Neo Jessica Joshua, known by her stage name “NAO”, has been taking the hipster the world by storm with her eclectic sound utilizing combinations of soul, electronic, and R&B themes to craft her music.

NAO was born and raised in England. Her musical career began at an early age when NAO was taking piano lessons and studied at the Jazz at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London. She began her career as a backup singer for artists such as Kwabs and Jarvis Cocker. At only 29 years old, she debuted her first solo album titled For All We Know featuring popular songs like “Bad Blood” and “Girlfriend”. The album debuted at number 17 on the U.K. charts.

For six years, NAO performed with an all-girl a cappella group called ‘The Boxettes.” The group parted ways in October 2014; soon after, NAO released her first EP So Good, which reached number 4 on the iTunes electronic charts. Soon following, a second EP was released in February 2015 titled II MMXV. These EP releases helped NAO establish herself as a solo singer and songwriter.

NAO’s songs feature dark sultry themes, comparable to the artist FKA Twigs, as she expresses her emotions on mostly love and relationships. In her song “Fool to Love” on her album For All We Know, Nao explores how she will be leaving her lover, which is long overdue. Her most popular song “Bad Blood” poetically conveys NAO remembering cherished moments now lost with lines such as, “Do you remember? / The riding, the passion, the falling over / and tripping on ice / sharing advice, taking it twice / but let us not forget the silent day, stripped away…”

NAO uses her platform as an artist to share her progressive beliefs. She has been interviewed by media outlets such as Fader and The Guardian, speaking about diversifying the British music landscape. She’s been awarded with Best British Female Artist for the 2017 Brit Awards and continues to provide remixes to her music for her faithful fans.

You can find more of NAO on her Twitter account @thisisNAO, where she shares links to her music and collaborations on Soundcloud. She shares her artsy photos on Instagram @this_NAO. NAO’s music can also be accessed on Apple Music or YouTube.

Do yourself a favor and check out NAO, now.