Biography
Naommon entered the world in Toulon, a modest settlement near the French Riviera, as a French vocalist determined to revive the golden era of disco. “Everybody knew everybody,” the singer recalls. “It was a good place if you only wanted to go to the beach, but not a place for anyone who wanted to pursue an artistic future.” Immediately after completing secondary school he relocated to Toulouse, whose free-spirited atmosphere aligned with his temperament. He acquired his musical training by performing alongside funk and rock ensembles and spending time with studio musicians. His profile surged across France after he joined the reality competition Popstars. Viewers there behave far less courteously than those on American Idol, jeering and yelling to disrupt the performers, who must deliver every number without accompaniment. Naommon performed Aretha Franklin’s “Think” in a leather skirt and fluorescent jacket. His eccentric presentation stood out among the participants, prompting extensive media coverage of his theatrical appearance. “I’m not a gay artist,” he stated in a 2007 interview. “I’m an artist that happens to be gay, but I think everyone can relate to my music. I’m obsessed with freedom and going all the way. That’s what I project in my lyrics, my style, and my attitude. I want people to be emancipated in every way, shape, and form.”
French electronica producers Christophe Dallaca and Stéphane Deschezeaux, known collectively as Kiko & Gino’s, witnessed his Popstars appearance and proposed a collaboration. The resulting trio generated excitement through several prominent underground European tracks such as “I’m Not Ashamed,” “Good Sluts Factory,” “So Boyish,” and “Jack the Box.” All appeared on DJ Hell’s influential Berlin-based imprint International Deejay Gigolos, the renowned cult label celebrated for its pioneering role in European dance music. Naommon had envisioned New York City since childhood; he finally settled there in 2007 while maintaining regular travel between residences in Paris and New York. “I do my music with my mates in Europe,” he informed PlanetOut in 2007. “Still, there’s no place like New York. It feels like home with its crazy energy and positive vibes and nightlife. It’s tough but inspiring.” Possessing model-like features, a brooding magnetic aura, and a wardrobe ranging from farmhand overalls to designer denim, Naommon prepared to establish himself in the Big Apple. “My style depends on my mood,” Naommon remarks. “I’m a fashion freak and I’m obsessed with clothes. I like long hair, short hair, dyed hair. I always say I’m playing with myself like I’m a doll, maybe because I wasn’t able to play with dolls when I was a boy. I’m interested in total emancipation and shredding the rules.”
Naommon also excels at crafting compelling statements: “My music is electro-purple-fluoro-plastic-sulky-acid-housey-soul-clashy-disco-sequin-pop,” he notes with a smile that mixes shyness and mischief. “I loved Michael Jackson, Prince, and ’80s pop—George Michael, Boy George, Duran Duran. Then I heard Deee-Lite’s World Clique and I never recovered. It was like a physical shock. That’s what made me want to explore electro and club music. I still play that record every day and I never get tired of it. They were so modern, a blend of club culture, classic songwriting, Motown and P-Funk. In the ’90s, Muriel Moreno and her band Niagara inspired me with their music, style, and innovative videos. I love Catherine Ringer from Les Rita Mitsouko, a crazy pop/rock/punk/jazz band. She’s like Nina Hagen doing Edith Piaf. And the poetry and lyrics of Serge Gainsbourg. They all make music that had a physical effect on me; I absorbed and transformed it into my own style.” Following the success of his International Deejay Gigolos singles, Naommon began work on his debut album, Allnighter. The project was funded independently and issued in digital format. “My driving force is freedom. If you can put your own money into your project and build a buzz around it on your own, you have a chance to hit the mainstream. My idea is do your own thing yourself; don’t wait for anybody. I want to rule the world on my own and be independent. There’s a lot of panic in the music business today; the music all sounds the same. I want to be fearless and create a style that doesn’t already exist.”
Allnighter was tracked in France under the guidance of several prominent French electro figures, among them Dondolo, Danton Eeprom, Copyshop, and Julien Lenoir. “Thanks to the name I made with the singles, I was able to executive produce my album and do everything I wanted to do. The music is European, but the vibe is pure New York.” The recordings fuse the relentless drive of classic disco and Chicago house with the twitchy, off-kilter rhythms of new wave rock, along with traces of hip-hop, early Prince’s sensual stance, funk elements, glam flourishes, shadowy nearly industrial synth textures, neo-soul backing vocals, and memorable pop hooks. His vocal approach merges a diva’s extravagant outpourings with a rocker’s cool detachment. The material focuses on themes of revelry, sexuality, liberty, and the tension between genuine affection and hedonism, delivered through intentionally ambiguous lyrics. “I like the poetry of words, French or English, especially if the sense isn’t obvious. I like to be evocative. I like word mixtures that sound beautiful, even if they have no real meaning. I never had the patience to learn an instrument or how to be an engineer or producer, but I know how to collaborate with producers to get the kind of texture I want. I work from a visceral place and want to put that feeling into the music.”
