Her sound has been described as soul combined with electronic music, funk and R&B. Nao coined the term "wonky funk" to describe her style.
In October 2014 she released her first EP, So Good. This was followed by a second EP, 15 February (II MMXV), in May 2015, receiving the "Best New Music" tag from Pitchfork. Her debut album, For All We Know, was released on 29 July 2016, leading to a Brit Nomination for Best British Female Solo Artist. In 2017, she released a buzz single, entitled "Nostalgia". In mid-2018, she revealed that her next single was to be called "Another Lifetime" and co-written and produced by debut album affiliates Grades and Stint. It was eventually released in June 2018.She released her second album Saturn on 26 October 2018.