody in Love" (with JLS)
Week Eight (Quarter-Finals) "Burn"

2014-2022: Syco Music and Afrodite

After her stint on The X Factor, Cuthbert was signed to a deal with Syco Music in March 2014.[8] In an 2021 interview for CheckOut Magazine, she reminisced about her first time in the studio. "I was probably around 17 and just got signed and they told me ‘first of all we’re getting you in the studio so you can start writing’. I’d never been in a studio before, it was all so exciting to me - so I went to my best friend’s house and I was like ‘okay babes you’ve got to help me write some songs before I go’. We [started to write] a song that [was] so silly; all about waking up in some fresh new Jordans and it’s a sunny day and living every day like it’s my birthday. Looking back it’s so silly but we had so much fun trying to get there and it’s made me realize how far I’ve come."[9]

Cuthbert was sent to writing camps in LA, New York, and Sweden, and worked with topline songwriter-producer Kamille in early pop-influenced album writing sessions.[6] In a now-deleted December 2014 YouTube vlog upload of a behind-the-scenes Cuthbert studio session, an anthemic pop song titled "Hit You Like A Bullet" was teased alongside a jazz cover of "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town". Failing to agree with the label on a musical direction, the music from Syco never materialized, with Cuthbert instead waiting for the 3 year contract to expire.[10] She parted ways with the label in 2016,[5] and began to further hone her songwriting, working with UK writer Parker Ighile. In 2019, Cuthbert signed an undisclosed record deal with London-based label Moonshyne Music Ltd. and music distributor AWAL, subsequently releasing her debut single "Romeo" produced by Ighile.[11] "Sultry" second single "Don't Phone" soon followed alongside "Flipside", produced by production team Future Cut and Oscar Scheller.[12][13] Music publication Billboard described the sound of her fourth single "Wickedest" as "the embodiment of smoothness".[14] Cuthbert released her debut EP Afrodite, executive-produced by P2J, to acclaim in 2021, described by music publication Clash as a "warm embrace of feminine energy... spotlight[ing] the singer's African and Greek heritage amongst silky riffs and intimate songwriting."[15] In November 2022 she released single "Insensitive", which received "track of the day" honors on Clash and was heralded as a "superb return".[16]

2023-Present: Lost In Translation

In February 2023, Cuthbert released "Frozen", an electro-dance departure from her typical R&B-meets Afrobeat sound, co-written by OVO Sound artist Majid Al Maskati of Majid Jordan. Her second EP Lost In Translation was released in November 2023, which contained "40 Days", her first charting single on the Official Afrobeats Charts.[17]

Discography

Studio Projects

  • Afrodite EP (2021)
  • Lost In Translation EP (2023)

Singles

Title Year Official Afrobeats Chart
[18]		 Album
"Romeo" 2019 Non-album single
"Don't Phone" Non-album single
"Flipside" 2020 Rocks (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
"Wickedest" 2021 Afrodite EP
"Strong For Me"
"Good Love" (Feat. Tay Iwar)
"New Hobby"
"Insensitive" 2022 Non-album single
"Frozen" 2023 Non-album single
"Diversion" Lost In Translation EP
"Poison"
"40 Days" (Feat. CKay) 16

Guest appearances

List of guest appearances, with other performing artists, showing year released and album name
Title Year Other performer(s) Album
"Dynamite" 2017 Kojey Radical & Pote In God's Body
"Identify" Parker Ighile Non-album single
"Wanna Be With You" 2023 Steel Banglez & Mowgs The Playlist
"Honest" Spinall, Tay Iwar & TSB Top Boy
"I'm So High" P-Rallel & Toddla T Movement
"Options" Kamille & Bellah K1
"Shivers" Nonso Amadi When It Blooms

Songwriting Credits

Title Year Artist Album
"Don't Want You Back" (Featuring Kiesza) 2017 Bakermat Non-album single

References

  1. ↑ "'X Factor' Singer Tamera Foster Joins Simon Cowell's Syco Record Label Alongside One Direction, Little Mix, Sam Bailey | HuffPost UK Entertainment". Huffingtonpost.co.uk. 16 March 2014. Archived from the original on 3 November 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  2. ↑ Staff, Wonderland (20 May 2014). "Profile: Tamera Foster". Wonderland. Archived from the original on 3 November 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  3. ↑ "X Factor contestant Tamera Foster secures Syco record deal". Pressparty. 16 March 2014. Archived from the original on 3 November 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  4. ↑ Radcliffe, Maya (9 June 2020). "Spotlight: Tamera". Prsformusic.com. Archived from the original on 3 November 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  5. 1 2 Toggle navigation (29 October 2021). "Young Gifted And Black: Women In Music x YouTube Music - Tamera | Interviews". Music Week. Archived from the original on 3 November 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  6. 1 2 "Tamera Foster On X-Factor And The Challenge Of Being A Role Model - Exclusive Interview". The Untitled Magazine. 26 October 2022. Archived from the original on 3 November 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  7. ↑ "Tamera: 'Having synaesthesia means I see colours when I hear music' - BBC News". Bbc.com. Archived from the original on 3 November 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  8. ↑ "Tamera Foster signs a huge record deal with Syco - Syco Simon Cowell | Glamour UK". Glamourmagazine.co.uk. 17 March 2014. Archived from the original on 3 November 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  9. ↑ "Romanticising dark situations into beautiful melodies: meet London's next big thing, Tamera — CHECK-OUT". Checkoutmag.co.uk. 3 January 2021. Archived from the original on 3 November 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  10. ↑ "Goddess of Love: Meet Our November Cover Star Tamera as she announces her debut EP 'Afrodite' - PHOENIX Magazine". Phoenixmag.co.uk. Archived from the original on 3 November 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  11. ↑ Staff, Wonderland (8 August 2019). "London Neo-Soul Newcomer Tamera Drops Debut Music Video "Romeo"". Wonderland. Archived from the original on 3 November 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  12. ↑ "Premiere: North West London Singer Tamera Returns With Sultry New R&B Cut "Don't Phone" | Complex UK". Complex.com. 21 November 2019. Archived from the original on 3 November 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  13. ↑ "Schön! premieres | tamera "flipside"". Schön! Magazine. 22 May 2020. Archived from the original on 3 November 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  14. ↑ Neena Rouhani (3 September 2019). "R&B/Hip-Hop Picks of the Week: Mereba, Ye Ali & More – Billboard". Billboard.com. Archived from the original on 3 November 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  15. ↑ Lamond, Ana (18 November 2021). "Tamera Unveils Debut EP 'Afrodite' And 'Good Love' Music Video". Clash. Archived from the original on 16 August 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  16. ↑ Murray, Robin (25 November 2022). "Track Of The Day 25/11 - Tamera". Clash. Archived from the original on 29 November 2022. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  17. ↑ "Official Afrobeats Chart | Official Charts". Archived from the original on 2 October 2023. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  18. ↑ "Tamera Chart History: Afrobeats Chart". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
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