Growing up in Osaka, Japan, Nao was a creative force even from a young age. Before discovering a passion for music, she inherited a passion for art from her parents, both of which were designers in her native Japan. Soon enough, her older sister introduced her to Soul and R’n’B via old Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston records. She was hooked immediately and soon took to writing and performing. A few years later, Nao’s parents divorced, causing a difficult time emotionally in her life which stopped her singing for two years. Once old enough, Nao decided to pack up and move to America, choosing to live in New York. She soon met a vocal coach who was influential in building back her passion for music and she hasn’t looked back since.
And here’s Nao’s version of Michael Jackson’s “I’ll Be There” which she performed last month live on J-WAVE’s popular JK Radio Tokyo United program.
