On ‘Jupiter’, Nao celebrates growth with songs that elevate her self-styled “wonky funk” to fresh heights. A spiritual sequel to her 2018 album ‘Saturn’, which dealt with the turmoil of being in your 20s, it explores what it’s like to be in your 30s, whether as a parent, as a partner or as a friend.
Here the east London vocalist is in a much more mellow and joyful place, happy to deal with the complexities of life, and her own performance reflect that. Her distinctive, soft voice helps to develop the record’s warm sound, complemented by the cool breeze of its electronic production. Tracks such as Poolside and Dive In could be the soundtrack to your summer holiday.
Standout single Happy People has a joyful Afrobeat lilt, highlighting the new mindset Nao has. “I don’t need no one else but you and I / I found my people / Living a life more peaceful,” she sings.
We All Win touches on a similar theme, with a smooth saxophone solo and a melody that casually bounces along. Nao sings about supporting her friends, with the message, “when we all win, we go up”.
Her joyfulness goes stratospheric on Light Years. “Travel like the speed of light / I’ll hold on to these feelings for you,” she sings as her vocals soar over galactic production.
But there are tracks where Nao’s feet are more firmly on the ground. During the stripped-basck Better Days, she seems to address the complicated nature of friendship as you age, with people are in different places, both physically and mentally. She sings: “Six years older / you feel younger / I fell off and you fell under / Closer when we’re far apart.”
Backed by a simple electronic guitar melody, there is great maturity to 30 Something. Here, Nao reflects on what she needs to let go of from her past in order to be happier in her present, while still acknowledging that it won’t make everything perfect. “Dishes in the kitchen / Yeah my sleep ain’t getting better / I love my baby daughter / Sometimes motherhood’s whatever / And I swear I wouldn’t change this,” she reveals.
‘Jupiter’ has the transformative effect of bringing the listener into the emotional space of the artist, which is not a bad place to be in this case. Here, Nao is joyful, meditative, grounded and, above all, hopeful.
Nao Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows
Thu March 06 2025 - BIRMINGHAM O2 Institute
Fri March 07 2025 - MANCHESTER New Century
Sat March 08 2025 - GLASGOW St Lukes
Tue March 11 2025 - BRISTOL O2 Academy Bristol
Wed March 12 2025 - LONDON O2 Academy Brixton
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