Nao’s “Girlfriend” Sounds Superhuman
“We’ve gone for it this time,” Nao told BBC Radio 1’s Annie Mac right after the premiere of “Girlfriend.” Indeed, the essence of the London singer-songwriter’s appeal—a spacey, smoldering update on ’90s R&B, and a voice that’s high and fluttery and commanding—has generally been intact since she debuted with 2014’s So Good EP. Since then, she has made the right moves to refine that fundamental allure, touring with Little Dragon, stretching out on 2015’s February 15 EP, collaborating with Disclosure and Mura Masa, covering Frank Ocean. Most recently, she has remained true to form with the singles “Fool to Love” and “Bad Blood,” both of which we now know will be on her first full-length, For All We Know.
Where “Girlfriend” differs is in the go-for-broke-ness Nao describes. Her latest is slinky electronic-soul balladry akin to February 15’s “Apple Cherry”; her vocals are still front and center. But this one hits harder, does more to shake listeners to attention. On the chorus, she echoes the title of Prince’s “If I Was Your Girlfriend,” pausing before the final word as if she’s bracing herself for a superhuman effort. And in a way she is. To be sure, some of the verse lyrics skew a bit impressionistic—“Your masculine’s an offer to be opened,” she hints—but the unabashedly bluesy guitar is a charming touch. Anyway, “Girlfriend” is more an anthem of transcendence. Nao sings about a love being enough “to make us fly,” and she soars.
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