492:"Growing up, I was always made to be ashamed of myself about being who I wanted to be and liking what I liked, so I hid it all. It was for a multitude of reasons, and for the sake of brevity I won't get specific, but it can mostly be boiled down to pressure to be 'blacker' and the insidious effects that has on one's psyche, but I did what I was told, and whatever I thought a person like me was supposed to do. My middle name, Lamar, was just one I never really felt attached to. So I hid that. Getting my starts in music, I played acoustic and released and performed music as a singer-songwriter for a long time, which started basically because of my limited resources, and I kept going because of the positive ways I was affecting the world around me through that medium, but there's always been another part of me that wanted to explore the stuff I’m exploring now, but never had the bravery or resources. So in the process of evolving into this music, I wanted to do something that pulled from my past and exposed all those things, but created a clear focus on the future. Reggie, my first name, is in the first R, and with it being at the beginning of R.LUM.R, it's the past, and the music I created that got me here. Though I’m evolving, I don't want to abandon where I came from. LUM is part of Lamar (my middle name) and represents the parts of myself I’d always hidden, and the present time. It means to me that I can take that stuff from back then and wear it proudly, turning it into positives. It's also the center of the idea right now, so it's fitting for it to be sitting where it is visually. The last R is the future and the person I can be, coexisting with the person i’ve always been. Lamar ends with an "r", and Reggie starts with an "r", so it's like bringing the ideas of the past and the present together, but in the future."
317:. At the time, Williams didn't have much of a social life, so he spent most of his time playing guitar. He says the first songs he wrote were about girls who didn't like him. While in high school, a friend persuaded Williams to perform an original song during a talent show. An introvert, Williams was reluctant but eventually relented, performing a ballad written for a close friend he had seen deal with substance abuse. "I sang that song called ‘Stay,’ because it essentially was just like, ‘I want you to take care of yourself, but I know there's nothing I can do.’ I was up there on the stage crying, pouring my heart out and I finish the song. Place is silent, and then they just like clapped for a long time. I got up, just so nerdy and weird and shit, and left." Mr. Kaiser, a music teacher he cites as an important mentor, persuaded him to return to the stage.
422:"I could’ve gone to Atlanta or Chicago or L.A. or Portland or whatever, but those places already have a sound that you think of when you think of urban—read: black—music. L.A. has Kendrick, the beat scene. Atlanta, there’s that wonderful trap music that’s poppin’. New York City there are the boom-bap rappers. Chicago, it’s Mick Jenkins. People, you know, who have a history in those places." As a person outside looking in, I didn’t think Nashville had a lane yet for a black guy making traditional black music, you know what I’m saying? But that is an advantage. That’s a place where I can go and create my own lane."
384:. Cruz suggested that he and Williams get into the studio by themselves (as opposed to the common industry practice of renting a studio for a week and having multiple writers write multiple songs) and start from scratch. These sessions were where R.LUM.R's first singles, "Show Me", "Be Honest", and "Nothing New" would be written and produced. Atlantic Records was receptive and persuaded Williams to adopt the project full-time.
348:. He recalls, "People like were just gifted with this thing, born above the rest of us commoners, and we are just here to receive their gift…" It was during his final year of college that Williams began to contemplate his musical identity as a classical guitar player. Williams realized that it would be more beneficial to his career as a musician to go out and make commercial music rather than spend as much time studying it.
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also complimented his unique sound calling him "an artist unapologetic about his quirks". In addition, he spent 6 months as the face of
Spotify's Alt R&B playlist, and is now prominently featured in their biggest playlists, including Are and Be, The Newness, Chilled R&B, among several others.
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was living at the time. Both felt that
Williams could experience greater success in a bigger city with a larger music scene. Although, continuing to write and perform his acoustic folk songs, Williams created R.LUM.R while in Orlando as a side project as way to expand his creative output to multiple
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The uncertainty
Williams felt during his relocation to Nashville became the inspiration for his next single, "Frustrated". Once released, Spotify, who had featured R.LUM.R on their New Music Tuesday and Alternative R&B playlists previously, decided to support the new single by placing it on many
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With his decision to be R.LUM.R full-time, Williams was living in
Orlando and facing the upcoming ending of his lease. William's noticed that many of his professional and creative collaborators were moving to Nashville, TN and began to contemplate a relocation. Although making ends meet by playing
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mini-documentary from May 2015, he recalls asking his parents for a guitar to which they responded with laughter. Although still legally under his parents' care, Williams spent most of his teen years sleeping at friend's houses. William recalls struggling to fit in with other black youth telling
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was born in
Bradenton, FL on January 18, 1990. According to Williams, much of his upbringing was characterized by difficult relationships with both his family and peers. At the age of 5, William's parents got a divorce leading to relationships with his mother, father, and sisters he describes as
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cover shows for $ 150 a night in
Orlando, William's decided that it was best to take a chance on his newly conceived project and make the move to a city with a larger industry presence and music scene. In December 2015, Williams moved to Nashville permanently.
