September 13, 2023

Naomi lands electric set at Notting Hill Carnival

article reposted by Chelsea

via jamaicaobserver.com

Jamaican singer/songwriter Naomi Cowan is still on a high after making her début at this year’s Notting Hill Carnival in London.

“It was an incredible experience witnessing the fusion of the traditional carnival experience with sound system style stages — that really did it for me. It feels like the biggest celebration of Caribbean culture in the UK. Honestly, the crowd came all the way through when I touched the mic, especially when I did my verse on We Run the Area,” she told the Jamaica Observer.

This year’s carnival which ran between August 27 and 28 also featured Grammy Award-winning artiste Shaggy along with soca artiste Kes and UK rappers Giggs and Dizzee Rascal.

Cowan further noted that there were outstanding moments during her set that will forever be etched in her memory.

“The highlight was seeing the entire team out that day enjoying the fruits of our labour; so much prep and logistics went into that performance. It was a split stage set up, so I loved being able to look across to where Toddla [T] and Idris [Elba] were ‘DJ-ing’… I felt so much support and they were cheering me on,” she said.

She performed her hit single Paradise Plum and her latest release Champion Bubblah on the legendary Rampage Sound System stage which partnered with Amazon Music +44 to stream the event live.

After Naomi’s performance, DJ and founder of Rampage Sound System Mike Anthony stated that he had not seen a first-time act receive that kind of reaction since 1994.

Meanwhile, Champion Bubblah and another single of hers, Starlight, were simultaneously released on August 18. This is another achievement that has the singer beaming.

“This double single release speaks to the idea of duality. As women, oftentimes we feel pressured to be one dimensional, but we’re multi-layered…especially as Caribbean women. We all have a fierce, strong, and sassy side and we also have the grounded, stable, and calm energy flowing through us. So, if you look at the visual, Starlight is more conservatively dressed and then Champion Bubblah, well, she speaks for herself. I hope more women embrace every part of who they are through this roll-out. I know oftentimes, especially being the daughter of public figures, there’s an expectation on me; so I feel as though by showing that I’m comfortable in my own skin…it will inspire others to do the same. Finally, myself and the team loved both tunes and recognised that they both reflect a similar message, but with a different energy. So I figured to do a throwback thing with the A-Side/B-side release,” she explained.

Starlight was produced by Toddla T, while Champion Bubblah saw production from The Wixard, Toddla T, and Walshy Fire.

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