As a kid in Nigeria, Carolyne Naomi 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. Carolyne wrote her first song when she was 9, and started playing the guitar during her undergraduate program at the university. Always a good student, she holds an M.Sc. in Media and Communication, but through her formal studies, Carolyne always had music going on in her head, heart and soul, and knew she wanted to be on stage.
Her desire to pursue music led her to become a contestant on the maiden edition of Project Fame West Africa Season 1 (2008); a music reality TV show/competition. Afterwards, she worked as a freelancer for advertising agencies and radio stations, wrote radio jingles, including one for Big Brother Nigeria host, IK Osakioduwa (Rhythm 93.7 fm Lagos). She eventually moved to Minnesota to study Guitar and Voice Performance at McNally Smith College of Music. Since then, she has 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, Bayfront Duluth, etc.
Carolyne released her 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, she finds ways of combining her varied interests in music of the African diaspora into her own AfroRnB that appeals to contemporary audiences who, like her, have been tuning into varied musical experiences since childhood. She has 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.
Carolyne Naomi’s debut EP, "Miss Naomi" will be released in November 2022.
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