Author, Backstage Pass, (2013)
Recording artist, latest CD, Hope That Breaks the Dark, (2012)
Written/recorded music with highly acclaimed writers and producers in the music industry including: Narada Michael Walden (Mariah, Whitney and Aretha)
Mario Winans (Puff Daddy and Beyonce)
Mario DeVries (Bjork and Madonna)
Worked with Randy Jackson of American Idol and Carlos Santana
Speaker in public high school assemblie, Christian camp youth meetings, Churches, and Women's Retreats
Host of her own syndicated radio program
Married to Jordan
GUEST BIO
Backstage Pass to God
By
The 700 Club
CBN.com-HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
Naomi grew up in upstate New York. Her parents were missionaries who instilled in her deep Christian roots. They home schooled Naomi and her brother on a farm in Nova Scotia, Canada. Part of that schooling included learning how to live off the land and the importance of animal husbandry. She never watched television or listened to the radio until the age of 9. “While other children were watching TV, I was curled up in the warmth of a haystack watching a horse giving birth. And while other kids were spending money on CDs and boom boxes, I spent time learning to play the music I loved,” shares Naomi. Music was the heartbeat of their home. On the weekends, her dad pulled out the guitar for a time of singing and worship. Back then, all Naomi knew were hymns and songs of Scripture. Little did she know there was a whole other world of music out there. At 11, Naomi’s family moved to Manitoba where she began singing in churches. She dreamed of becoming a singer and soon recorded her first Christian album.
At 15, Naomi’s family moved to Orlando, Florida where she became even more determined to launch a music career. She began to read the CD covers of groups such as the Backstreet Boys to gain information on recording studios and record labels to pursue. Naomi began sending out demo tapes and soon found herself in New York where she signed her first major record deal in 2001 with Sony records at eighteen. The next two years Sony spent over a million dollars flying Naomi all over the place in preparation for the album. Her dreams of becoming a female pop singer were finally on track. During this exciting time in her life she remembers her mom asking her, “What would you choose: the second coming of Christ or your new album coming out?” Shocked at the question, Naomi told her mom she would, of course, choose Christ’s return. Naomi was very grounded in her faith despite her career ambitions. She just wanted to follow her dreams and asked God to bless her career. Over the next two months her team at Sony was fired. Her record deal fell through. Devastated and depressed, she was left penniless and wondering what to do with her life. In order to make her car payment, Naomi moved back to Canada and began playing in bookstores. Then Naomi received another offer for a record deal in Los Angeles. During this time, she met legendary guitarist Carlos Santana who agreed to play on her single, “Cars.” Naomi never lost her faith, but she also kept her faith very private. During her meeting with Carlos, Naomi observed how openly he talked about his faith and belief and why he did what he did. Naomi realized she was afraid to talk openly about her faith. With the release of her single “Cars” in 2006 she was soon being compared to her musical idols such as Celine Dion and Mariah Carey in national newspapers. She waited for more opportunities to materialize but nothing happened. Naomi felt as if the rug had been pulled out from under her feet again.
AT THE CROSSROADS
A year later she found herself in Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs' hip hop studio in New York. As she was pacing the floor wondering if this was the opportunity for her to pursue, a chauffeur walked up to her in a hallway and said, “I had a dream about you last night.” He went on to tell Naomi how an angel had come to him in the middle of the night and told him about a message for her. Naomi asked what the angel said and the chauffer replied, “The words I am about to say to you are not mine; they were given to me by the Holy Spirit.” He said, “You keep wondering why you are getting these great opportunities that take you to the mountaintop and right before you get everything you want it crumbles to dust at your feet and it keeps happening over and over.” Naomi was shocked because every word he spoke to her were the words she had spoken to God. They were her prayers. The chauffer said, “You are at a crossroads today. There are two paths for you to choose between. One will lead you back to the same place you are now, asking why? Or you can choose a new path, give up all that you want, stop chasing after your own desires, and let God lead.” He said this is the way her dreams would come true. When he was through Naomi’s whole body was shaking. She knew without a shadow of a doubt that God had just used this man to speak to her. She knew she had to change some things in her life. Naomi says she did not come to the decision overnight to use her talents for God. Instead it was more of a gradual process. She started by asking God to help remove some people from her life that would potentially lead her down the wrong road. After she prayed about it she never heard from those people again.
WALKING AWAY
Several months later, Naomi met Randy Jackson from American Idol on a plane ride to Los Angeles. He offered Naomi an opportunity to become part of a girl band. Although working with a band was not her career ambition, she chose not to pass up the opportunity. She worked with Randy for six months but soon became aware she was starting down the same old path again. Her religious convictions forced her to choose her faith over fame just weeks away from signing a lucrative deal with Sony Publishing. She no longer wanted to keep her faith private, but rather declare publicly that Jesus was her Savior. Naomi walked away from a career in mainstream music.
“With every decision that I made for myself and not for God’s glory I was making the decision that my will and my decisions were more important,” shares Naomi. Her decision to walk away from this opportunity was criticized by family and friends. They told her she would regret her decision, but Naomi knew differently. She knew she would never look back. It was the day that had set her free. Her parents supported her decision. An unexpected opportunity soon opened up for her to be the youth speaker at the camp she had grown up attending. Naomi shared her testimony with these young people and began to realize that in the moments she thought God had deserted her in her career, it had been the complete opposite. Every failed attempt at success now began to appear as part of the divine plan to draw her closer to God. She began to realize how intimately God had been with her through it all. During this week, God also introduced Naomi to the man she was going to marry. Today Naomi travels around the world using her talents for God’s glory.
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