SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) – A Sarasota native is making waves in Los Angeles, and now her voice can be heard on the new Rolling Stones album.
Naarai Jacobs has spent the last decade building a career in music after moving to Los Angeles in 2015.
“I’ve worked with this producer called Andrew Watts. He’s a really really a brilliant producer, he is very young and a lot of the greats are working with like Elton John, the Rolling Stones, even some of the younger, Gaga, Justin Bieber,” she said.
Along the way, she has worked with some of the biggest names in the industry, including Beyoncé, Elton John and Kanye West.
Her father, Nate Jacobs, said he could not be prouder of his daughter.
“Proud, very proud. The world is proud of my extremely talented songbird, which is my daughter Naari,” he said.
Naarai’s first big break came when she sang with Beyoncé at Coachella.
Since then, she has continued to build relationships in the music industry and take on new opportunities.
Last fall, Naarai received a late-night message from producer Andrew Watt, whom she had previously worked with on “Finish Line,” an Elton John song featuring Stevie Wonder.
“He had someone DM on Instagram saying, ‘I’ve been looking for you, I need you to sing on something,’” Naarai said.
At the end of the conversation, she learned who the project was for.
“I was flabbergasted,” she said.
That project was the Rolling Stones’ latest album.
Naarai is featured on two songs: “Mr. Charm” and “Back in Your Life.”
“When I heard everything that was all mixed and mastered, it’s amazing,” Naarai said. “The first time I heard ‘Mr. Charm,’ I was listening to it on my phone while I was packing and stuff, so I wasn’t really hearing it, but then I listened in my car and was like whoa, it’s such a big record, and then ‘Back In Your Life’ is this smooth and bluesy song.”
Naarai said she knew Mick Jagger would be in the studio, but it took some time to fully process the opportunity.
“So he told me that Mick Jagger would be there, but I still hadn’t wrapped my head around that,” she said.
When Jagger walked into the studio, Naarai says she heard his British accent coming down the hall.
“He walks in, and he’s so friendly, warm, and kind,” she said.
Naarai said the key to working with major artists is staying focused and getting out of her own head.
“Working with the big artists as I do, you have to get out of your head because when the artist is right in front of me, you’ll flub it up,” she said.
For Nate, the moment is the result of years of hard work from his daughter.
“She works hard and has consistently worked for these doors to open up, and I tell her all the time that all these doors are opening for all the 10 years that you’ve been out there because of your diligence, consistency, your professionalism, and your amazing talents. Pat yourself on the back because you’re doing good,” he said.
Naarai said she never planned out a list of famous artists she wanted to work with.
“None of this I’ve planned out,” she said. “I’ve worked with some incredible artists, some big, some small, and some my personal heroes, and I’m just grateful. There’s not a list of artists where I’ve said I want to work with; I’m extremely grateful, especially now, to be getting those calls on my own.”
Now, after working with some of the biggest names in music, Naarai is still chasing the dream that first brought her to Los Angeles, becoming an artist in her own right and one day sharing her own music with the world.
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