Peach Jam Podcast: Naoma - Atlanta

Naoma calls herself the Goddess of Groove, and after this Peach Jam episode, you understand why. The Atlanta-based singer talks with host Jeremy Powell about falling in love with classic disco divas like Chaka Khan, Teena Marie, and Donna Summer, and how hearing a DJ set at Star Bar in Little Five Points showed her that big voices and big horns still belong on a dance floor. 

Originally from Midland, Michigan, she walks you through the move south, the instant connection she felt with Atlanta’s nightlife, and the decision that disco would be the sound where her voice and personality finally made sense.

Between live performances, Naoma looks back at the kid she once was: a theater-loving show choir singer who never stopped belting it out around the house. She remembers being cast as an orphan in Annie at Beef and Boards Dinner Theatre in Indianapolis and later joining the nationally ranked Center Grove Sound System, where director Jennifer Dice drilled in breath control and work ethic. 

Those early years on stage shaped the confidence and drama she now brings to her Peach Jam performance, complete with dancers, sequins, and that huge, ringing voice.

The conversation also reveals what it takes to chase big dreams while still working a service job. Naoma talks about bartending at the Delta Sky Club, meeting Grammy-winning singer and songwriter Victoria Monét there just before the release of On My Mama, and taking encouragement from artists whose breakthroughs came after many years of persistence. 

She shares what it meant to headline Rome, Georgia's Pride celebration, to build a creative team of close friends, and to balance hustle with rest while staying grounded in a mission to help you feel good in your own body. By the end of the episode, Naoma makes it clear that there is no time to wait for permission when it comes to your dreams, and that a local disco diva can shine just as brightly as any global star.