NAO

Background

On December 20, 1987, Neo Jessica Joshua was born. Although she is an only child, her parents raised her ‘as friends’ between London and Nottingham, where her father lives. She was the youngest of five children at the home of her Jamaican mother. She pursued a career as a background singer for musicians like Kwabs and Jarvis Cocker after studying vocal jazz at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London. She launched her debut E.P. “So Good,” in October 2014. The title track made the national playlists on B.B.C. Radio 1 and B.B.C. 1Xtra in the U.K. and the E.P. peaked at number four on the iTunes electronic chart.

In May 2015, Joshua released her second E.P. “15 February (II MMXV),” which received Pitchfork’s Best New Music designation. She was a candidate for best newcomer at the 2015 MOBO Awards in September of that year. Joshua featured as a vocalist and songwriter on the song ‘Superego,’ from Disclosure’s U.K. number-one album “Caracal.” She also co-wrote the song ‘Velvet / Jenny Francis (Interlude)’ on Stormzy’s debut album “Gang Signs & Prayer.”

After the release of her debut album “For All We Know,” on July 29, 2016, she was nominated for a Brit Award for Best British Female Solo Artist. On October 26, 2018, Joshua released her second album, “Saturn” which included the smash hit ‘Another Lifetime’ that Joshua wrote for her mother. The album was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2019 Mercury Prize and Best Urban Contemporary Album at the 62nd Grammy Awards in 2020. Her third album, “And Then Life Was Beautiful,” was announced on July 29, 2021, and was released on September 24, 2021. Joshua is engaged but the details of her man remain mysterious. On January 15, 2020, she announced via Instagram that she was expecting her first child. She gave birth to a girl in June 2020.