After several years touring as a backup vocalist, Maple Heights native Lindsay Fields, who goes by Jade Novah, recently released her own R&B album.
“All Blue” is about “manifesting the things I want for myself,” said Novah, who is in town to perform Thursday at House of Blues in Cleveland.
Music has always been a part of her life. She grew up with a musical family and sang in the choir at Maple Heights High School. While a junior in high school, she received a big break when she met Missy Elliott in Detroit and sang for her.
“She took the time to listen,” Novah said. “She gave me her information, and two weeks later she flew me out to Miami, she was working on an album called ‘This is Not a Test.’ And she hired me to sing backgrounds on three songs.”
The opportunity to sing backup provided a taste of the music business, but it wasn’t until a few years later that Novah officially set on a path to perform professionally.
While working in retail at Beachwood Mall in 2010, she received an invitation to audition for a project with producer and comedian Tyler Perry. The invite stemmed from a YouTube video of her performing a cover song. She said she wasn’t even sure it was legitimate at first, but she faced a major decision whether or not to go on the audition, which conflicted with her job.
“My superior was like, ‘OK. If you go to this audition you have to turn in your key,’” Novah said. “I was petrified, but music is all I’ve ever wanted to do.”
Ultimately, that opportunity opened doors for others, and she has been working in music ever since, including touring as a backup vocalist for Rihanna.
“Being able to be behind the scenes and get the opportunity to work at the highest level of music with someone like her as a blueprint definitely showed me just everything with this industry, what I could expect,” Novah said.
Throughout the past several years, Novah also developed a fan following on YouTube performing covers and parodies. While she currently focuses on her own music on YouTube, she encourages others to use all forms of social media to reach people.
“Stay encouraged. Put your art out there,” she said.
Novah now lives in Los Angeles and said she regularly returns to Northeast Ohio to visit her family.
