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Tonight sees Lemar join Alesha Dixon and Estelle for a summer concert at Newmarket Racecourse.

Read the latest interview with Lemar taken from www.cambridge-news.co.uk

A RACECOURSE may not be the usual performance venue for a hip urban act, but it's nothing new for Lemar. In fact the soulful singer-songwriter is used to entertaining tipsy race-goers with his smooth R&B grooves.

"Yeah, I've done some shows at racecourses before, and they always go down well," he tells What's On. "People have hopefully won a little bit of money and had a few drinks, and they're ready to have a party." But what if they've had a big loss? "Well then they'll get even more merry, so either way you're in for a good 'un," he laughs.

Mind you, Lemar could perform in front of a bunch of sober monks and he'd still go down a storm.

Master of the expressively husky voice, the 31-year-old is just as appealing to cool young things as he is to maturing Radio 2 listeners, and with infectious hits like 50/50, If There's Any Justice, and It's Not That Easy to his name, it's no surprise that two Brit Awards for Best Urban Act currently grace his mantelpiece.

But even though Lemar grew up surrounded by music in his Tottenham home, fame almost didn't come knocking.

"My parents were always trying to make me study, so I didn't think about it as a career, but I bumped into some guys who thought I should try out my voice in a studio, so I did. I liked what I heard, and thought I'd give it a shot," he says.

At first all went well, and while still a teenager Lemar found himself supporting the likes of Usher and Destiny's child.

"It was great, and it gave me that thirst for the stage. But after about eight years I thought: 'Do you know what? I'm going to stop, because this isn't working. I've tried for eight years and I haven't had my break yet, I'll have to face that it's not for me'."

Lemar packed away his songbook, and even took a job working in a branch of NatWest for a while. "But luckily I gave it one last shot, and here I am today (Thursday, 25 June)."

That last shot was, of course, the first series of reality talent show Fame Academy back in 2002. He didn't win - in fact he was beaten into third place by the long-forgotten David Sneddon and Sinead Quinn, but it didn't make a difference.While they dropped off the radar, Lemar went stellar. "It was a great thing, a great period in my life. I spent three months sharpening my craft, the public took to me, and I've had a seven-year career so far," he says.

But there's no denying that Lemar has worked hard for his fame and fortune. One of the most dedicated acts in the business, if he's not busy performing or in the studio, he's writing. In fact, since completing his UK tour in April, he's written 13 new songs and is back in the studio laying down tracks for next year.

But it's on stage that Lemar is happiest: "I love being in the studio, but ultimately you do everything so you can get people to come to that stage and be in front of you and sing the song. And oh my wow, it's an amazing buzz - it's the greatest thing."

So what can we expect tomorrow (Friday, 26 June) night? "I'll be probably doing a lot of the stuff I did on my recent tour, but obviously I've got to cram it down into an energy-filled 45 minutes.

"I just hope the people will have the energy to keep up - it's going to be a lot of fun."

The first race is at 6pm, with the music starting around 9.30pm. Tickets £15, £25, £35. Contact 08445 793010 / www.newmarketracecourses.co.uk or buy on the gate.