560:? I posted that up and some girl was like, ‘What! You like Elliott Smith?’ I'm like, ‘Yeah, of course.’ He's super sad, but he's got these beautiful, fantastic melodies." Other influences mentioned by Williams in interviews include
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where he now resides. R.LUM.R is best known for his viral 2016 single, "Frustrated" which has garnered over 50 million plays on
Spotify alone as of December 6, 2019. In 2017 NPR Music named him one of their "Artists to watch at
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praised his "highly complex set of vocal skills". The Music Ninja also applauded his musical prowess, writing that he made music "fusing soul, pop, R&B and dance in a way that's as unique as it is exciting."
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of their most popular national playlists. Frustrated quickly became a hit garnering nearly 20 million streams on
Spotify alone since first released in late 2016. In early 2017 Frustrated Hit No. 1 on
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line: 'Too white for the black kids, too black for the whites.' You're stuck in that shitty middle ground. So for a long time I just pretended to be into all the shit they were into.
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Suddenly, Williams had a producer that he was working with, a manager on board, and industry professionals that were interested in his new project. "Show Me" was later released to
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labelled R.LUM.R a "fast-rising artist whose falsetto is no joke" and spotlighted him as "an Artist To Watch at SXSW". In July 2017, with the release of single "Close Enough",
293:, "I was fat and couldn't play basketball, and I wanted to listen to Linkin Park, and only the white kids at my school wanted to do that stuff, and it's kind of like that
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380:. Williams began writing songs for the purpose of sending them along to established stars to perform. Williams began working with Central Florida producer J. Cruz of
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In 2013, at the time Reggie moved in to his manager, Chris
Martignago's, apartment in Orlando, FL, Martignago was working for Atlantic Record's A&R department.
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marveled at his ability to "pluck at heart-strings while moving the waist." In an article accompanying an exclusive release of his single "Be Honest", Music blog
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contributor Saddie Bell wrote, "If his sound could be placed in four walls, it feels as if he could tear them down with a single bombastic beat," while
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picked it up on their New Music
Tuesday playlist. Due to the success of his first single, Williams decided to continue with R.LUM.R.
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In July 2017, R.LUM.R released his follow-up single "Close Enough" and accompanying lyric video as a
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734:"R.LUM.R Went From Sleeping on People's Couches To Having More Than Ten Million Streams on Spotify"
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In a 2015 interview with popular indie Music Blog The Music Ninja, Reggie explained that the name
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genres. Through online tutorials, he began to learn the basics of electronic music production.
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Reggie first began playing music by learning to play classical guitar while attending the
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have also been listed as music that influences him. In a May 2017 interview with
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for music studies. He states his original aspirations were to become, the next
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870:"Meet R.LUM.R, the Classical Guitarist Turned Spotify Playlist Sensation"
842:"Meet R.Lum.R, the Classical Guitarist Turned Spotify Playlist Sensation"
760:"Meet R.LUM.R, the Classical Guitarist Turned Spotify Playlist Sensation"
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On August 2, 2017, R.LUM.R performed "Frustrated" and "Close Enough" on
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On August 2, 2017, R.LUM.R performed "Frustrated" and "Close Enough" on
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1031:"Listen to R.LUM.R's Explosive R&B Jam 'Close Enough': Exclusive"
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265:" and called him a "fast-rising artist whose falsetto is no joke."
309:. His first musical instrument purchased was a Yamaha CG101 from
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On November 1, 2019, R.LUM.R released his first full-length LP,
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On August 11, 2017, R.LUM.R released his debut EP "Afterimage".
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from the article and its talk page, especially if potentially
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816:"R.LUM.R talks growing up in Bradenton, 'Jimmy Kimmel Live'"
418:, William's recounts his decision to relocate to Nashville,
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as the reason he made it through his last year of college.
