Take music seasoned with jazz and electro funk, add a healthy helping of R&B vocals, and mix into a saucy base of indie singer-songwriter, and what do you get?

NAO (pronounced nay-oh) calls her concoction “wonky funk,” and it is head-noddingly delightful, infectiously rhythmic, and so, so good. Her adorably high-pitched voice is at least 225% of the good vibes. Allow me to demonstrate. In “Woman,” she recruits fellow British lady Lianne La Havas as a collaborator to open the song. Lianne’s raspy, soulful sound over a funky distorted bass is enough to make it a jam from the jump…. but wait, there’s more. NAO slides in singing in a head voice like mercury: silvery, seductive, and impossible to pin down. Together, they’re giving girl-power-turned-grown-woman in their lyrical and visual dedication to the ladies, and every bit of it is dazzling.

NAO and Lianne both have Jamaican mothers, and their island roots come through in the video’s vibe. Nearly neon-colored architecture, landscapes, flora and fauna abound, while Black women’s silhouettes dance through a surrealist garden of delights and whimsical cloudscapes. Between the sights and the sounds, it’s a LOT to take in all at once, but hold tight because things slow down in the second verse for a couple reminders of why we’re here. The duo tag-teams the opening lines of the second verse⁠—and the same lines that close the song⁠:

“If God is a woman, on Sunday I’mma worship us / Take my mirror out the bag and fill it with confidence.”

All of this⁠, from the wild scenes to the sweet sounds, is an offering to Black women. Giving them their flowers, as we say, both figuratively and literally. And not just ANY Black woman⁠—YOU, darling. Don’t let their cascading harmonies distract you. Listen closely and you’ll hear lyrics full of rebuffs to potential haters, reassurance that you are INDEED WORTHY, and a whole lot of self-love. That’s some high-quality bonus content, when the rest is already (again) so, so good.

“Woman” is one of those quintessential summertime songs that works on whatever’s ailing you, whether you’re washing dishes or the car, driving to the office or just feeling the wind in your hair. And keep an eye out for NAO on all your music platforms when you do, because even though this is her third studio album, she’s only just begun.

“You let go of a lot of the insecurities you have because you realize they’re worth nothing and it’s time to just give it a go,” she said of growing older. “All the things that you wanted to do but haven’t, just go for it because essentially we’re all going to be dead soon. That sounds morbid but… I’m more prepared to step out of my comfort zone and do things I’ve dreamt of doing, but haven’t had the confidence to do before.”

And all the ladies in the house said amen.

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