Soul Train Awards 2022: Get To Know YouTuber Turned Singer Queen Naija

(Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images)

DETROIT, MICHIGAN - SEPTEMBER 24: Queen Naija performs onstage during the Good Morning Gorgeous Tour at Little Caesars Arena on September 24, 2022 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images)

By Tabie Germain

December 9, 2022 / 6:00 AM

The biggest celebration of soul and r&b was packed with non-stop laughter, several sultry performances, and of course, tons of award-winning moments, including the prestigious ‘Lady of Soul Award’ given to legendary r&b girl group Xscape.

Dozens of the entertainment industry’s biggest stars and several new faces were in attendance, including YouTube vlogger turned-successful singer and songwriter Queen Naija, who was presenting at the upcoming ceremony. Let's get to know the star better with these fun facts you probably didn’t know about her.

She almost dropped out of school
For her YouTube page, the “Game Over” singer got candid with her followers and shared several facts about herself that they didn’t know about her, including the fact that she almost dropped out of school.
“I literally almost dropped out of school my senior year [of high school],” she told viewers before correcting herself. “Actually, I did drop out for a little bit.” The singer said she would go to classes once a week, collect her homework, and do it at home.
With her attendance record shot, Naija ultimately returned and got her degree. Although she didn’t attend college, she had hopes of attending Wayne State University, located in her home state of Michigan.
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She appeared on the 13th season of American Idol
In 2014, Queen Naija auditioned for the 13th season of the musical competition series American Idol. She made it through to Hollywood, but she was later cut when the top 30 contestants were chosen. She had auditioned two years earlier but had failed to advance to the next round. As fans know, she later began making videos on YouTube with her then-husband, steadily gaining traction and garnering over two million subscribers.
She comes from a diverse background
According to most of the information on the rising star, she was born in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Her background has been described as a mixture of Arab, African-American and Italian cultures. Her father is reportedly from Yemen.