Nao (singer)
Nao | |
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 Nao in 2018 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Neo Jessica Joshua |
| Born | 20 December 1987[1] Nottingham, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 2014–present |
| Labels |
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| Associated acts | |
| Website | www |
Neo Jessica Joshua (born 20 December 1987), better known as Nao (/ˈneɪ.oʊ/[2]), is an English singer-songwriter and record producer from East London.[6][7] Her sound has been described as soul combined with electronic music, funk and R&B.[6] Nao coined the term "wonky funk" to describe her style.[8][9] She released her debut album, For All We Know, in 2016, and her second album, Saturn, in 2018.
Background and early life[]
Nao made her hit “another lifetime” in dedication to her mother. She was the youngest of five children in her Jamaican mother's house, but is the only child of her mother and father, who raised her “as friends” between London and Nottingham, where he lives.
She studied vocal jazz at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London and went on to be a backing singer for artists such as Kwabs and Jarvis Cocker.[6][10] For six years up to 2014 she sang in an all-girl a cappella group called The Boxettes.[11][12]
Career[]
In October 2014 she released her first EP, So Good, it reached number 4 on the iTunes electronic chart and the title track made the BBC Radio 1 and BBC 1Xtra national playlists in the United Kingdom.[6][7][13] This was followed by a second EP, 15 February (II MMXV), in May 2015,[13] receiving the "Best New Music" tag from Pitchfork. Nao made her hit “Another Lifetime” for her mother.[10] In September 2015 Nao was named as a nominee for best newcomer at the 2015 MOBO Awards.[14] Nao was a featured vocalist and writer on Disclosure's UK number 1 album, Caracal, on the track "Superego".[15] She was featured in the long list for the BBC Sound of... 2016 prize in November 2015, ultimately being named in third place in January 2016.[16] Nao also featured as a co-writer on the track "Velvet / Jenny Francis (Interlude)" on Stormzy's debut album Gang Signs & Prayer.
Her debut album, For All We Know, was released on 29 July 2016, leading to a Brit Award Nomination for Best British Female Solo Artist.[9]
In 2017, she released a buzz single, entitled "Nostalgia", as she tells fans that she was back in the studio recording material for her second album. During that time, she also appeared as a co-writer in Mura Masa's self-titled debut album on the song "Nothing Else!", featuring Jamie Lidell.
In mid-2018, she revealed that her next single was to be called "Another Lifetime" and co-written and produced by debut album affiliates Grades and Stint. It was eventually released in June 2018. She also performed live with Chic and Mura Masa on the song "Boogie All Night", which is included on Chic's 2018 comeback album It's About Time; she is a featured artist on the song alongside Mura Masa. She released her second album Saturn on 26 October 2018. Saturn respectively received nominations for Album of the Year at the Mercury Prize in 2019 and Best Urban Contemporary Album at the 62nd Grammy Awards in 2020.
On 29 July 2021, Nao revealed details of her third album, And Then Life Was Beautiful.[17]
Personal life[]
On 15 January 2020, Nao announced via Instagram that she was expecting her first child.[18] She gave birth to a girl on 11 June 2020.[19]
Discography[]
Studio albums[]
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [20] |
UK R&B [21] |
BEL (FL) [22] |
NLD [23] |
SWI [24] |
US Dance [25] |
US Heat. [26] |
US R&B [27] | ||||
| For All We Know | 17 | 5 | 53 | 76 | 68 | 3 | 9 | 8 | |||
| Saturn |
|
56 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 20 | — | ||
| And Then Life Was Beautiful |
|
To be released | |||||||||
| "—" denotes items which were not released in that country or failed to chart. | |||||||||||
Extended plays[]
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| So Good |
|
| 15 February |
|
| For All We Know – The Remixes |
|
Singles[]
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEL (FL) Tip [22] |
US Adult R&B [30] | |||||||||
| "So Good" | 2014 | — | — | So Good | ||||||
| "Zillionaire" | — | — | 15 February | |||||||
| "Bad Blood"[31] | 2015 | 57 | — | For All We Know | ||||||
| "Fool to Love" | 2016 | — | — | |||||||
| "Girlfriend" | — | — | ||||||||
| "In the Morning" | 2017 | — | — | |||||||
| "Nostalgia"[32] | — | — | Non-album single | |||||||
| "Another Lifetime"[33] | 2018 | — | — | Saturn | ||||||
| "Complicated"[34] (with Mura Masa) |
23 | — | Non-album single | |||||||
| "Make It Out Alive"[35] (featuring SiR) |
