Naomi Sharon Webster (born March 4, 1995) is a Dutch singer-songwriter. In early 2023, Sharon became the first female signee to
Drake
Drake may refer to:
Animals and creatures
* A male duck
* Drake (mythology), a term related to and often synonymous with dragon
People and fictional characters
* Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family ...
's record label,
OVO Sound
OVO Sound (short for October's Very Own) is a Canadian independent record label, founded in 2012 by rapper Drake, producer 40, and manager Oliver El-Khatib. The label operated as a subsidiary of Warner Music Group until 2022, after which it ...
. Her debut album, ''
Obsidian
Obsidian ( ) is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed when lava extrusive rock, extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimal crystal growth. It is an igneous rock. Produced from felsic lava, obsidian is rich in the lighter element ...
'', was released later that year in October, being lauded by critics for its emotional depth and diverse range of influences.
Early life
Naomi Sharon Webster was born to an
Aruba
Aruba, officially the Country of Aruba, is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, in the southern Caribbean Sea north of the Venezuelan peninsula of Paraguaná Peninsula, Paraguaná and northwest of Curaçao. In 19 ...
n father and a
Dutch mother in
Rotterdam
Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...
,
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
. Sharon grew up in a vastly musically inclined family, her father working as a DJ and her mother being a singer. Sharon's aunt also sang, while her uncle played in an
instrumental ensemble. She formed her artistic sound around a variety of musicians she admired in her youth, including
Sade,
Eva Cassidy
Eva Marie Cassidy (February 2, 1963 – November 2, 1996) was an American singer and musician known for her interpretations of jazz, Folk music, folk, and blues music, sung with a powerful, emotive soprano voice. In 1992, she released her f ...
,
Marcus Miller
William Henry Marcus Miller Jr. (born June 14, 1959) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He has worked with trumpeter Miles Davis, pianist Herbie Hancock, singer Luther Vandross, and saxophonists Wayne Shorter and David Sa ...
,
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...
and
Sting. She attended the
Academy of Theatre and Dance. Upon leaving in the third year, Sharon would perform in musical theater, appearing in ''
The Lion King
''The Lion King'' is a 1994 American animated musical coming-of-age drama film directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, produced by Don Hahn, and written by Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts, and Linda Woolverton. Produced by Walt Disney ...
'' and ''
Dream Girls.'' During the early 2010s, she would do
cover songs
In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song released ...
.
Sharon also participated in the
sixth season of ''
The Voice of Holland
''The Voice of Holland'', also known by its acronym ''TVOH'', is a Dutch singing reality competition television series that became a global TV format franchise, created by media tycoon John de Mol Jr. and musician Roel van Velzen in the Net ...
'' in 2016.
Career
2019–present
Sharon released her debut single, "The Moon" in 2019. That same year, she gave a
TED Talk
TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an American-Canadian non-profit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan "Ideas Change Everything" (previously "Ideas Worth Sprea ...
for TEDxAmsterdamWomen about
self-love
Self-love, defined as "love of self" or "regard for one's own happiness or advantage", has been conceptualized both as a basic human necessity and as a moral flaw, akin to vanity and selfishness, synonymous with amour-propre, conceitedness, ...
, where she performed the song. Her second single, "Breeze" caught the attention of
Drake
Drake may refer to:
Animals and creatures
* A male duck
* Drake (mythology), a term related to and often synonymous with dragon
People and fictional characters
* Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family ...
, who signed her to his
OVO Sound
OVO Sound (short for October's Very Own) is a Canadian independent record label, founded in 2012 by rapper Drake, producer 40, and manager Oliver El-Khatib. The label operated as a subsidiary of Warner Music Group until 2022, after which it ...
record label in 2023, making her the first female act on its roster. She released two singles entitled "Definition of Love" and "Hills" in anticipation of her debut album, ''Obsidian''. The 12-track album was released on October 20, 2023 to moderate critical success. Steven Ward of Grimy Goods described the project as, "an immense emotional gravitas, created to tap into or articulate the mercurial realms that exist inside of you."
Sharon went on to perform in her debut tour, Obsidian Tour, with three dates in North America and four in Europe. She released a single, "Nothing Sweeter" on January 18, 2024.
Artistry
Musical style
Sharon's sound has been described as, "genre-defying." Her songs have been noted to fuse
alternative R&B
Alternative R&B (also referred to as alt-R&B, indie R&B, and originally known as PBR&B, hipster R&B, emo R&B, or R-Neg-B) is a term used by music journalists to describe a stylistic alternative to contemporary R&B that began in the mid 2000s and ...
and
ambient house
Ambient house is a downtempo subgenre of house music that first emerged in the late 1980s, combining elements of acid house and ambient music. The genre developed in chill-out rooms and specialist clubs as part of the UK's dance music scene. It ...
as well as including foreign influences from
Afrobeats
Afrobeats, not to be confused with Afrobeat or Afroswing, is an umbrella term to describe popular music from West Africa and the diaspora that initially developed in Ghana, Nigeria, and the UK in the 2000s and 2010s. Afrobeats is less of a st ...
and
Spanish music Spanish music may refer to:
*Music of Spain, music of the Spanish people in Spain
*Latin music, though note that not all Latin music are in Spanish
''Spanish music'' may also refer to the music of Spanish-speaking countries:
*Music of Argentina
* ...
. Sharon's songs mainly deal with themes of love, heartbreak, and healing.
Her low register vocals have been described as reminiscent to
Sade's.
Sharon has a home in
Rotterdam
Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...
.
Discography
Albums
* ''
Obsidian
Obsidian ( ) is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed when lava extrusive rock, extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimal crystal growth. It is an igneous rock. Produced from felsic lava, obsidian is rich in the lighter element ...
'' (2023)
EPs
* ''The Only Love We Know (2025)
Tours
''Supporting''
*
Born in the Wild Tour by
Tems
Temilade Openiyi (born 11 June 1995), known professionally as Tems, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, and record producer. She rose to prominence after being featured on Wizkid's 2020 single "Essence", which peaked at number 9 on the ''Billbo ...
References
External links
*
*
Naomi Sharonon
FindLyrics UK
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sharon, Naomi
1995 births
Living people
21st-century Dutch women singers
OVO Sound artists