For the past thirteen years, the talented Japanese singer songwriter Nao Yoshioka has become a force in contemporary rnb/neo-soul. Respected by her peers, in the last two years things have really “blown up”.
Signed to the independent (and dare I say) brilliant Japanese record label Sweet Soul Records, I do believe true major global acclaim is just a step away.
But like so many things we desire in life things are never straight forward.
In this album there are incredibly positive songs too, but I do delve into that pain. It was a big challenge to look at myself. In the end I realised I did not need a reason to be proud of myself.”
“I felt very restricted in Japan, and I could never truly express myself.” She admits, “People were always questioning my behaviours and asking why I couldn’t fit in. I was also questioning myself and wondering why I felt so different. It was a feeling I held for such a long time”.
With her simple but trendy attire, her distinctive pink hair and manicured nails she is expressive, engaging and emits a real sense of warmth. How could she struggle to fit in I thought. But teenage years are notoriously difficult and finding ‘yourself’ is such a pain!
Originally from Osaka, Nao Yoshioka’s wish to be a singer was a guilty hidden pleasure: A fragile, fragmented dream that seemed unattainable.
“I come from a creative family. My mother is a dress designer, my father is an interior co-ordinator, and both of my sisters became professional painters. But I was hiding my musical passion from my family.”
As the youngest of three sisters, it seemed she was destined to follow their paths “well, both of my sisters draw really well, and I used to study art at school. Everyone (and perhaps even me) just assumed I was going to be a painter.”
But her wish to sing was an all-consuming urge.
“My elder sister was listening to Mary J Blige and Mariah Carey. At the time Sister Act (1992) was a big hit in Japan. I became obsessed with gospel and Lauryn Hill. I was covering songs from Lauryn Hill but also Aretha Franklin-I was obsessed with her. Once I started singing on the stage at high school, I knew this is what I wanted to do. I only found true happiness on stage”
“For me to ‘win’ it was always going to be super difficult. I am unique. A born and bred Japanese artist singing rnb, and soul music. People couldn’t get it the first time
She continues
“Eventually this feeling of ‘not fitting in’ reached a point when I dropped out of high school and I became depressed. For about a year I could not even leave the house. But I really wanted to change my life. One day I was watching Alicia Keys unplugged in New York. She was expressing her music so freely, her band was vibing and into the groove. It was so inspiring. They were living their best life.”
Inspired, her ‘dreams’ started to manifest-
“I saw that and wondered why can’t I have that? Why can’t I have those feelings of freedom and joy? At the time I was also watching a 2-hour programme about New York city. My sister sent me a travel book about New York. I was also reading a book about Yoko Ono who lived in New York. So, all the dots were aligning. It was like God was giving me a sign. I just had to come to New York. Japanese music did not move me like soul and rnb and I knew that I could never achieve my dream in Japan”.
With just a place to stay and a plane ticket she took the journey
“My family trusted me even though none of my family had ever left Japan. When I came to New York, I thought it was heaven, but I realised it was a hard city to be in when you don’t speak English. Eventually I found Stacy Penson who is an amazing vocal coach. He was a very tough teacher though. He never gave me one compliment for the first three months. One day I finally overcame a hurdle and he said, ‘you did amazing’– I just started crying.”
Like I am not going to be this artist who makes one album, did a tour and then disappears. People realised I put my heart into my career, and that I am here to stay.
As a Japanese singer trying to find her feet in soul and rnb she had to convince people this wasn’t just some gimmick,
“For me to ‘win’ it was always going to be super difficult. I am unique. A born and bred Japanese artist singing rnb, and soul music. People couldn’t get it the first time-like ‘what is going on?’ People just thought I had just stolen some music from America” she states giving a wry smile.
“But with my label we have built a trust with artists, producers and people I work with. I think little by little people started to recognise me and realise that I am serious artist. Like I am not going to be this artist who makes one album, did a tour and then disappears. People realised I put my heart into my career, and that I am here to stay.”
Off the back of 5 stunning albums, (I’m loving Undeniable 2019 featuring the brilliant Eric Roberson) she’s a force pushing this addictive new wave gorgeous rnb/neo-soul.
“My fifth album Flow (2024) completely changed my career” she admits “I think people got onto the album after a show I did at Blue Note Tokyo, called the Tokyo Funk Sessions. One of the videos from the show went viral it got like 5 million views. I had a tour and visited 11 counties. I started connecting and working with huge artists and getting subscribers from all over the globe.”
Written ostensibly in the beautiful surroundings of Lake Yamanaka near Mount Fuji her latest album Self, is a personal and cathartic exploration of her own “vulnerabilities.” It’s something we both discuss at length in the interview. We all need to explore the aspects of ‘us’ we try to avoid. Ultimately these explorations are important in personal growth.
“A few years ago, I suffered with a panic disorder and physically I was not in a good place. I realised I needed to find my way back to nature and it really helped to be near the lake. I stayed there for a week surrounded by beauty just writing and journaling. That experience helped me to find my own true feelings again. I started to go there more often and ended up writing about 70 percent of the songs for the album”.
She opens up more, slightly averting her gaze as she thinks-
“I have never really talked fully about the pain and my vulnerability. I started to realise that these pains are important for growth. In this album there are incredibly positive songs too, but I do delve into that pain. It was a big challenge to look at myself. In the end I realised I did not need a reason to be proud of myself.”
The first single off the fresh album is the smooth, and gorgeous You Got to Feel It born from a “spontaneous studio session”. Slight tinges of afro-beat courtesy of her label mates-en-vogue singer/producer Bnnyhunna, Braxton Cooke provides the lush flushes of sax, while of course Nao adds those tight verbals with a killer hook and memorable chorus. Trust me I think this will feature in your summer playlist.
So, with that I ask my last cheeky question: “Which is better, 90’s rnb or contemporary rnb/neo-soul?”
She smiles, “that is so difficult”
Nao performs on the 15/03/2026 at Pizza Express LIVE.
Featured image Cedric Tang