— | 25 | Saturn | |||||||
| "If You Ever"[36] (featuring 6lack) |
— | — | ||||||||
| "Orbit" | 2019 | — | — | |||||||
| "Woman" (featuring Lianne La Havas) |
2020 | — | — | And Then Life Was Beautiful | ||||||
| "Antidote" (featuring Adekunle Gold) |
2021 | — | — | |||||||
| "Messy Love" | — | — | ||||||||
| "And Then Life Was Beautiful" | — | — | ||||||||
| "—" denotes items which were not released in that country or failed to chart. | ||||||||||
Promotional singles[]
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Drive and Disconnect"[37] | 2018 | Saturn |
| "Curiosity"[38] |
As featured artist[]
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Firefly"[39] (Mura Masa featuring Nao) |
2015 | Mura Masa |
| "Heart Storm" (Serpentwithfeet featuring Nao) |
2021 | Deacon |
Guest appearances[]
| Title | Year | Artist(s) | Album | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Make You Mine"[citation needed] | 2015 | Kwabs | Love + War | Background vocalist with Cass Lowe |
| "Superego"[40] | Disclosure | Caracal | Featured vocalist | |
| "Brake Lights"[41] | 2018 | Cosha | R.I.P. Bonzai | |
| "Boogie All Night"[42] | Nile Rodgers & Chic | It's About Time |
Songwriting credits[]
| Title | Year | Artist(s) | Album | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Be Alright"[43] | 2016 | Ariana Grande | Dangerous Woman | Co-writer |
| "Velvet / Jenny Francis (Interlude)"[citation needed] | 2017 | Stormzy | Gang Signs & Prayer | |
| "Nothing Else!"[citation needed] (featuring Jamie Lidell) |
Mura Masa | Mura Masa | ||
| "Till the World Falls"[citation needed] (featuring Mura Masa, Cosha & Vic Mensa) |
2018 | Nile Rodgers & Chic | It's About Time | |
| "Where Are You Now"[44] | 2021 | Danny L Harle | Harlecore |
Awards and nominations[]
| Year | Organisation | Award | Nominee/work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | BBC | Sound of 2016 | Herself | Third | [45] |
| UK Music Video Awards | Best Urban Video - UK | "Bad Blood" | Won | [46] | |
| Best Cinematography | Nominated | ||||
| 2017 | Brit Awards | Best British Female Solo Artist | Herself | [47] | |
| 2018 | UK Music Video Awards | Best Pop Video - UK | "Another Lifetime" | [48] | |
| 2019 | Pop Awards | Album Of The Year Award | Saturn | [49] | |
| Mercury Prize | Album of the Year | ||||
| 2020 | Grammy Awards | Best Urban Contemporary Album |
References[]
- ^ "Little Tokyo Recordings Limited". Companies House. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "A Moment With Nao, Soul Singer on the Verge". NPR. 13 August 2016. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
- ^ Beta, Andy (28 July 2016). "Meet Nao, Avant-R&B Star Moving From Back-Up Singer Shadows". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
- ^ Myers, Owen. "Meet NAO, The Avant-Soul Artist Who's All About Good Vibes". The Fader. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
- ^ Ganatra, Shilpa (29 July 2016). "Avant-soul sensation Nao moves the full 20ft closer to stardom". The Irish Times. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d "BBC Music Sound of...2016 – NAO". BBC. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "NAO on iTunes". Apple iTunes. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
- ^ Mokoena, Tshepo (21 January 2016). "The sound of Nao: from teenage choir teacher to creator of 'wonky funk'". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "British Singer NAO brings 'Wonky Funk' to life". University of Missouri–Kansas City. 12 April 2017. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Glastonbury 2015". BBC Music. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
- ^ "The Boxettes, Kings Place". The Arts Desk. 13 January 2012.
- ^ "This All-Female Beatbox Group's Awesome Rudimental Cover Is Anything But Basic". HuffPost. 15 August 2014.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "New band of the week: Nao". The Guardian. 28 August 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
- ^ "Grime and hip-hop artists JME and Krept And Konan dominate Mobo nominations". BBC Newsbeat. 30 September 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
- ^ "Caracal by Disclosure". Metacritic. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
- ^ "BBC Music Sound of 2016 longlist – listen to the nominees". The Guardian. 30 November 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
- ^ Monroe, Jazz (29 July 2021). "Nao Announces New Album And Then Life Was Beautiful, Shares Song". Pitchfork. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
- ^ "Singer NAO Is Pregnant! Here's Four Reasons She'll Be The Coolest Mom Ever". Essence. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
- ^ @thisNAO (11 June 2020). "Welcome to Planet Earth baby girl