Digital Cover: Naomi Sharon
Photographer: Brandon Bowen
Naomi Sharon is
reinventing R&B.
Obsidian is a high-regarded protective stone, known to block, absorb, and transform negative energy. A stone of clarity, it’s believed to be an outlet for emotional, physical, and spiritual blockages. Naomi Sharon has very intentionally named her debut album after this glass-like volcanic rock - a soundtrack curated from turbulent times transformed into channels of self-discovery, rebirth, and remedy. The Dutch songstress shares the amalgamation of her life experiences in this masterfully crafted 13-track journey, never once failing to communicate her most vulnerable moments in the most poetic of ways. Known for her heartfelt and heartbreaking 90s-inspired ballads, Sharon transcends past the confines of traditional R&B–breaking out of her comfort zone in songs like “Time and Trust,” and “Push (feat. Omah Lay)–using her debut to not only define her artistry but sonically experiment with the genre as well.
Love is the fire of life and the driving force of cohesion in Obsidian, pulling together all of Sharon’s lessons and mistakes in a melodious, listener-pleasing arrangement. With impeccable production and equally intoxicating vocals, Sharon has birthed a project that touches deeply, leaving you fulfilled yet yearnful. Obsidian confirms the OVO newcomer’s durability–her unprecedented approach to R&B isn’t just pushing the genre ahead, but reinventing it. A few weeks ago, Sharon joined us on Zoom to talk about her musical journey, the current state of R&B, and the creating, writing, and releasing of Obsidian.
You’ve mentioned before that you grew up around music, can you remember your earliest music memory?
Yeah there are a couple, but the one that stays with me is- I was about four years old and playing a song by Stevie Wonder and Babyface. [Laughs] It’s not my language, first of all. And then second of all, at that time I already felt what music could do to me emotionally. And from that moment on, it was clear that that was also my path. I think I had a real connection with music when I was really young and it’s also because of my family, like you said, but it’s also something you just need to feel–the connection you have with music and what it does to you. And you know, I enjoyed making up my own language. I’m from the Netherlands, so English is not my first language. And at that time I thought it was so cool if people could speak English.
It’s not my first language either and I remember when I was young I used to just repeat the words in pop songs and pretend to know English.
It’s also such a poetic way to learn a different language—through music.
You’ve had an incredible year, right from the start when you were officially signed to OVO Sound. You’re the label’s first female signee, which is amazing, but also the only one signed who is not originally from Toronto, Canada. How did Drake and his team come across your music?
It was through Instagram. I saw that he [Drake] followed me and I was surprised, of course. At that time, I had my third song out—it wasn’t much. I didn’t have a lot of songs out, so I was kind of surprised he found me like that. After that, a conversation followed about potentially signing to his label and I wasn't really a fan of signing a contract or a deal with a record label because I thought that it would determine how much freedom I have, or will have left as an artist. But the way they approach things, the way they are—and OVO is really, till this day, helpful. They do a lot of things for me and with me which is so nice, especially since I’m the first female signee so it really feels like they are inspired to work in a different way as well, you know? Because it’s different when you have rappers and male singers, it’s different than having a female artist—different in the way you approach things.
I also just wanted to, really quickly, talk about “Waiting For You” with Majid Jordan - one of the best songs of the year for me. I'm so glad that collaboration happened. I’ve been a fan of theirs for a while, how was it working with those two?
Incredible. They’re so nice and so humble as well, which makes it so easy to go to the studio and create something organically. To me, that’s really important for the whole process of making music. This is the story behind the song, first of all—we never met—it took us a while to meet each other and I was in Toronto back then, and we thought, why not utilize this moment to just go and see what we can create or if we could vibe. It felt very beautiful to have created this with such beautiful people but also, like I said, very organically–we were just flowing. It’s also one of my favorite songs and it’s funny because I wouldn’t say that about my own music because I’m too critical. But it’s something I’m proud of.
Speaking of collabs, you also work with 40, who famously doesn’t work with many artists besides Drake himself, what is it like creating and writing records like “Celestial” with him?
40, Noah–whatever you want to call him–is such an amazing person. He works with legends and he’s a legend himself. But he’s so nice in his approach when it comes to things like, “What do you wanna do?” “What do you wanna say, what kind of story do you wanna tell to your audience?” And then you give him the options and suggestions and he just creates a world around that. So it was so nice to work with someone who has been doing this for some period of time, and so sometimes they feel entitled while listening to you as an artist, but he is so open and it’s very easy to work with him. He gave me really good insights as well, him and Drake. I really took their advice while we were creating this album and the ideas we had. He did “Celestial” with the piano piece on it, which at first, was a different kind of song, and it was as simple as him being like, “Maybe instead of the minor key that you have right now, it should be major”, and then he just showed us how he would do it and we were like, “Okay we want to use that!” He just comes in–that’s 40 as well–he walks in the room like, “What if you just do this, this, and this?” And then you just have to press record.
Let’s get into Obsidian. You’ve said you “called this album Obsidian as it’s about rebirth, confrontation, and healing.” What was the process of making this album, and where did those concepts stem from for you?
