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Musical artist / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Neo Jessica Joshua (born December 1987), known professionally as Nao (/ˈneɪ.oʊ/), is an English singer, songwriter and producer. Brought up in a musically informed household, Nao began singing and playing the piano as an adolescent. After enrolling in vocal jazz studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, she briefly worked as a backup singer and integrated The Boxettes, a female beatboxing group.
Nao | |
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Born | Neo Jessica Joshua December 1987 |
Other names | Neo Joshua |
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Years active | 2007–present |
Labels | Little Tokyo Recordings |
Website | thisnao |
She has cultivated a sound based on funk, soul and alternative R&B, analysed by journalists as progression of 90s music; the accompanying themes frequently pertain to romantic love and self-worth. Nao's first solo efforts, the songs "Back Porch" and "So Good", were released in May 2014. Both were included in that year's So Good, her inaugural extended play (EP), a record of electronic R&B music. In 2015, alongside the release of collaborations with Disclosure and Mura Masa, her second EP, February 15, was issued. Her debut studio album For All We Know was released in July 2016, spawning four singles – "Bad Blood", "Fool to Love", "Girlfriend" and "In the Morning" – and a 2017 EP comprising remixes of album tracks.
Nao was distinguished with the third place on the BBC Sound of 2016, a competition for emerging musical artists. The singer was nominated for the 2017 BRIT Awards in the category of British Female Solo Artist. After serving as a supporting act for Little Dragon in 2014, she embarked on multiple tours worldwide.