Naomi Sharon arrived on the scene in 2019, and immediately drew comparisons to Sade. Not only in terms of her production choices and lovesick subject matter, but her sultry vocals. “Breeze” and “The Moon” were chilled-out singles that split the difference between pop and R&B. Sharon hasn’t broken through the way that peers like Jorja Smith and Snoh Aalegra have, but she’s drawn lots of attention on social media as of late. It hasn’t been to discuss her music so much as her label situation. Despite not being considered a household name, Sharon is signed to one of the biggest artists in the world: Drake.

Not only is Naomi Sharon the first female artist signed to OVO Sound, she’s the only one. She’s the first lady of the label, as evidenced by her debut album, Obsidian. The thing that caught most fans off guard was the fact that Drake has rarely discussed Sharon or her music publicly. He signed her to the label in 2023 but the two have never collaborated. For an artist like Drake, who has a track record of working with singers in Sharon’s style, this was seen as odd.

Naomi Sharon Has Never Collaborated With Drake

Fans took to the Instagram comment section to voice their confusion over Drake’s decision to promote artists outside of his label. “Why would he promote [Sexxy] Red and not his own artist,” one user asked. Another accused Drake of always putting his own music first, and failing to do the legwork to make sure his OVO artists get the exposure they need to pop. “If y’all learned nothing Drake don’t do the foot work for his artist,” they reasoned. “He makes them get it out the mud and uses them for his own albums and needs.”

Naomi Sharon talked about working with OVO during an interview with NME. She noted that they have a very “easy going” atmosphere in the studio, but that she had to request a goal so that she knew what to aim for in terms of song count and due date. “I was like, ‘No, I need a goal,'” she said. “I was planning to go to Toronto for three weeks to record a little bit… We ended up in the studio making a song every day, which is very special.” While the working process may have been tricky, Sharon did state that her label boss has been helpful as a mentor. “Drake is one example of being an icon and doing the right things with music,” she told Clash. “He gives good advice.”

Hopefully this recent attention will lead to Sharon and Drake linking up on a song.