10 Artists To Watch In 2016

NAO

For fans of: FKA Twigs, Aluna George, Tei Shi

Hackney native, NAO is no stranger to music. The singer/songwriter studied vocal jazz at Guildhall before going on to release two solo EPs and work with musicians such as Kwabs, Disclosure and Mura Masa. NAO features as a vocalist on Disclosure’s track “Superego“ and helped to write their album Caracal, which charted at #1 in the UK. She also performed at Glastonbury in 2015 and received a MOBO award for best newcomer.

Her sound is a characteristic mix of neo-soul and R&B paired with funky electronic beats. However, the most distinctive feature of her music is her flowing vocals which are subconsciously controlled, effortlessly sliding between smooth low notes and then bringing them to their highest register.

The New Year is sure to be a promising one for the 26-year-old musician. She has been featured on the long list for BBC’s Sound of 2016 and is set to continue touring in both the UK and Europe.

Listen to her latest solo track: ‘Bad Blood’:

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