Naoko Sakata is a Japanese pianist who currently lives in Gothenburg, Sweden. She is a fearless force of improvisation, known for her intuitive and emotionally rich performances.
The music she creates is the daughter of the moment and therefore unrepeatable, pure improvisation.
She began playing piano naturally at the age of three but never wanted to read music. This marked the beginning of a rebellious path for an artist who, full of confidence, chose a more experimental approach to establish a deeply personal style.
After moving from Japan to Sweden in 2008, she was able to develop her unique voice.
She radiates magnetic energy through her playing. Reaching a point of total abstraction from the real world, and even from herself, she uses music as a means of rediscovery, ascending sonically toward the sky and the infinite expanse of galactic space. Absorbed in her own frequency, she channels her creative flow to become one with her music.
Her music rises like a storm, then drifts into stillness, with the same existential intensity, it expresses deep lamentations or dances across the keys to create delicate, airy, and contemplative patterns.
It’s a wild, unrestrained journey, spiritual and untamed, toward the revelation of her true identity. Authentic and invigorating.
Celebrated on stages across the globe, she has performed at renowned jazz festivals worldwide and received prestigious awards that honor her singular voice in contemporary music, among these are: the Alice Babs award, Stena Stiftelsen culture award, SKAP-Swedish composers and authors award and Swedish National Radio prize "jazzkatten" etc.
To date, Naoko has released three albums on solo piano: Inner Planets (2020), Dancing Spirits (2021), and Infinity (2023).
The Guardian selected "Infinity" as one of the best contemporary albums of 2023 and several tracks being played on the BBC radio by Mary Anne Hobbs and Iggy Pop.
-Pianist Sakata plays with a striking fierceness and energy- John Lewis, The Guardian
- Naoko Sakata makes music that touches the sublime- Lorna Irvine, SNACK Magazine
- Experimental piano incantations. Instinctive, feminine and absolutely wild - Mary Anne Hobbs BBC 6 Music