[Cover photo credit to Sweet Soul Records]
Japanese R&B/Soul artist Nao Yoshioka has released her new single, “Pieces of Me,” a cross-cultural collaboration with Vietnamese R&B artist Mỹ Anh that is “centered on self-love and self-acceptance.” Produced by Shuko (Ella Mai, Kanye West), the track brings together two artists who are known for singing R&B and Soul in English while navigating questions of identity and belonging. The track is accompanied by a video filmed during the recording session.
Yoshioka says:
When Mỹ Anh and I first met, we talked about what kind of emotions we could share as we wanted the song to come naturally from what we had in common. I was born and raised in Japan, but singing R&B and soul in English often left me feeling uncertain about where I belonged. Mỹ Anh shared similar feelings as she builds her career globally from Vietnam and we immediately connected on that level.
The new music arrives alongside the announcement of Yoshioka’s new studio album self arriving July 17, 2026. The project is a World Soul Collective, featuring collaborators from Philadelphia, Chicago, Amsterdam, Hanoi, Helsinki, Tokyo and Taipei with sounds spanning Neo-Soul, Indie, R&B, Afrobeats and Spiritual Jazz. Guests include Bilal, Jamila Woods, Khari Mateen, Keyon Harrold, Peter CottonTale, Devin Morrison, Raphael Devante, MXXWLL, Sam Wills, Bnnyhunna, Mỹ Anh, Misha and Chien Chien Lu.
Yoshioka explains about self:
This album is the sound of me finally facing and accepting every part of myself—the hopeful side that chased the light and the hidden side that felt weak or ‘never enough. It is about turning that honesty and gratitude toward the people who carried me here into music, without holding anything back.
In 2025, Yoshioka released Philly Soul Sessions Vol. 2, the second installment of her Neo-Soul live-session style series recorded with local musicians reimagining her catalog. It followed her 2024 studio album, Flow, which featured collaborations with Takuya Kuroda, Melanie Charles, Reuben James, Jarreau Vandal and MXXWLL, and a world tour spanning eleven countries.
Next month, she continues her immersion into Philadelphia’s Soul community as she begins work on Philly Soul Sessions Vol. 3, further expanding her collaborative approach to Soul music while continuing to explore themes of “introspection and resilience.”
UPCOMING SHOWS:
May 28 – Rams Head On Stage – Annapolis, MD
May 29 – Nublu – New York, NY
May 30 – BlackRock Center for the Arts – Germantown, MD
