Nao has spent more than half of her life gigging, but the East London-based musician never imagined she'd be performing her own music in front of an audience _ let alone touring the world.
"I didn't even know if my mum would come," said Nao, 29, about her first shows in the spotlight.
The electronic-funk-soul singer-producer, born Neo Jessica Joshua (her moniker, pronounced "Neigh-yo," is a spin on Neo), is unwinding in the countryside outside London. "Just resting and writing before I go on the road," she said by phone last week.
Nao could use a bit of an unwind. She's coming off a whirlwind year that saw her break in the U.S. after two EPs _ 2014's "So Good" and 2015's "February 15" _ made her a rising star at home and caught on here in part because of her enchanting yet peculiar tone and knack for blending R&B, soul, funk, electronic and jazz textures.
Her profile rose with the release of last year's debut, "For All We Know," a sprawling, bright collection of funky electronics and slinky, retro R&B flourishes that landed her on critics' year-end lists and placed her in front of sold-out audiences across the country as the beguiling single "Bad Blood" became a sleeper R&B hit.
Her debut at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival kicks off a spring tour.
She's still getting used to the attention _ and the affection.
"It blew my mind," she said of the reception she got here during her debut tour last year. "It was the first time with a tour bus and we were driving across America. It's something I will definitely remember for the rest of my life."
Singing since she was 14, Nao studied vocal jazz and piano at London's Guildhall School of Music & Drama. She was a background vocalist for Kwabs and Jarvis Cocker (including a reunion with Pulp), taught choirs, did session work and performed with an all-female a cappella group.
"I kind of thought that's what I'd be doing as a singer," she said. "I didn't really have the confidence or trust that people would actually listen to my own music."
Eventually Nao got a push from her manager, and she took her own music seriously.
Her first recording, a funky off-kilter number called "So Good," was a collaboration with A.K. Paul that racked up 50,000 spins on SoundCloud and was played by Zane Lowe.
After teaming with Disclosure, Kaytranada, Jungle, Mura Masa and SBTRKT among others, Nao is working on a collaborative EP that will pull from the "vibe ... and musical spirits" of artists she's into _ but she's not in any rush. For now she's enjoying the wave and taking her time.
"I still feel like I'm in the neck of the first album. I don't want to stress myself out, so I've been writing by myself and trying to come up with new ideas and jamming ... without any intention in mind," she said. "It's a nice place to be."
