Nao Yoshioka Brings Neo-Soul and Old-School Soul to Bizz’Art

Nao Yoshioka 
Bizz'Art
Paris, France
September 25, 2026

From jazz and soul veterans to contemporary voices working across R&B, Bizz'Art has become one of those Parisian unassuming venues where international music feels remarkably close to home. The venue has also welcomed artists including Leela James, Sy Smith, Eric Roberson, and Kindred The Family Soul, reflecting its longstanding connection to the broader continuum of soul, jazz, funk, and contemporary R&B.

On Friday, September 25, Japanese singer and songwriter Nao Yoshioka brought her contemporary neo-soul sound to the Paris stage, performing material from her recently released sixth album, self (Sweet Soul Records, 2026), alongside selections that reflected the classic soul and R&B traditions that shaped her artistic identity.

Under deep blue and violet stage lights, Yoshioka appeared completely at home onstage. Her performance had the intimacy of a lively festival and the vocal authority of a seasoned soul singer. With the audience gathered close to the stage, she moved naturally between vulnerability, groove and vocal power; that balance is central to understanding her.

From Japan to New York

Born in Osaka, Japan, Yoshioka did not grow up speaking English, nor was she immersed in the American soul tradition. Her relationship with the music developed through discovery. Interestingly, the '90s era hit movie, Sister Act, starring Whoopi Goldberg, was an early turning point, introducing her to gospel and eventually leading her toward artists like Lauryn Hill and Mary J Blige and others. A subsequent encounter with Sam Cooke's music became another defining moment in her desire to create music that could reach people emotionally. 

At 20, Yoshioka moved to New York City, where her musical education accelerated. She immersed herself in soul, gospel and blues, developing the vocal and performance language that would eventually become her signature. Her path was not simply about learning songs; it was about learning how American soul artists communicate from the stage.

She described studying performances by watching MTV, paying attention not only to what singers were singing but to how they performed: their movement, presence and relationship with an audience.

That influence was evident throughout this performance. Her gestures and physical movements are part of the performance, creating a direct connection between the emotional content of a song and the audience experiencing it. Her artistic influences, such as Lauryn Hill, Mary J. Blige, gospel, and classic soul, are recognizable without making her music sound derivative. Instead, they provide the foundation through which she sings in her own contemporary voice.

Neo-Soul With an Old-Soul Foundation

Yoshioka's music occupies an interesting space between eras. There is the warmth and emotional directness of old-school soul, but also the spaciousness, rhythmic looseness and genre fluidity associated with contemporary neo-soul. Her sound is less nostalgic than an introduction to current new soul.

Her latest album, self, released July 17, 2026, makes that connection particularly clear. The album brings together artists from across the international soul and R&B community, including Bilal, Jamila Woods, Devin Morrison, Keyon Harrold and Sam Wills, with a musical palette that stretches beyond neo-soul into R&B, Afrobeats, house and spiritual jazz. 

The album's title is fitting: self is presented as a deeply personal project about accepting both the light and darker sides of one's identity. Rather than presenting self-acceptance as a neat destination, the album explores it as an ongoing process. And that sense of introspection translated well to the live setting.

Yoshioka's voice can move from a softer delivery into the kind of full-bodied power associated with classic soul singers. Her strength came through in the way she delivered each song, allowing the emotion behind the lyrics to come through naturally.

A Global Soul Language

There was also an intriguing Washington, DC connection in Yoshioka's musical journey. I discovered Yoshioka when I saw a video of her singing to Go-Go music, so I asked her about this part of her journey. She explained that she likes DC and loves Go-Go music, a distinctly DC sound (rooted in funk, soul, R&B, and African-derived percussion traditions) that, despite its deep roots in the city, remains relatively unfamiliar outside the DC, Maryland and Northern Virginia region. Coming from Washington, DC myself, I was particularly interested to learn that Go-Go had found its way into Yoshioka's musical exploration. It speaks to the breadth of her curiosity about American music, extending beyond the better-known soul and R&B traditions that first influenced her.

That openness has served her well as an international artist. Following her fifth album, Flow (Sweet Soul Records, 2024), Yoshioka toured across 11 countries, continuing to develop an audience for her contemporary interpretation of soul.

Yoshioka and Her Band at Bizz'Art

Yoshioka was joined by Alex Wesson on keyboards, Manny Simelane on bass and JJ Wallace on drums, a trio that provided the rhythmic and harmonic foundation for the evening. 

The rhythm section anchored the arrangements with a relaxed, soulful feel, while the keys helped shape the harmonic atmosphere that allowed Yoshioka's vocals to remain at the center.

Yoshioka included a performance of Jill Scott's "Golden," a natural choice for an artist whose own music exists within the continuum of contemporary soul. The song also provided a moment of recognition for the audience while demonstrating how comfortably Yoshioka can inhabit the tradition without losing her own identity.

One of the evening's most energetic moments came when JJ Wallace stepped forward for a drum solo at the end of the show. What began as a rhythmic feature gradually built in intensity, bringing a burst of momentum to the room and drawing an enthusiastic response from the audience. It was a reminder that the evening was not simply about reproducing the arrangements from Yoshioka's recordings; the musicians had room to flex and respond to one another in the moment.

Bizz'Art: A Natural Home for Soul

Located in the 10th arrondissement, Bizz'Art's audience is famously eclectic, and its programming extends beyond soul to gospel, jazz, funk, world music and Brazilian music. The restaurant overlooks the stage, while the bar and club atmosphere allow an evening to continue after the live performance. For listeners who want to experience Paris beyond the conventional jazz-club circuit, Bizz'Art is worth seeking out.

A Voice Across Cultures

Yoshioka's Bizz'Art appearance captured the communal quality of live soul music: a strong vocalist, a responsive band and an audience brought into the performance rather than simply observing it. With Wallace's drum solo providing one of the night's liveliest moments and the musicians bringing their own energy to the arrangements, the evening felt distinctly live, an appropriate conclusion to an international soul artist's stop in Paris.