A STAR IS BORN By Amy Lynn-Cramer
- Amy Lynn-Cramer
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
Naomi Soleil is no longer Maplewood’s best kept secret
Before Naomi Soleil stepped onto the soundstage of NBC’s The Voice, she had one hope: that Michael Bublé would turn his iconic red chair. “I had sung 90 percent of the song, and I was still looking at the backs of the four chairs,” says Soleil. “Finally, they (Bublé and Adam Levine) turned at the last minute – at the same time – and it was like, oh my gosh, and this big wave of relief hit me.”
At just 18 years old, Soleil seized the opportunity of a lifetime when she performed “Stars” by Grace Potter & The Nocturnals during the blind auditions of The Voice Season 27. The hometown star, born Naomi Stefens, now goes by her stage name Naomi Soleil.
She was 4 when her family moved from Queens to Maplewood. She has been surrounded by music her entire life. “My mom put an ad in the newspaper looking for a guitarist for her band, and that is how she met my dad,” says Soleil.
Her passion for performing was sparked in the third grade and she developed a knack for songwriting by age 9. Soleil is currently a sophomore at Berklee College of Music in Boston. She attended Marshall and Jefferson Elementary Schools, Maplewood Middle School and Columbia High School, where she was active in Special Dance, choir, and starred in leading roles in productions such as The Wizard of Oz, Matilda, Newsies, and Something Rotten – all before auditioning to study songwriting at Berklee.
“I first realized songwriting was something I really wanted to do when I was in the seventh grade,” says Soleil. “I was in Mr. Cohen’s English class, and I ended up winning best song for the Poetry Grammys. It was at that moment that I was inspired to really focus on songwriting.” Soleil’s contest submission was not just one song. She created a pop album that won the Overall Award for Best Album. “Naomi wrote a whole bunch of original songs and added them into the album for extra credit,” says Robert Cohen, English language arts teacher at Maplewood Middle School. “She was really good at rhyming, capturing abstract thoughts, incorporating her emotions into her work and writing melodies that were really catchy. Keep in mind, she was only 12.”
Soleil’s freshman and sophomore years in high school were bittersweet. “During COVID, I wrote and released my first self-produced album,” says Soleil. “It’s called Breakfast for the Lions. It’s essentially a story from start to finish about something that I dealt with and overcame during COVID.”
Choosing a career path wasn’t a decision Soleil took lightly. She began thinking about college during her sophomore year of high school but found herself torn between two passions: music and zoology. “I’ve always been super into animals and wildlife,” says Soleil. “I grew up watching Animal Planet. Steve Irwin and the Irwin family were a huge inspiration for me.” She even considered the zoology program at the University of California, Davis, and met with several zoologists. But one day, while chatting with her parents in the kitchen, she had a revelation. “I was like, you know what? I think I’m gonna go for music instead of zoology,” she says.
Soleil was crystal clear about what was next for her. “Naomi’s voice is amazing. It’s this powerful instrument,” says Nicholas Diaz, vocal music teacher at Columbia High School. “When I listened to her album on Spotify, my jaw dropped. You really get to know who she is by the way she sings. Naomi’s joyous spirit comes through in her voice. It’s very authentic, which is hard to achieve.”
During her senior year of high school, Soleil was sitting in English class when she received a mass email from NBC to apply for The Voice. On a whim, she texted her mom and asked her to fill out the form and send it in. She didn’t think much of it, until NBC reached out a few days later. Soleil completed the interview process, but the show passed on her for that upcoming season. The Voice was not the first nationally televised show for which Soleil had auditioned. “Freshman year in high school, my mom and I got up at 4 a.m. and drove into Manhattan to do an open call for America’s Got Talent,” says Soleil. “I didn’t get anything from that, but it was really fun and really cool!”
Fast forward to her freshman year of college. The Voice came calling once again. This time, the process moved quickly, from initial interviews to callbacks. By February 2024, she received the news that she had been selected to audition for season 27 in Los Angeles. “It was crazy. I was in my friend’s dorm when I got the call from my talent agent. They were like, we have some fun news for you today!” Soleil recalls, her voice full of excitement.
When she discovered who the coaches were, Soleil knew without a doubt that Bublé was her top choice. “I thought that Michael Bublé would be able to teach me the most because we were different,” says Soleil. “He’s kind of been like an OG, and he is such a great guy, too. He’s humble and kind. And Adam was really nice. It was like meeting this crazy, famous celebrity. He’s just a great person.” As part of Soleil’s experience on Team Bublé, she had the opportunity to work with Cynthia Erivo, who recently starred as Elphaba in Wicked. “She’s so smart. It was just mind-blowing to be in front of her,” says Soleil. Soleil describes her music as alternative folk. “She has a range far beyond her age,” continues Cohen. “She can belt out a rock ballad and sing show tunes. I actually think she has a bigger range than she even knows.” The filming took place during the course of several weeks during the summer of 2024. Because she was under a non-disclosure agreement, she could only share her experience with a very small group of close family and friends. “I had to keep it under wraps,” says Soleil. “So it was this big secret for months.”
Although Soleil didn’t advance past her Battle – the subsequent duet contest – she walked away with invaluable experience. “I made friends that I’m going to have for the rest of my life. That’s just how it is. We got so close,” says Soleil. “There’s something awesome about being in a space with so many vocalists and songwriters. We got to collaborate behind the scenes. It was just so amazing.”
When asked what advice she would give to her 9-year-old self and other kids chasing their dreams, Soleil said, “You have to be OK with failing. You have to be OK with making mistakes. You have to be OK with not always being happy with the work you put out.” She continued, “It’s so important to develop the skill of not succeeding before you succeed, because at the end of the day, you’re not going to be happy with everything you do. You’re not going to be happy with everything people say. But that’s how you grow.”
Soleil is currently working on her second album and embracing the opportunities that have come from appearing on The Voice and all the hard work that led her to this moment. “The thing about Naomi is that she’s the type of person you root for,” says Cohen. “She’s someone you hope will become a pop star and have great success, because she’ll do good things with it.”
Amy Lynn-Cramer, who is a contributing writer for Matters Magazine and founder of Cramer Connect, hopes that the Maplewoodstock organizers have already reached out to Naomi Soleil to book her for this summer’s festival.
Comments