French electronica producers Christophe Dallaca and Stéphane Deschezeaux, known collectively as Kiko & Gino’s, witnessed his Popstars appearance and proposed a collaboration. The resulting trio generated excitement through several prominent underground European tracks such as “I’m Not Ashamed,” “Good Sluts Factory,” “So Boyish,” and “Jack the Box.” All appeared on DJ Hell’s influential Berlin-based imprint International Deejay Gigolos, the renowned cult label celebrated for its pioneering role in European dance music. Naommon had envisioned New York City since childhood; he finally settled there in 2007 while maintaining regular travel between residences in Paris and New York. “I do my music with my mates in Europe,” he informed PlanetOut in 2007. “Still, there’s no place like New York. It feels like home with its crazy energy and positive vibes and nightlife. It’s tough but inspiring.” Possessing model-like features, a brooding magnetic aura, and a wardrobe ranging from farmhand overalls to designer denim, Naommon prepared to establish himself in the Big Apple. “My style depends on my mood,” Naommon remarks. “I’m a fashion freak and I’m obsessed with clothes. I like long hair, short hair, dyed hair. I always say I’m playing with myself like I’m a doll, maybe because I wasn’t able to play with dolls when I was a boy. I’m interested in total emancipation and shredding the rules.”
Naommon also excels at crafting compelling statements: “My music is electro-purple-fluoro-plastic-sulky-acid-housey-soul-clashy-disco-sequin-pop,” he notes with a smile that mixes shyness and mischief. “I loved Michael Jackson, Prince, and ’80s pop—George Michael, Boy George, Duran Duran. Then I heard Deee-Lite’s World Clique and I never recovered. It was like a physical shock. That’s what made me want to explore electro and club music. I still play that record every day and I never get tired of it. They were so modern, a blend of club culture, classic songwriting, Motown and P-Funk. In the ’90s, Muriel Moreno and her band Niagara inspired me with their music, style, and innovative videos. I love Catherine Ringer from Les Rita Mitsouko, a crazy pop/rock/punk/jazz band. She’s like Nina Hagen doing Edith Piaf. And the poetry and lyrics of Serge Gainsbourg. They all make music that had a physical effect on me; I absorbed and transformed it into my own style.” Following the success of his International Deejay Gigolos singles, Naommon began work on his debut album, Allnighter. The project was funded independently and issued in digital format. “My driving force is freedom. If you can put your own money into your project and build a buzz around it on your own, you have a chance to hit the mainstream. My idea is do your own thing yourself; don’t wait for anybody. I want to rule the world on my own and be independent. There’s a lot of panic in the music business today; the music all sounds the same. I want to be fearless and create a style that doesn’t already exist.”
Allnighter was tracked in France under the guidance of several prominent French electro figures, among them Dondolo, Danton Eeprom, Copyshop, and Julien Lenoir. “Thanks to the name I made with the singles, I was able to executive produce my album and do everything I wanted to do. The music is European, but the vibe is pure New York.” The recordings fuse the relentless drive of classic disco and Chicago house with the twitchy, off-kilter rhythms of new wave rock, along with traces of hip-hop, early Prince’s sensual stance, funk elements, glam flourishes, shadowy nearly industrial synth textures, neo-soul backing vocals, and memorable pop hooks. His vocal approach merges a diva’s extravagant outpourings with a rocker’s cool detachment. The material focuses on themes of revelry, sexuality, liberty, and the tension between genuine affection and hedonism, delivered through intentionally ambiguous lyrics. “I like the poetry of words, French or English, especially if the sense isn’t obvious. I like to be evocative. I like word mixtures that sound beautiful, even if they have no real meaning. I never had the patience to learn an instrument or how to be an engineer or producer, but I know how to collaborate with producers to get the kind of texture I want. I work from a visceral place and want to put that feeling into the music.”
Albums
