NEW YORK (Sony Music/ Epis Records) - O, the eagerly-awaited debut solo album from Omarion, has debuted on the Billboard Top 200 bestselling albums chart at #1. The 20-year-old contemporary R&B powerhouse (who rose to stardom while still in his teens as a frontman for the groundbreaking urban "boy band" B2K) has entered the ranks of bona fide solo stardom.
O has sold more than 180,000 units in its first week in the stores, with roughly 30% of its sales coming from DualDisc purchases. Omarion's O is one of the very first new music titles to be released simultaneously as a CD and as a DualDisc.
Omarion's electrifying appeal and powerful performance style is ideally suited to the compelling visual aspects of DualDisc. And, demonstrated by the strong showing of his first week's numbers, Omarion fans are happily embracing the new product option.
The DualDisc version of O features the album in its entirety on the audio side while the DualDisc DVD side includes the full album in 5.1 Surround Sound and enhanced LPCM Stereo; an exclusive interview with Omarion; MTV's "Diary of Omarion"; and the music video for "O."
"O," the title track from Omarion's eagerly-awaited debut solo album, is already burning up radio airwaves coast-to-coast and is moving up the Billboard Hot 100. The song has generated sales of more than 240,000 ringtones while a steamy and sensual video of the track has peaked at #1 on BET's "106th and Park" - the clip has been on the countdown for nearly two months! - and is moving up the chart on MTV's "TRL" ("Total Request Live"). Omarion has been seen on various MTV series including "Diary" and "Cribs" and was a presenter on the TRL Awards program.
"The disc, with its BET-ready mix of smooth ballads, cool mid-tempo numbers and funky club tracks," wrote Chuck Arnold in a review of O in People magazine, "portrays 20-year-old Omarion as the missing link between Mario and Usher."
Omarion celebrated the release of O with a special performance and autograph party for more than 3,500 of his fans, most of whom waited for hours for a glimpse of the new urban superstar, at the Queens Center Mall on Wednesday, February 23.
For his debut solo album, Omarion collaborated with some of the hottest producers on the contemporary urban music scene including AllStar (3LW, Joe, Luther Vandross), the Underdogs (B2K, Ruben Studdard, Tyrese), Rodney Jerkins, Sean Garrett, and the Neptunes. In addition, Omarion co-wrote five of the songs on the album, which he hopes will show fans a "deeper insight of what goes on inside my head." "Love," he confesses, "is always the topic." The album, a stunning blend of old school skills and new school sounds, is a compelling mix of silky ballads and mid-tempo jams.
Omarion's "Never Gonna Let You Go (She's A Keepa)" is a key track on Hitch - Music From The Motion Picture, the soundtrack from the #1 smash Columbia Picture film, "Hitch," starring Will Smith.
Born and raised in Inglewood, California, Omarion rose to fame while still a teen as a member of the groundbreaking urban "boy band" B2K. His soulful vocals and undeniable charisma helped B2K score a hit with the group's very first single, "Uh Huh," in 2001; achieve gold status with the group's self-titled debut album in 2002; and go RIAA platinum with the group's best-selling sophomore outing, Pandemonium!, in 2003.
Omarion's undeniable mediageniality has led to numerous television guest appearances including "Punk'd," "The Sharon Osbourne Show," and "Soul Train." In addition to his musical performances, Omarion has acted on the big screen with key roles in "You Got Served" and "Fat Albert." Currently in production, Omarion's latest film venture, "The House," is an innovative horror film directed by Chris Stokes.
With the first side of every DualDisc containing a full audio album, and the DVD side providing the same album in enhanced sound (such as 5.1 Surround Sound), along with such multimedia features as music videos, documentary footage, photo galleries, web links, and so on, DualDisc was created to bring the fan even closer to the creative artistic process. DualDisc adds an exciting new dimension to the consumer's musical experience. One disc, two experiences.
