Lemar - It's Not That Easy

SEP 04 2006 · 12:00

Lemar - It's Not That Easy (2006) Director: Wayne Isham Era: Mid-2000s British R&B/Soul Renaissance (2006) - Peak era of polished, warm-toned UK soul balladry, characterised by intimate performance staging and cinematic emotional restraint High curatorial value as a well-produced exemplar of mid-2000s British R&B ballad aesthetics, directed by one of the most decorated music video directors of the MTV era. The video's quantitative profile, notably its very low brightness, moderate contrast, high saturation, and slow motion index, offers a measurable aesthetic fingerprint for the intimate soul-ballad genre of the period. Its pairing of a veteran Hollywood-adjacent director with a British soul artist also makes it a compelling case study in transatlantic production collaboration. Context: Released in 2006 as the lead single from Lemar's third album 'The Truth About Love', this video emerges at a moment when British R&B artists were navigating the commercial mainstream following Lemar's high-profile exposure via the UK talent competition 'Fame Academy'. The mid-2000s saw a maturation of British soul, with artists such as Lemar, Craig David, and later Amy Winehouse repositioning UK R&B as emotionally serious and musically sophisticated. The video's dark, sepia-toned intimacy reflects broader industry aesthetics of the period, where adult contemporary soul was frequently presented through restrained, candlelit visual vocabularies designed to foreground vocal sincerity over spectacle. Director notes: Confirmed as director of the 2006 music video for Lemar's 'It's Not That Easy' via IMDb (tt4293906) and IMVDb. The video was released in the United Kingdom. The production reflects Isham's mid-career pivot toward R&B and soul balladry, consistent with his documented work across multiple genres including pop and R&B during the 2000s. The warm, low-key lighting aesthetic and performance-centred staging align with the intimate visual language Isham employed for soul and adult contemporary projects of this era.