Bars and Melody | |
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Also known as | BAM |
Origin | United Kingdom |
Genres | Pop rap, R&B |
Years active | 2014–present |
Labels | Syco Music |
Website | barsandmelody |
Members | Leondre Devries Charlie Lenehan |
Bars and Melody are a British singing/rapping duo consisting of rapper Leondre Devries ("Bars") and singer Charlie Lenehan ("Melody"). They took part in the eighth series of Britain's Got Talent in 2014. During their audition, they were automatically sent into the semifinals of the competition after the head judge, Simon Cowell, pressed the "golden buzzer," a new feature introduced in the eighth series. They ultimately finished in third place in the series.
After the show, Bars and Melody signed a record deal with Syco Music. Their debut single, "Hopeful", was released on 25 July 2014 and peaked at number five on the UK Singles Chart. They brought out a new song, "Shining Star", on 30 July 2014; this was an extra to their acoustic version of "Hopeful".
Bars and Melody released their debut studio album 143 on 21 August 2015. It debuted at number four in the UK. They refer to their fans as "Bambinos."
Devries and Lenehan first met in September 2013 on Facebook, after Devries had seen Lenehan's solo performances. They first met in person in January 2014 and decided to form a music duo as Bars and Melody, or B.A.M.
On 8 February 2014, Bars and Melody auditioned in Manchester for the eighth series of Britain's Got Talent. They performed a song based on Twista and Faith Evans' "Hope", with Devries replacing the original verses with ones protesting against bullying. After the audition, the audience began chanting "Push the gold!" and Simon Cowell responded by pressing the golden buzzer, sending them through straight through to the live semi-finals. Their audition has since been viewed on YouTube more than 150 million times.
Before the semi-finals, the boys were interviewed on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in the United States, and numerous adverts were posted on Facebook. They advertised Britain's Got Talent and themselves, as well as performing their audition piece. In the BGT semi-final on 29 May, they performed Puff Daddy and Faith Evans' "I'll Be Missing You", coupled with new verses about someone who had recently lost a friend; audience members were given candles to wave during the performance. They won their semi-final and progressed through to the final.