Naomi Sharon Recalls Drake DM That Led To OVO Deal

Key Takeaways

• Drake DM’d Naomi Sharon to hear more of her music, and within hours he was trying to get her on the phone to talk business.
• She transitioned from musical theater to R&B, performing in The Lion King and The Tina Turner Musical.
• Her OVO debut project, Obsidian, dropped in October 2023, marking her official entry into the R&B scene.

OVO’s first lady, Naomi Sharon, didn’t expect Drake to respond so quickly after hearing her music — but she’s glad he did. On Tuesday (Aug. 26), during “Off The Record,” the “Definition of Love” singer revisited the DM that led to her record deal.

“I remember I was in the Zara, and then I saw the message from Drake, and I was like, ‘Huh?’ He wanted to listen to my music, and I was like, ‘OK,’” she told REVOLT music curator Elsie. “I didn’t expect him to actually listen to my music and come back three hours later and be like, ‘We have to talk about this, and I would love to get you on a phone call and tell you what I have in mind.’”

The songstress added that it was “kind of strange” for her at the time: “I still took the train home the same day.” Watch the full sit-down below.

Sharon officially signed to OVO Sound — home to PARTYNEXTDOOR, Roy Woods, and others — in 2023. “I [have] been waiting for this day for too long now,” Drake said at the time. “The world finally gets to digest the insane amount of work you have put in since we met.” Her label debut, Obsidian, dropped that October.

Before the deal, Sharon was performing in musicals. Reflecting on her life before meeting Drake, the Rotterdam-born singer shared, “At the time, I was playing in The Tina Turner Musical. Before that, I was doing The Lion King, and I was playing Shenzi. So that was my life before that.”

“I already knew that I was going to say goodbye to that, but I was kind of waiting for the right timing,” she went on to say. “And then Drake knocked on the door, and it was like, ‘Hello?’”