Nao, a soul singer born in Japan and who honed her skills in New York, has released an acoustic version of her recently released single, ‘Tokyo 2020’, her first release since the COVID pandemic began.
With her vocals featuring prominently and accompanied by the echoes of the Wurlitzer, the song fully expresses the soulful spirit and singing ability reminiscent of past great soul singers.
In contrast to the original, which was gorgeous in part due to the strings and sitar, the acoustic version showcases the intimacy of the song, as if the singer is singing directly in front of you and putting your mind at ease.
The original song has made its way onto popular playlists such as Spotify’s “Tokyo Rising”, “New Music Friday”, and Apple Music’s “New in R&B”. Internationally the song was featured in Italian Vogue and is currently ranked #7 on the UK Soul Chart Top 30 for the week beginning on May 30, 2022. Nao’s social presence has grown exponentially since a video of her live performance at Blue Note Tokyo in early 2022 received more than 1M views on YouTube.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/naoyoshiokasweetsoul
Instagram: www.instagram.com/nao_yoshioka
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx86RXRmtNBL1JGgD-fgvQg
Twitter: www.twitter.com/nao_worldwide
In January of this year, Nao performed at Blue Note Tokyo in front of an audience with the performance also being live-streamed. As of the end of March, the live stream video has surpassed 500,000 views and is currently creating a buzz on YouTube with over 400 comments from around the world, commenting positively on her performance, the band’s performance, and the quality of the music in front of an enthusiastic audience.
