For NaomiScott, owning her imperfections is power. Our September cover star opens up about her unlikely journey to the top:
, Naomi was a self-confessed “floater” who didn’t quite fit in at school. “I was sometimes a little bit out of the loop and didn’t have a group or a clique,” she tells. “Where I found my home was more like swing band practice. Or in drama. Those were the places where I felt comfortable.”
Her father is a pastor at a local church, which she still attends with Jordan. “We met when I was 15 or 16 at church. It was one of those things where we were friends, and then we dated for four years, and we’ve been married for five years.” In regards to the stereotype about being a preacher’s daughter, I had to ask – was she rebellious at all? “I think that I was more focused on what I wanted to do,” Naomi says diplomatically, “so I felt like I didn’t have time for that stuff.
What she wanted to do was sing. Naomi had grown up listening to gospel, but it’s a mark of how laidback her church is that No Doubt’s “Don’t Speak” was the first solo she performed there. “I must have been like 11 or 12,” she says. “That was the first time my parents said ‘oh hmm, OK.’” As a teenager, she threw herself into music auditions, including ones where she barely had any idea what she was auditioning for. At 17, she even tried out for a girl band in front of a panel of industry experts including Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz. “I was like, eh?” All the other hopefuls were in their 30s, “wearing knee-high boots, very much giving you ‘I’m going to be the next Pussycat’ [vibes].” Naomi turned up in a cardigan with no makeup and sung Stevie Wonder.
Even now, Naomi is working on music her last few singles have more in common with the chillout R&B of Jorja Smith and Jessie Ware than big Disney show tunes, although any fans of thesoundtrack will know that she’s capable of those, too. “I think it has been a real blessing in disguise that I haven’t pressed that button of exposure,” she says of her near-miss with pop superstardom. “I feel so blessed that I was kind of protected from that [...
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Naomi Osaka upset by Belinda Bencic at US OpenNaomi Osaka's quest to win back-to-back US Open titles comes to an end after losing to Belinda Bencic
Read more »
World No. 1 Naomi Osaka Loses To Belinda Bencic at U.S. OpenWorld No. 1 and defending U.S. Open champion Naomi Osaka lost in the fourth round to Belinda Bencic of Switzerland. Osaka followed men's top seed and defending champion Novak Djokovic out of the tournament.
Read more »
Column: U.S. Open: Belinda Bencic upsets world No. 1 Naomi Osaka in the fourth roundNaomi Osaka’s attempt to win a second straight championship at the U.S. Open was thwarted on Monday when Belinda Bencic of Switzerland claimed a 7-5, 6-4 victory.
Read more »