Singer and songwriter, Naomi Sharon.
With a lineage steeped in Dutch and Caribbean heritage, music was an integral part of Naomi Sharon’s upbringing. Her family featured a DJ-producer father, a singing mother and aunt, and a musician uncle who played an ensemble of instruments–Sharon's roots sonically run deep. From her family’s soulful love of music to the moving sounds of artists like Sade, Stevie Wonder, Eva Cassidy, jazz musician Marcus Miller, and the evocative melodies of Sting, Sharon’s constant musical experience growing up was also diverse, inspiring her artistic sound to take shape.
This sound has led her to become the first woman singer and songwriter signed to Drake’s OVO Sound label, expanding the horizons of her artistry and offering greater depth to the music industry. In her debut album, ‘Obsidian,’ Sharon channels a deep-seated emotional intimacy, which provides a delicate balance between nostalgia and simplicity, transcending entertainment to explore the complexities of life–love, heartbreak, and healing.
Each of her lyrics is a conduit through which she shares personal experiences that universally touch the hearts of listeners with their uninhibited authenticity, a feature that is core to Sharon’s art. This season, Sharon will embark on her first sold-out tour bringing her inspiring sounds to life within the warm embrace of live audiences globally. The tour launches in the US and then moves to Canada, France, Germany, the UK, and concludes in the Netherlands, her home country.
Musical & Personal Evolution
“In my early years, I loved music and took it seriously but felt I had to do theater school or take a job, or such,” says Sharon who endeavored for her experiences to align with her passions growing up. After covering theater roles in productions like The Lion King and Dream Girls, there was a moment when–while still operating from dressing rooms–she took a risk and put out one song titled ‘The Moon.’ With few expectations, she waited to see how things would go, and as the opportunities flowed in she exclaimed: “Wow I may be onto something serious.”
In 2019, she caught the ear of Drake who discovered her on social media and later signed her to his label OVO Sound. While working with Drake and others like producer Noah “40” Shebib, she has expressed: “They are both great mentors who teach me a lot about the way they do things. They’ve also provided great advice while creating space for me to have the opportunity to experience things.” Their encouragement has inspired Sharon to expand from neo-soul to explore embracing the sounds of alternative R&B and up-tempo music, an evolution that she has loved.
In tandem with her evolution in musical expression, Sharon emphasizes a profound belief in the energy imbued within all things, a concept she's delved into deeply in her personal journey. Laughing as she recounts her decision to cut her hair for the second time ahead of her tour, Sharon reveals the symbolic act represents her pursuit of continuous renewal and fresh beginnings. "All things carry energy," she asserts, intertwining her external transformation with an internal shift towards embracing newness she expands sharing: “It felt like a fresh start. Simultaneously, the things that are happening in my life also feel like a fresh start.”
As she prepares for her inaugural tour, Sharon plans to infuse into her tour the vibrancy of her evolving artistic journey. This journey she expresses is also reflective of the new music she is making now that is so different from her music before. “Each year you grow a little more,” says Sharon.
The Musings Behind ‘Obsidian’
Sharon's album ‘Obsidian’ derives its name from the healing gemstone renowned for its multifaceted properties, evoking not only clarity but also possessing the remarkable ability to dissolve emotional, physical, and spiritual blockages stemming from stress and tension. Similar to the stone, Sharon's album reflects a journey of emotional and spiritual growth, centered around themes of heartbreak, longing, and self-discovery, pulling on Sharon’s own profound journey of introspection, detoxification, and healing.
While reflecting on her personal inspirations and creative process, Sharon speaks passionately about her admiration of Sting's poetic lyricism which she describes as “delicately dancing” with each topic sung. “It would be a dream to have Sting on a song,” she expands. In the meantime, Sharon envisions infusing into her own music a timeless depth that pulls from the inspiration of the truth that she is living in each moment: “I don’t really make songs about things that I don’t go through myself. So it’s real-time, it’s life and for me it’s important. That’s how I connect with my songs. That’s how I connect with my audience.”
With the opportunity to connect with her audience on tour, Sharon is excited to engage in an intimate space of vulnerability and empathy, where the lines between artist and listener blur, and healing becomes in Sharon’s words “group therapy”–a collective journey of discovery and growth where both she and audience alike heal. Looking forward to the encounters she shares: “I receive messages from people often and they are very sincere, but also very personal. It feels like whenever I get to perform we are going to have that moment with each other and that inspires me.”
Hope & Inspiring the Next Generation
Along with her artistry evoking opportunities for collective healing, Sharon endeavors to imbue a sense of hope within her music as inspiration for listeners to remain positive amid the easiness of falling into narratives that globally feel negative. It’s this same vision of possibility that she pours into those around her and shares to inspire current and future generations of artists:
- Stay very true to yourself: “When you listen to your heart you will do what’s good for you… Whenever we listen to our hearts we will be on the paths that are right for each of us.”
- Don’t let anyone tell you, you cannot do something: “I know this sounds very cliche but it’s so important to see your idea through because everyone else is just ‘projecting’ their own experiences… Even when someone is giving you positive advice, it’s still a projection. It’s important to ask for advice, but also that we are willing to explore our talents and go on our own journeys.”
- It might not be easy, but it is worth it: “Whenever you do it, just know it won’t be easy or it may not be like you had in mind but it’s part of the process and that’s okay. You’ll get there eventually. It’s not easy and shouldn’t be, and that’s okay.”
Sharon’s biggest and continually reinforced takeaway has been that it is imperative to remain "present" and avoid taking life's blessings for granted. With accomplishing many of her career goals amid the slow yet swiftly moving nature of life, she’s embraced a continued sense of gratitude for bearing witness to everything from the simplicities of life to her dreams coming to fruition. “One thing I try to do often is celebrate little moments,” says Sharon. With celebrating the little moments serving as a constant grounding mechanism, she’s excited to continue to harness this power both personally and musically while inspiring others to lean into the endless creative possibilities being present can bear.
