Naomi Sharon traded Obsidian‘s signature dark aesthetic for a latex snow white wardrobe on tour, signifying her transition into a “lighter version” of herself.
The First Lady of OVO’s refreshing outlook on life was evident on her The Only Love We Know EP in May, which saw Sharon coming to terms with having to end certain relationships that weren’t serving her so that she could properly move forward.
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The Dutch singer-songwriter hit the road in support of the EP with a seven-city North American trek this summer, which wrapped up in August, and now it’s back to work on her anticipated sophomore album and plenty of horseback riding.
The album is set to be executive produced by Majid Jordan’s Jordan Ullman, and Sharon reveals the LP’s near completion and could be released later this year.
“I feel like it’s more up-tempo,” she tells Billboard of her Obsidian follow-up. “It hits a little harder, like it’s more in your face. It’s a little bit more digestible for a broader audience in a positive way. It’s still credible. I’m really happy about it.”
Earlier this year, fans felt as if Sharon would’ve been a perfect fit for Drake and PartyNextDoor’s $ome $exy $ongs 4 U, but the ethereal singer says she never linked up with the 6 God and PND for any of the OVO joint project’s sessions.
“I would’ve loved to — but I also see this as an opportunity to grow as an artist myself, instead of it being tied to someone else’s success, because that’s pretty easy,” she explains. “It’s like a wild card, but like, I do not want to use it as a wild card. I see it as a beautiful opportunity to create music with someone whom I’ve truly aspired to and love.”
Check out the rest of our interview with Naomi Sharon during her trip to NYC, as she talks her upcoming album, loving horseback riding and why she’s not buying foreign R&B singers having a tough time breaking through in the U.S.
What’s been the difference between headlining your own tour versus opening for Tems?
I think with opening for Tems, it was more so to engage with a newer audience, which was really interesting. And I was really grateful for that opportunity. And I think that right now, which it’s very exciting, is that I’ve gained some new fans. I’ve gained new listeners.
How are you growing as a performer?
I just came out of a very important meeting with my label, and we were talking about the newer music. And I have a background in dance and theater, so for me to stand still on stage is kind of unnatural, although it comes naturally with the set that I have, which is also beautiful. But I feel like with the new music that I’ve been making, it’s much more lively and has more opportunity for choreos.
Personally, how do you feel you’ve grown this last year?
I think to start as an individual in life, I’ve been growing because life just happens and I need to adapt, and I’ve learned a lot about myself in the past few months. And with that, that goes hand in hand with being in the studio as well. [It] pours into your art because whenever you’re changing automatically, everything surrounding you will change as well. You will attract different things.
Last time we spoke, you wanted to start riding horses and now I feel like that’s your thing.
Yeah, four times a week. I am an equestrian. So I came back from tour, and I found out that there was a stable next to my home, and it’s a really good one. I went there, and I fell in love, not only with the horses, because I fell in love with a horse before, but just like the whole world of being with an animal, and in this particular case, a horse that has a lot of high sensitivity. They know everything about everyone. It’s fascinating how they can feel you. They can sense your heart and they’re communicating with their body language. You’re just reaching out, but a horse tells you when you’re allowed to [ride] and I love that.
Was that something you always wanted to do, or a passion you found later in life?
I was a kid, and I was doing track and field, and I asked my mom and dad if I could do horseback riding as well, but it was a very expensive. So I think my parents were right at the time. They were like, “One sport is enough.” I was competing at a high level in track and field, so it was enough. Horseback riding is something that I always wanted to do. And grooming horses makes me feel very peaceful. It’s like the most interesting thing ever. They’re warm. Like, if you’re standing next to a horse, their warmth gives off on you. You can feel them.
What was the genesis for The Only Love We Know EP?
There was a moment where we were creating music for an album initially, and then we’re like, “You know what? It’s really important to put music out.” So, just maybe as a stepping stone to the album, we need to release an EP. I had a few songs already for the second album, but like, we’re just like, we can put it [on the EP], and maybe we could put it on the album as well.
The second album is much more something that is very powerful. Like, Obsidian was not that. It wasn’t powerful, but it was different, yeah, more timid, in a way. The second album is more out there.
How was working with Jordan Ullman, who executive-produced the project?
He’s the executive producer on the album as well. Working with him is very easy. We allow ourselves to go through stuff within a creative process, because it’s fun and games, but it can also be very emotional, where sometimes you have to have someone in the room who’s convincing you to do something. A little push. There was one song in particular on this new project where I was like, “I don’t know if we’re gonna do this, because it was too commercial.” And he was like, “You have to push through. You have to do this.” So I did. So we literally like allow ourselves to just be ourselves, and that creates a safe space for sure.
I read in another interview with you saying not to be surprised if you go country or rock on another project.
First of all, I love a lot of different types of genres. Yeah, I love country. I love rock and roll as well. So why not explore that? I listen to it. I think that it could be very interesting how that would live in my world. It feels like home. [There’s a song] written by me and Sebastian Cole, who’s a really good writer from Alabama. So it has something that sounds like country, and I love that. And I was like, “I have to do this more often.” I would love to go to Nashville, and there are horses there.
Have you sent Drake any of the new music and what does he think?
He hasn’t listened to this yet, but I think that he would definitely agree with what is going on. I think he would be happy to hear that I’m doing more up-tempo stuff. The way that our songs are structured now, he’s just really good at creating songs. He’s really good at knowing what’s missing in a song as well. He was not really hands-on with this project, which is totally fine as well. It’s something that I’m curious about. I feel good about it, so I think we’re aligned.
What’s your relationship with PartyNextDoor?
We have met each other. First of all, I think he’s really interesting in a positive way. It’s like, really mysterious. I kind of love that about him. Like, bring back mysterious artists as well. He doesn’t have to do anything like that; he’s just him. I would love to work with him, would love to write with him.
Do you think it’s tougher for foreign R&B artists to break through in America?
I don’t feel like that. I really believe in my faith, which is a little bit spiritual. I’m convinced if I stay true to myself and be aware of my surroundings and what people advise me to do and take that seriously. I think actually we have something that is foreign to the U.S., so that could be interesting as well. You just gotta work hard, yeah, and know when and how and how to do it.
My take on that is that people stay in their country’s lane. I think that you have to travel, meet other people and really work with effort. Because — like, for instance, the U.K. has a really clear sound, to me, so if you want to break free from that… The reason why that doesn’t really work in the U.S. is that in the U.S., you have a different sound. Like, R&B is much bigger, and in a different world than the R&B that lives in the U.K. So I think that if you want to do that, you have to kind of entertain both worlds.
I think that in the U.S., nothing is crazy enough. Like, if you would walk into an office right at a label, you would say, “I want to be the biggest artist ever!” People here would accept that more. I think you guys are used to that, where Europe is a little bit more reserved, in that way.
How was meeting Wyclef Jean?
That was very random. Wyclef, that was in Cannes. All of a sudden, Wyclef wanted to meet me. He was saying really beautiful stuff. For the rest of my life, I’m good with the compliments. He was mentioning me in the same sentence as Whitney Houston and Lauryn Hill.
Is winning a Grammy a major goal for you?
I think it would be cool to be nominated or to win a Grammy. I would be the first Dutch person as an artist. That’s pretty fire. It’s sick, but it’s a stepping stone as well. Like, it’s a really important moment. It could be a key moment in someone’s career, because it opens up a lot of things. So that’s what I want and need — but at the same time, it’s almost materialistic.