Naomi Osaka Reveals Her Shyness Caused Jay-Z To Shut Down Conversation

BY Erika Marie 21.8K Views
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Naomi Osaka Jay-Z
Naomi Osaka talked about how shy she gets and shared a story of Jay-Z shutting down a conversation because she was so nervous.

We all have a trait or two that we may want to change about ourselves and for tennis champion Naomi Osaka, it would be her nagging shyness. The 22-year-old was thrust into the spotlight as her career progressed, and when she bested Serena Williams, Naomi became a full-blown celebrity. She's been able to keep her personal life under wraps, but some have attributed Naomi Osaka's ability to stay out of the limelight to her shy personality. Naomi shared her struggles with shyness on Twitter, even sharing a story about how it caused a conversation between her and Jay-Z to be shut down.

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"I’m done being shy. It’s really a waste of my time. I could’ve shared so many ideas by now, I could’ve had convos with so many different people. All the things I could’ve learned 🤦🏽‍♀️ but no I’m over here actually putting my own limiter on myself," Naomi tweeted. "I was standing next to Jay-Z once and he started talking to me but I got really nervous and started giving one word replies so he suddenly said, 'Are you shy?', and I said, 'yeah', and the convo came to a screeching halt. GOD WHYYYYYYYY 😭😩 WHYYYYYYYY."

Not many people have the opportunity to chop it up with Jay-Z, so the lack of communication is something that Naomi regrets. However, she added that while she's determined to work on her shyness, she isn't going to engage people for the sake of speaking up. "Pls note : Just because I’m attempting to not be shy doesn’t mean I’ll start pointlessly talking. I’m probably still gonna be relatively quiet but I won’t pass on opportunities to speak my mind anymore." Check out her tweets below.


About The Author
Since 2019, Erika Marie has worked as a journalist for HotNewHipHop, covering music, film, television, art, fashion, politics, and all things regarding entertainment. With 20 years in the industry under her belt, Erika Marie moved from a writer on the graveyard shift at HNHH to becoming a Features Editor, highlighting long-form content and interviews with some of Hip Hop’s biggest stars. She has had the pleasure of sitting down with artists and personalities like DJ Jazzy Jeff, Salt ’N Pepa, Nick Cannon, Rah Digga, Rakim, Rapsody, Ari Lennox, Jacquees, Roxanne Shante, Yo-Yo, Sean Paul, Raven Symoné, Queen Naija, Ryan Destiny, DreamDoll, DaniLeigh, Sean Kingston, Reginae Carter, Jason Lee, Kamaiyah, Rome Flynn, Zonnique, Fantasia, and Just Blaze—just to name a few. In addition to one-on-one chats with influential public figures, Erika Marie also covers content connected to the culture. She’s attended and covered the BET Awards as well as private listening parties, the Rolling Loud festival, and other events that emphasize established and rising talents. Detroit-born and Long Beach (CA)-raised, Erika Marie has eclectic music taste that often helps direct the interests she focuses on here at HNHH. She finds it necessary to report on cultural conversations with respect and honor those on the mic and the hardworking teams that help get them there. Moreover, as an advocate for women, Erika Marie pays particular attention to the impact of femcees. She sits down with rising rappers for HNHH—like Big Jade, Kali, Rubi Rose, Armani Caesar, Amy Luciani, and Omerettà—to gain their perspectives on a fast-paced industry.

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