Dutch artist Naomi Sharon melds together an intuitive intimacy and budding spirituality to create lofty but deeply affecting fusions of atmospheric R&B. Over the last four years she has hurdled many monumental moments in her burgeoning career and with the release of her first album it is clear she has a wealth of talent ready to share with the world. That includes her very first headlining tour which features dates all over the world including a stop at The Peppermint Club in Los Angeles on Friday, March 22nd.
Growing up in Rotterdam, she was exposed to a plethora of formative sounds thanks to her parents, from Sade and Destiny’s Child to Bill Withers and Sting. Those influences course perpetually through her music, informing a resoundingly emotional blend of R&B that draws on elements of world music and neo-soul. Yet any attempts to try and pin her down to a single genre misses the point of her nebulous and anthemically personal creations.
While in high school she showcased her readiness for the stage with performances in musical theater, appearing in both “The Lion King” and “Dreamgirls.” In the early 2010’s she started recording covers that included a particularly affecting iteration of Cyndi Lauper‘s “Time After Time.” Her first official single arrived in 2019 in the form of “The Moon,” introducing her soon-to-be fans to her intoxicatingly soulful atmospherics and velvety vocals.
That same year Sharon gave a TED Talk for TEDxAmsterdamWomen, performing the new single and giving an inspiring talk on self-love. After releasing her second single “Breeze,” she found herself in conversation with Drake about joining OVO Sound, which came to fruition not long after their initial link up and made her the first female signee to the label. It was a watershed moment for the fledgling artist, one that launched her rising star onto the global stage and provided her with a platform and team to realize her vision.
Almost immediately she started working on what would become her debut LP entitled Obsidian, a 12-track collection that spanned the entirety of Sharon’s growing catalog of poignant and stirring singles. The title draws on the power and healing evoked by the titular gemstone — providing her with an emblematic symbol of what she was hoping to accomplish with the record in the first place. Singles like “Hills” and “Nothing Sweeter” revealed the grande breadth that she had in store for her debut.
Every song on the album unfolds with immense emotional gravitas, created to tap into or articulate the mercurial realms that exist inside of you. Sharon has described them as being meant for intense contemplation and self-reflection, to be played on long car rides, allowing you the space to lose yourself in their soothing soundscapes. From its softly enveloping opening track “Definitions of Love” to its glacial and hypnotic finale in “Outro” (feat. Beau Nox). The entirety of Obsidian is a lush and ethereal affirmation that Sharon is exactly the kind of artist who tugs at those elusive areas of the heart and soul with timeless precision.
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Words: Steven Ward
See Naomi Sharon at The Peppermint Club in Los Angeles on Friday, March 22nd.
Visit Naomi Sharon on her website and Instagram to stay updated on new releases and tour announcements.
Watch Naomi Sharon perform her song “Nothing Sweeter” for COLORSxSTUDIOS.
Naomi Sharon Tour
March 22 – West Hollywood, CA – The Peppermint Club
March 26 – Brooklyn, NY – Baby’s All Right
March 28 – Toronto, ON – The Drake Underground
April 2 – Berlin, GER – Kantine am Berghain
April 6 – Paris, FR – POPUP!
April 9 – London, UK – The Lower Third
April 10 – Amsterdam, NL – Tolhuistuin
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