We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Carolyne Naomi. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Carolyne below.

Hi Carolyne, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

My debut EP “Miss Naomi” is definitely the most meaningful, because it is the first body of work I’m putting out. I’ve previously released singles and so i’m so excited for this release coming out on Friday, November 4th, with a release concert at Icehouse MPLS.

“Miss Naomi – The EP” is a 6-track album that reflects much of my experiences through the subjects of love, disappointment, hope, fear of being hurt, wisdom, staying the course with my dreams and goals, etc.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?

As a kid in Nigeria, I listened to African music, especially the traditional and modern Nigerian styles that led to Afropop/Afrobeats; as well as Reggae, R&B, Soul and Gospel music. I wrote my first song when I was 9, and started playing the guitar during my undergraduate program at the university. I hold an M.Sc. in Media and Communication, but through my formal studies, I always had music going on in my head, heart and soul, and knew I wanted to be on stage.

My desire to pursue music led me to become a contestant on the maiden edition of Project Fame West Africa Season 1 (2008); a music reality TV show/competition. Afterwards, I worked as a freelancer for advertising agencies and radio stations, wrote radio jingles, including one for Big Brother Nigeria’s host, IK Osakioduwa (Rhythm 93.7 fm Lagos). I eventually moved to Minnesota to study Guitar and Voice Performance at McNally Smith College of Music. Since then, I have been performing around top music venues in the Twin Cities, including Skyway Theatre, Dakota Jazz Club, DNR Stage at the State Fair, The Cedar Cultural Center, Icehouse MPLS, Pimento Jamaican Kitchen, Bayfront in Duluth, etc.

I released my first single “Love & Light” in 2018, and went further to release more singles and music videos (Japa, Bamijo, Give it a Hundred, etc). As a performer, I find ways of combining my varied interests in music of the African diaspora into my own AfroRnB that appeals to contemporary audiences who, like me, have been tuning into varied musical experiences since childhood. I have shared the stage with Grammy Award winning international artists like Burna Boy and Wizkid, and more recently, Taurus Riley and Gyptian at the Bayfront Reggae and World Music Festival in Duluth, MN.

I am definitely proud of my heritage as a Nigerian, and as an immigrant in the US, I get the opportunity to share my culture with my audience through music, and releasing my debut EP is one more step in that direction. There’s so much more to learn about and we’re just getting started.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I would hope that there are more organizations that provide grants that immigrants can apply for. Since living in Minnesota, there has been just one grant I have come across that I felt I qualified for completely based on its requirements catering to creatives who are people of color and immigrants. For a lot of us, there’s the challenge of moving to another country and starting afresh, especially for those of us who practice our art full-time, without a regular 9-5 or the support of financial sponsors. It can be tough. I remember when I first moved here and was in search of external scholarships for my music college program. It was very difficult navigating that space and finding anything that spoke directly to my needs. So I would encourage organizations to look more into this. I commend those who have already begun and would hope that there’d be more resources available to those of us who pretty much have to figure everything out on our own.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I love the fact that I get to do what I love for a living. I love being in that creative space and seeing all the vision come alive. I absolutely love seeing the audience be receptive to something that started off as a random idea in my head. There is so much work that goes into the creative process, and like a friend said, the finished product that is enjoyed by the audience is 10%; all the work that goes into it prior is like 90%. This is why it’s so important for our following to support what we do because it makes all the effort worthwhile.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.carolynenaomi.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carolyne_naomi/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Carolynspire
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CarolyneNaomi

Image Credits
Kelechi Uchegbu and Chinemerem Anene