b'A Star is Born Naomi Soleil is no longer Maplewoods best kept secret BY AMY LYNN-CRAMERNaomi Soleilon the sound-stage of NBCs The Voice. Photo credit: NBCB efore Naomi Soleil stepped ontofor her band, and that is how she met my dad,song. She created a pop album that won the Over-thesoundstageofNBCsThesays Soleil. all Award for Best Album. Naomi wrote a whole Voice,shehadonehope:thatHer passion for performing was sparked in thebunch of original songs and added them into the MichaelBublwouldturnhisthird grade and she developed a knack for song- album for extra credit, says Robert Cohen, English iconic red chair.writing by age 9. Soleil is currently a sophomorelanguage arts teacher I had sung 90 percent of theat Berklee College of Music in Boston. at Maplewood Mid-song, and I was still looking atShe attended Marshall and Jefferson Elemen- dleSchool.She the backs of the four chairs, says Soleil. Finally,tarySchools,MaplewoodMiddleSchoolandwasreallygoodat they (Bubl and Adam Levine) turned at the lastColumbia High School, where she was active inrhyming,capturing minuteat the same timeand it was like, oh mySpecial Dance, choir, and starred in leading rolesabstractthoughts, gosh, and this big wave of relief hit me.in productions such as The Wizard of Oz, Matilda,incorporatingher At just 18 years old, Soleil seized the opportu- Newsies, and Something Rottenall before audi- emotionsintoher nity of a lifetime when she performed Stars bytioning to study songwriting at Berklee. workandwriting Grace Potter & The Nocturnals during the blindIfirstrealizedsongwritingwassomethingmelodiesthatwere auditions of The Voice Season 27. The hometownI really wanted to do when I was in the seventhreallycatchy.KeepSoleil played Bea in CHS star, born Naomi Stefens, now goes by her stagegrade, says Soleil. I was in Mr. Cohens Englishinmind,shewasproduction of Something name Naomi Soleil. She was 4 when her familyclass, and I ended up winning best song for theonly 12. Rotten.moved from Queens to Maplewood. She has beenPoetry Grammys. It was at that moment that I wasSoleils freshman and sophomore years in high surrounded by music her entire life. My mominspired to really focus on songwriting. school were bittersweet. During COVID, I wrote put an ad in the newspaper looking for a guitaristSoleilscontestsubmissionwasnotjustoneand released my first self-produced album, says 38/ matters magazine / spring 2025'