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NAO CURIOSITY
Real-life goddess NAO is back with her divine energy in new single ‘Curiosity’. It’s a slow-paced, slinky take on her electro-R&B, future-soul sound which bridges her more pop-leaning dance vibes of prior record For All We Know and hints towards what’s to come in the future. This forward-facing approach to her music also extends into NAO’s own life, as she regales: “My friends kept telling me about the term ‘Saturn Returns’. It’s this idea that Saturn takes 29 years to orbit from when you’re born and it is the planet of blessings and growth. So by the time you’re around 29, between 27 and 32, something big happens in your life. It’s like waking up and coming of age, like: ‘I’ve been going through my twenties and what have I been doing in this relationship?’ What have I been doing in this job?’ You start to rethink everything - old stuff that your parents taught you or ideas that you believed in. It’s like a complete shedding of skin and it can be painful.” Through the booming synths and intricate digital beats of ‘Curiosity’, NAO’s inner transformation is conveyed by the subdued verses, perhaps where the artist hasn’t fully woken up yet and is bubbling beneath the surface of this liquid production, and then comes the first percussive hit. It’s another addictive electronic-soul taste of NAO’s upcoming album, and we’re curious as hell to hear more. - Hannah Thacker
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