It came from a situation, I guess. I think that the moment where I decided, with the team and everyone to go to Toronto and just work with 40 a bit, I brought my own person there as well, Beau Nox, who worked on the album. We were very open to whatever would come to us, creatively. But then certain things happened in my personal life, so that kind of took a turn of the inspiration I used. Which at times, when you’re having personal situations, it’s very emotional and turbulent, and can be chaotic when you have to work as well. But I kind of used it as a way to heal from it. And eventually, we made very beautiful songs that had some depth, because that for me is very important in this whole process of making an album or creating songs–it needs to have depth and honesty.
It’s hard to find traditional R&B these days with a distinct sound like yours, how did you maintain that during the album-making process? Is that something you’re conscious about, reinventing your voice so it’s distinct and not like everything else that’s out there?
My team and myself are always looking for refreshment. So, like you said, there are so many songs out there that have the same vibe. But I also think it’s because people don’t want to step out of their comfort zone, and they have to pay their bills as well and certain music is more popular nowadays. But to me it’s so important to keep it close to myself, otherwise, I have to perform–what if I have a hit, which I hope–and I have to perform that song over and over again? But it’s not something that I stand behind, or it’s not something that touches me. I don’t know how I’m going to perform that for people who need to feel my music, I don’t think I can. So to us, for my whole team working on this project, it was very important to just be fearless. Like we want to do this, let’s experiment with certain sounds and kind of take that risk that maybe it’ll be very alternative for people. Most of all, it needs to stay in your world but also something you need to take risks for.
Was the tracklist intentional for the album?
I kind of see my album as my life or love life. Where sometimes you crash and you’re heartbroken and then after that you try to hope for something new, and then it’s your “fuck you” theme again, you know it goes back and forth. For me to put the song “Definition of Love” as the first track was because it’s a beautiful thing- love. And although Obsidian is about rebirth and overcoming trauma, it comes from a negative space, initially. I thought it was good to start with a very positive song, because it can be related to a loved one but more likely to yourself. The love you’re yearning for is probably something you can find in yourself, you don’t need anyone else for that. I’m very aware of where the tracks are, it’s like a movie to me. I want you to feel all the emotions and then eventually have the climax like “Ah, thank you!” [Laughs]
As a songwriter, when writing about love and loss and life experiences, are you ever afraid of being too vulnerable and sharing parts of your personal life on such a public platform? How do you overcome that fear?
I think by trying to be as honest as I can. I think it’s similar to whenever someone is asking you how you are and you say, “Yeah, I’m good,” but there is so much more to say. And you are not okay, but you don’t want to put it out there and be vulnerable. Which is totally normal, but I think that if you want to make honest music, you have to be honest with yourself. Like this is my diary kind of, and I have to treat it like that–at least I do that. I want to tell my story and I think by being vulnerable, people gravitate to that. It could be something they can be dealing with too but they don’t speak about their problems. The culture is shifting a little bit and it’s more open now, but it’s still taboo to talk about personal stuff and things that are negative. So, for me, it works to just be honest and write it down, even if it’s a whole page of a story I want to tell. And from that, you make something that is poetic, that can eventually be translated into lyrics and melodies.
“Time and Trust”, “Holding In Place,” and even “Extacy,” those records have a more upbeat production, something we hadn’t heard from you yet. What made you want to switch it up for that particular part of the album?
That was influenced by Drake, I have to say, I have to give him credit for that. I remember we had a conversation, maybe two years ago, and he was saying, “I love your music so much but I’m just curious what you would make if you could play the music in a club?” I was doing neo-soul, alternative R&B and I was not stepping away from that, that was my comfort zone. So he kind of brought light to that part of the genres that I like personally. He was just like, “How can you compliment your own taste and your vision into that and make it your own?” He said, “I think it would be a waste if you don’t explore that.” So with that being said, I was like let me see what I can experiment with, and I found the biggest joy in doing that. I found out I loved doing it, I love making uptempo music and it’s cool and not scary.
What song did you have the most fun making for Obsidian?
I have to think about this because there were so many fun moments. I want to make that comment as well–I had the best team creating this album, it was insane and so fun–so I just wanted to say that. I think “Another Life” was something we were so proud of while we were making it. We were like “Oh my god! Yeah, let’s add this, do this!” We had so many things that felt good to us in that song. It’s also like an ode to where I come from, Europe. Like when we listen to music that, maybe not in the U.S. it’s not that popular, but it’s the music we heard when we were growing up and it reminded me of when I was 9 years old, and my dad was a DJ too and he was playing those kinds of songs. We were just so proud of making something that made our inner child very happy.
What is something you want people to take away from this album? And what is something you learned through the process of making it?
What I want people to feel is something that goes deeper than what they talk about normally, to touch something in them to inspire, motivate, and break a pattern. What I learned is that even though you’re in a negative space or whatever is going on in your life that takes a lot of energy from you, it’s always there to teach you something. If you can use that in that moment and you’re aware of it, then it’s something you can do creatively. From anger or from grief and sadness, it’s such a powerful energy, so if you can project that into something else, it can really help you heal. And I hope people can experience that from my music.
What’s next? Are you planning on touring soon?
Yes, finally! I’m so ready to perform because that’s one of my favorite things about the job. Definitely been speculations about a tour and performances, and it’s onto the next one for me. I just hope to have more moments like [Obsidian] in the studio that inspire me to make songs, because I’m really proud that this is the first one.
And lastly, what are you currently listening to?
I listen to Yebba, an amazing artist. Snoh Aalegra, also amazing. Drake…and lots of new stuff as well. And sometimes just classical music, to ease the mind.
