Neo Jessica Joshua (born in December 1987), better known as Nao (also stylised as NAO; /ˈneɪ.oʊ/[2]), is a British 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.

Contents 1 Music career 2 Discography 2.1 Studio albums 2.2 Extended plays 2.3 Singles 2.4 Guest appearances 2.5 Songwriting/Production Credits 3 Awards and nominations 4 References 5 External links Music career

Neo Joshua was born in Nottingham but moved to East London as a young child. 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] 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 Media.

Nao played Glastonbury Festival in June 2015.[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 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 a new song, entitled "Boogie All Night", which is expected to appear on Chic's comeback 2018 album It's About Time, where she will appear as a featured artist on the song, alongside Mura Masa.

Discography Studio albums Title Details Peak chart positions UK[17] USDance[18] For All We Know Released: 29 July 2016 Label: RCA, Little Tokyo Recordings Format: Digital download, LP, CD 17 3