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The Heat's (Ch.46) Top 35 Songs out beating artists like
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He eventually dropped out of college and relocated to
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706:"Bradenton's R.Lum.R performs on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live'"
1131:"R.LUM.R Is An Artist Unapologetic About His Quirks"
973:"R.LUM.R Is An Artist Unapologetic About His Quirks"
788:"R.LUM.R Is An Artist Unapologetic About His Quirks"
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William's musical influences are eclectic. He cites
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1219:State College of Florida, Manatee–Sarasota alumni
244:(born January 18, 1990), known professionally as
344:. He cites his biggest influence at the time as
340:, Williams began writing various EPs and LPs as
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488:is a combination of his first and middle name.
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372:had a "who's looking" list for artists such as
1059:"R.LUM.R pleads for the truth in "Be Honest""
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536:, particularly the song, "Let it Be Me" and
324:before being granted a scholarship to go to
414:In a 2017 interview with Music Publication
322:State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota
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58:about living persons that is unsourced or
320:After high school, Williams attended the
129:Learn how and when to remove this message
1174:21st-century American singer-songwriters
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732:Martinez, Stephen (March 23, 2017).
1194:American rhythm and blues musicians
1179:21st-century American male singers
1129:Ellis, Stacy-Ann (July 18, 2017).
971:Ellis, Stacy-Ann (July 18, 2017).
786:Ellis, Stacy-Ann (July 18, 2017).
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1224:Singer-songwriters from Tennessee
1204:Singers from Nashville, Tennessee
1214:Musicians from Sarasota, Florida
1189:American male singer-songwriters
999:Thompson, Stephen (March 2017).
674:Thompson, Stephen (March 2017).
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1057:Saunders, John (June 8, 2015).
1209:People from Bradenton, Florida
1105:"The Eclectic Mind of R.LUM.R"
947:"The Eclectic Mind of R.LUM.R"
898:"The Eclectic Mind of R.LUM.R"
868:Leight, Elias (June 7, 2017).
840:Leight, Elias (June 7, 2017).
758:Leight, Elias (June 7, 2017).
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1103:Carr, Kevin (May 10, 2017).
945:Carr, Kevin (May 10, 2017).
896:Carr, Kevin (May 10, 2017).
403:Relocation to Nashville and
36:biography of a living person
307:Manatee School for the Arts
281:Reginald Lamar Williams, Jr
242:Reginald Lamar Williams, Jr
63:must be removed immediately
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16:American singer-songwriter
1184:American male pop singers
594:Liquid Tension Experiment
520:, particularly his album
338:Florida State University
326:Florida State University
820:Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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50:Please help by adding
1199:American soul singers
1082:"Get to know R.LUM.R"
924:"Get to know R.LUM.R"
258:Nashville, Tennessee
56:Contentious material
598:My Chemical Romance
533:Gossip in the Grain
250:alternative R&B
181:Alternative R&B
1109:Behind The Setlist
951:Behind The Setlist
902:Behind The Setlist
574:Coheed and Cambria
548:Behind The Setlist
429:Behind The Setlist
416:Behind The Setlist
355:where his manager
336:. While attending
270:Jimmy Kimmel Live!
254:Bradenton, Florida
167:Bradenton, Florida
1084:. The Music Ninja
926:. The Music Ninja
497:Reggie Williams,
465:Jimmy Kimmel Live
427:Reggie Williams,
315:Sarasota, Florida
284:"tenuous". In an
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203:2013–present
199:Years active
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45:verification
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1164:1990 births
1080:TMN Staff.
922:TMN Staff.
825:January 30,
638:Discography
582:Linkin Park
523:Seven Swans
514:Fleet Foxes
460:exclusive.
443:Chris Brown
374:Chris Brown
353:Orlando, FL
1158:Categories
717:August 11,
661:References
508:Influences
447:Bruno Mars
405:Frustrated
389:SoundCloud
346:John Mayer
276:Early life
212:PRMD Music
157:1990-01-18
89:newspapers
1061:. Earmilk
1036:Billboard
654:Surfacing
615:Billboard
610:NPR Music
608:In 2016,
604:Reception
562:Radiohead
557:Either/Or
540:’s album
530:’s album
474:Surfacing
458:Billboard
382:Ethnikids
119:June 2015
78:"R.LUM.R"
41:citations
1142:July 21,
1114:July 21,
1088:July 21,
1065:July 21,
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