Nao Yoshioka, a progressive soul singer from Japan, has released her first new album in five years, ``Flow''. Along with this, release parties were also held in Tokyo, Osaka, and London.

Collaboration with new generation artists who are driving scenes around the world

An open sound of unity and regeneration born beyond the pandemic: Resonating with artists representing scenes from around the world

Nao Yoshioka’s latest album “Flow”, which has overcome the challenges of the pandemic and found light once again, is a collaborative work that brings together artists representing scenes from various countries and connects the divided world once again with a bridge of music. Collaborating with leading artists from the US, UK, Netherlands, Australia, and Japan, including Devin Morrison, Takuya Kuroda, Reuben James, MXXWLL, Jarreau Vandal, and JAEL, highlights her musical identity. We also have a team of elite engineers. Participating artists include Qmillion, who mixes Robert Glasper’s masterpieces, and Sam Brawner, who works with Anderson .Paak.

The album is about a journey of self-discovery and self-expression in the wake of difficult times. Nao Yoshioka’s deep creativity, brought out in a flow state, leads to a liberating sound that transports listeners’ minds and bodies. Shake and invite each person to immerse themselves. This album, which combines soul, R&B, jazz, and funk, becomes a symbol of hope and rebirth that Nao Yoshioka brings to the world, and resonates as a timeless musical baton.

The path to Flow: A story of self-destruction and rediscovery

In 2019, Nao Yoshioka released his previous album Undeniable and was based in New York, but soon the pandemic hit and he was forced to return to Japan. The struggle continues for about five years. Her dreams were shattered by the pandemic. Afterwards, she suffered from autonomic nervous disorder and panic disorder, which caused her to fundamentally reevaluate her way of life. Her self-destruction that occurred here was a moment of separation from who she wanted to be. But behind the scenes, she meets her true, clumsy self, leading her to true self-discovery. By accepting her “nobody” self, forgetting about her career, and pursuing what makes her heart move without her work or personal growth, she has become more than ever before. I discovered my shining self. This process is connected to the theme of this album, “immersion.”

This work, which is his fifth work, can be said to be his new debut work. A new world existed on the other side of the door opened by the forced reset. Flow is a collection of honest and mature music from Nao Yoshioka, who has built a career without getting bogged down in the past or denying it.

Message from Nao Yoshioka

Five years have passed since the previous work “Undeniable”. It was the first time in my career that I didn’t release an album for such a long time, and I didn’t spend a lot of time making albums, but I spent a lot of time facing life as an individual. When I listen to my old works, most of them are about struggles and searching for answers about what to do to love yourself. The song “I’m Not Perfect” from the first album depicts the process of hating yourself and trying to love yourself somehow. This song faithfully expresses me at that time. In the song “Celebrate” from “Undeniable,” I think that by celebrating different ways of living, I’m ready to accept whatever life is for me. After that, when my mental and physical health collapsed due to the coronavirus pandemic, I had to give up on the person I wanted to be, that is, the person who was valued by those around me and was pursuing a social career. I was able to meet my true, unsparkling, lame, and clumsy self that I had been suffering from for so long. I wasn’t Nao Yoshioka, I wasn’t a soul singer, I wasn’t anyone, and I felt really weak and couldn’t do my best, so I hit rock bottom. I was scared that I was going to feel like I was depressed when I was a teenager, so just like the music in New York gave me hope back then, I started doing things that excited me as a way to rehabilitate myself. Then, the feeling of joy in my mind and body returned, and I realized that I was even more dazzling and powerful than when I was “the person I wanted to be.” Be who you are, not who you are and who you are trying to be accepted by. I felt like I had to start from here. So this time, I feel like it’s my real debut. Through the album I made with producers and artists from the wonderful world that is linked to the new feeling I have now, I will be able to convey my experience of immersion and self-liberation to many people, and share the feelings of those who are struggling like me someday. I hope that this will be an opportunity to brighten things up a little bit.

(Work information)

Artist: Nao Yoshioka

Album title: Flow

CD sales price: 2,970 yen (tax included)

Release date/distribution start date: June 28, 2024 (Friday)

On-air release date: Friday, June 28, 2024

Information release date: May 15, 2024 (Wednesday) 18:00

Publisher/Label: SWEET SOUL RECORDS

Product code: MCP-0016

JAN code: 4560365719253

Delivery link:https://naoyoshioka.lnk.to/flow

Participating artists and production team:

Big State, Corey Bernhard, Devin Morrison, JAEL, Jarreau Vandal, Khari Mateen, Kiah Victoria, MXXWLL, Nappy Nina, Reuben James, Takuya Kuroda, Qmillion, Sam Brawner, Killing Skills, Randy Runyon, Rafael Devánte Sinay, and more. .

Track list:

01. Free as a Bird feat. Jarreau Vandal

02. My Love feat. Jarreau Vandal

03. Nobody Chase Me feat. Devin Morrison

04. Love Is What We Find feat. JAEL

05. Knock on Your Door feat. Big State

06. You Never Know

07. Feeling So Bright feat. MXXWLL

08. Unapologetically Me feat. Takuya Kuroda

09. Anywhere Anytime feat. Nappy Nina

10. Selfish feat. Reuben James

11. Note to Self feat. Devin Morrison

12. Let It Flow

(Performance information)

Performance name: Nao Yoshioka New Album “Flow” Release Party in Osaka

Venue name: Billboard Live OSAKA

Performance date: Thursday, July 18, 2024

Performance name: Nao Yoshioka New Album “Flow” Release Party

Venue name: BLUE NOTE TOKYO

Performance date: Saturday, July 20, 2024

Performance name: Nao Yoshioka New Album “Flow” Release Party in London

Venue name: OMEARA London

Performance date: Thursday, August 1, 2024

Nao Yoshioka

A soul singer with a powerful NY-trained voice and expressive power, rooted in history but with a modern taste that is different from laid-back. Born in Japan, after moving to New York alone in the United States, he encountered soul music, and from the experience of synchronizing his heart with the famous songs composed by Sam Cooke, he aspired to create music that resonates deep in people’s hearts. . Although he is Japanese, he has a soulful voice and a strong core reminiscent of Aretha Franklin or Whitney Houston, and is greatly influenced by his life experience of feeling like an outsider for a long time and the challenges of adversity. Her impressive live vocal performance has become a viral hit with over 3.9 million views on YouTube, and she has performed solo at Blue Note New York and London Jazz Cafe, as well as appearing at Java Jazz Festival, one of the largest festivals in Asia, and Capital Jazz fes in the United States. He has performed in various countries around the world. He also became his first Japanese artist to reach number 32 on the Billboard UAC chart. He has received strong support from veteran artists such as John Batiste, Nathan East, Eric Roberson, and Mamas Gun, and has collaborated with young artists such as Devin Morrison and Blue Lab Beats, and is expected to release his long-awaited 5th album and world tour in 2024. be done.