Nao Yoshioka: “Soul showed me the connection I had always been searching for”
- Valentina Bonin
- Jul 10
- 7 min read
Nao Yoshioka occupies a rare space in contemporary music.
Born and raised in Japan, she has built her career through American soul, a musical language deeply connected to African American history and experience. In it, she found a form of expression and belonging that she had struggled to recognise within her own cultural environment.
Ahead of her upcoming European appearances, CZMOS spoke with Nao Yoshioka about cultural distance, identity, mental health, artistic responsibility and what it means to sing music born from a history different from her own.
Ahead of her Italian debut at Blue Note Milano, the singer reflects on the roots of soul, what it means to be an outsider and the importance of remaining true to herself.
There are some forms of music we choose, and others in which we unexpectedly find a home.
For Nao Yoshioka, a soul singer born and raised in Japan, encountering American soul was not simply a musical discovery. It was the recognition of an emotional language that had always seemed to speak to her: direct, physical and collective.
In Japan, her spontaneity and her need to express emotion and affection openly often made her feel out of place. In the United States, however, Nao found audiences who reacted to her performances in real time, shouting, participating and turning every song into an exchange.
After fourteen years as an independent artist, millions of online views and the distinction of becoming the first Japanese artist to enter Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart, Nao continues to move beyond conventional trajectories.
She does not see herself simply as an artist from another country performing soul music. Her relationship with the genre comes from a deeply personal experience of transformation, but also from an awareness of its history and the wounds from which it emerged.
From Japanese ma’ai to the collective energy of soul
In Japan, there is the concept of ma’ai: the appropriate distance between bodies, the time and space of non-contact. American soul seems to do the opposite: people shout, touch and cry together in public. How did you cross that distance, physically as well as emotionally?
In Japan, however, this often made me feel different. I had the sense that I did not quite belong and, particularly during my teenage years, I struggled deeply with that feeling of being out of place. Looking back, I believe this was also one of the reasons I eventually found a home in soul music.
When I first travelled to the United States and performed soul, the audience’s response was immediate. People would shout, “Sing, girl!” They responded to my emotions in real time and openly shared what they were feeling. I remember thinking, “This is the connection I have been looking for. This is the energy I have always wanted to experience.” It was a moment that filled me with joy. Today, however, I have also learned to appreciate the beauty of Japanese culture: its sense of ma’ai, its gentleness and the way people communicate through sensitivity rather than words. Every culture expresses love differently. Beneath those differences, however, I believe the desire to respect, understand and care for one another is universal.
American soul is also rooted in historical and collective wounds. You perform this music while coming from a completely different cultural context. Have you ever felt that you had to earn the right to sing it?
I was born and raised in Japan, but from a young age I always felt different from the people around me. I dropped out of high school, became very introverted and struggled with depression. Eventually, I decided to move to New York because I wanted to change my life. While I was there, I sang Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come.” The words “a change is gonna come” were no longer simply beautiful lyrics. They had begun to tell my own story. That song truly saved me.
I was not born in the country where soul music originated, but I have directly experienced how deeply this music can transform someone’s life. For that reason, I believe it is my responsibility to approach soul with profound respect, love and gratitude for its history. I have never felt that I needed to “earn the right” to sing it. I do, however, believe that I have a responsibility to be sincere and to honour the music, its roots and the people who created it. I hope audiences can feel that sincerity and love during my live performances. I believe that is also one of the reasons I have been able to continue sharing my music around the world.
One of your live videos has reached almost five million views, yet you have remained something of a cult artist. There is a significant difference between virality and a lasting career. What have you given up in order to remain where you are?
I have given up many things. More than anything else, I have consistently chosen to avoid anything that my heart did not genuinely want.
Over the years, I have experienced panic disorder, problems related to my autonomic nervous system and many personal difficulties. Through all these experiences, I came to understand something important: my body is incredibly honest. Whenever I tried to force myself to do something that was not aligned with who I was, it felt as though my body was trying to stop me. I believe that what our hearts genuinely desire is, in reality, quite simple. Of course, saying “no” is frightening and involves risks. Throughout my career, however, I have learned that having a healthy mind and body, and living in a way that allows you to experience genuine happiness, is the greatest form of success one can achieve. I did not say “no” because it was easy. In many situations, following my heart felt like the only possible option. Today, I am grateful to both my body and my heart for guiding me. I believe it is precisely because I have remained true to myself that I have been able to create music that genuinely connects with people.
You were the first Japanese artist to enter Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart. Do you see yourself as an anomaly in Japan, or do you feel that you are opening a path others have already begun to follow?
I often feel like an outsider, both in Japan and in the rest of the world. In Japan, it is unusual to be a soul singer who performs in English. Abroad, people are often surprised to see a Japanese, Asian artist performing soul music. Many people have asked me, “How did you end up singing this kind of music?”
These experiences reminded me that there was no one before me doing exactly what I am doing. So yes, I feel that I am creating a new path. I have spent the past fourteen years working as an independent artist alongside my label, SWEET SOUL RECORDS, constantly asking ourselves, “How can we bring this music to the world?”
There have been countless attempts, mistakes and moments when the road ahead felt uncertain. Looking back, however, I believe those experiences are precisely what allowed me to build a path of my own. If this path can encourage someone else to pursue their dream, I would be incredibly happy.
Nao Yoshioka Nao Yoshioka Nao Yoshioka
Meeting the Italian audience
The next chapter of this journey will bring Nao Yoshioka to Italy, where she will perform at Blue Note Milano.
For an artist who has built her identity through encounters between different cultures, arriving in Italy represents more than another international stop. It is also an opportunity to discover how a new audience will respond to her music.
Italy is not necessarily the first European market that comes to mind when speaking about soul music. It is not London, and it is not Paris. What are you coming here to look for, and what do you expect to find?
Italy has always been one of the countries I wanted to visit.
One of my friends is a Japanese painter who studied art in Italy, while another friend, a product designer, also studied in your country. Listening to their stories made me deeply interested in Italian artistic culture and its creative spirit. I am truly happy that I will soon be able to experience the beauty of the country with my own eyes: walking through its streets, feeling its atmosphere and meeting the people who live there. More than anything else, I am curious to see how the Italian audience will connect with my music. Every live performance is something we create together with the audience, and I cannot wait to discover what kind of musical experience we will share. I cannot wait to meet everyone at Blue Note this September. I hope to see you there.
Soul as a place of belonging
Nao Yoshioka’s story shows that an artist’s identity does not necessarily have to coincide with the place where they were born.
For her, soul does not erase the cultural distance between Japan and the United States, nor does it attempt to resolve it. Instead, it becomes a space in which that distance can be crossed with respect, awareness and sincerity.
Her music exists precisely within this encounter: between the understated sensitivity of Japanese ma’ai and the collective expression of soul; between the desire to belong and the decision to embrace her position as an outsider; between success measured through charts and views and the more personal success of protecting her health and continuing to create without betraying herself.
As she prepares to meet the Italian audience, Nao Yoshioka continues to build a path that does not simply follow models established by others.
It is a path in which music is not only a performance, but a form of connection: the connection she had been searching for since childhood.
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