Broad & High Presents: Antonio Lamar
Antonio Lamar was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio and he was surrounded by music from a young age. Many members of his family play instruments or sing, and his uncles and grandfather formed a local gospel group, Sensational Keys of Harmony, which traveled to cities to perform at events and churches. He believes becoming a musician was destined to happen.
Cross My Mind
“Cross My Mind” is a collaboration between Antonio Lamar and his friend, Randall Thomas, who is a songwriter based in Columbus. The song was written a couple years prior for another artist, but it was shelved until the two exchanged texts about Antonio’s project.
After hearing the song, Antonio and Randall immediately worked together to bring the song to life.
Angel
“Angel” is written about Antonio’s personal experience with a past relationship. He purchased the song’s beat, but it sat in his email for a month until he rediscovered it during a weekend to himself. The beat evoked thoughts of his past relationship and they were expressed perfectly into lyrics for the song.
What To Wear
“What To Wear” was a happy accident that came about during a conversation with his friend, Randall Thomas, who is a songwriter based in Columbus. Their conversation touched upon the topic of male artists and the current state of R&B music.
Randall later sent Antonio a beat inspired by traditional R&B and the pair collaborated to produce “What To Wear”.
Follow The Band
Meet The Musicians
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Randall Thomas and Antonio Lamar.
Interview with Antonio Lamar
The Origin Story
Oh man where do I start? [I was] born and raised in Columbus, Ohio. It’s normal for me to be surrounded by music. On my mother’s side, every single person does something musically. If they don’t sing, then they play some type of instrument. All of my uncles and grandfather formed the local gospel group, Sensational Keys of Harmony, in which they managed to put out several projects and travel from city to city performing at different events and churches. Then you have my father’s side of the family where playing musical instruments is a huge part. So, music was destined to happen.
Give us the lowdown on your sound.
I would describe my sound as a mixture of vocals like John Legend [with the] versatility of Usher and the R&B swag of Khalid.
Quick Question!
First album/CD/Cassette you purchased for yourself?
First cassette I bought was Missy Elliot “Supa Fly”. At that time, and even now, she really has changed the whole dynamic and raised the bar on what creativity is and should be for an artist.
Who do you like listening to… whose music do you currently have on rotation?
Oh man, my music taste changes depending on how I feel. I listen to everything from opera to old school hip hop, but currently, I’m listening to Kendrick Lamar, J Cole, H.E.R, Jay Z ‘s 4:44 , YBN Cordae and my idol, Stevie Wonder.
What has been your most memorable performance?
My most memorable performance, I would have to say, is singing the national anthem at monster jam in Dayton, Ohio. For one, it was the biggest audience I’ve ever performed for. It had [to have been] anywhere from 5,000 to 7,000 monster truck fans. [Secondly], that was my first [time] ever performing in a stadium.
How did it feel to hear your song air on Sirius radio?
Hearing my song on Sirius Radio was crazy. I’ll never forget it. I was riding with a friend of mine and we were talking about the Avengers, or Marvel I think, and I heard my song. [I] completely stopped him mid-sentence, turned up the volume, and was like “YO THIS IS ME!!!!!”
What is your favorite part about being in the Columbus music scene?
The thing I like about being in the music scene here in my city is [that] you really get a chance to see how much talent Columbus has to offer. [You also] get to network and meet new artists and create genuine relationships.
Jeni’s or Graeter’s?
Neither one. Coldstone all day, but if I had to choose, Graeters for sure.
Where is your dream performance venue?
My dream venue would be Madison Square Garden doing a tribute to my idol, Stevie Wonder