Mali Obomsawin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mali Obomsawin
Obomsawin in 2022
Background information
Born	(1995-07-19) July 19, 1995 (age 30) Stratford, New Hampshire, U.S.
Genres	Jazz, Free Jazz, Folk music, Roots, Rock, Contemporary Indigenous
Instruments	Double Bass, Electric Bass, Voice, Guitar
Years active	2014-present
Labels	Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, Out Of Your Head Records

Mali Obomsawin is an Indigenous musician. She is from the Abenaki First Nation at Odanak. Mali is a talented bassist, singer, songwriter, and composer. She plays many types of music, including jazz, rock, and American roots music. Her first solo album, Sweet Tooth, came out in 2022. It was praised by people all over the world.

Early Life

Mali Obomsawin was born in Stratford, New Hampshire. She is a member of the Abenaki First Nation. This nation is located at Odanak in Quebec, Canada. Mali also has Sephardic Jewish family roots. She grew up in Farmington, Maine. Mali started playing the double bass when she was ten years old.

Education

In 2013, Mali Obomsawin began studying at Berklee College of Music. Later, she moved to Dartmouth College. She earned two degrees from Dartmouth in 2018. Her studies were in comparative literature and government.

Music Career

Starting in Music

In 2014, Mali joined her first band, Lula Wiles. This group was a folk-rock trio. They traveled and performed a lot in the US, Canada, and Germany. People loved their three-part harmonies and new songs. In 2018, Lula Wiles signed with Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. They released three popular albums. The band stopped playing together in 2021.

Performing with Others

Mali Obomsawin often plays music with other artists. She performs with Jake Blount and Peter Apfelbaum. She also plays with Taylor Ho Bynum. Mali is part of Bill Cole's Untempered Ensemble. She also plays with The Julia Keefe Indigenous Big Band.

Solo Album Success

Mali Obomsawin's first solo album was called Sweet Tooth. It was released on October 28, 2022. The album received great reviews from around the world. Jazz Times called it their "album of the day". The Financial Times chose it as a "Critic’s Choice". The Guardian named it their "Folk Album of the Month". Mali and Taylor Ho Bynum worked together to produce the album.

Music in TV and Film

In 2023, Mali's music was featured on TV. It appeared in season 3 of the show "Reservation Dogs". This was in the episode "Deer Lady". She also created music for a National Geographic Documentary. The film is called Sugarcane. It was shown for the first time at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2024.

Recent Projects

In 2024, Mali released her second album. She used the name Deerlady for this project. Deerlady is a duo with guitarist Magdalena Abrego. Mali also released an album with Jake Blount called "symbiont". This album came out on Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. On December 10, 2024, National Geographic released Mali's music for the "Sugarcane" film. This soundtrack was released by Hollywood Records.

Music Albums

As Mali Obomsawin

As Deerlady

With Lula Wiles

With Jake Blount