Naomi Wenitong facts for kids

Naomi Sky Wenitong, born in 1982, is an Australian singer and songwriter. She lives in Cairns, Queensland. You might know her as Nay, a member of the hip hop group The Last Kinection. Her older brother, Joel "Weno" Wenitong, and Jacob "DJ Jaytee" Turier are also in the group. Before this, Naomi was part of a pop duo called Shakaya from 2001 to 2006. She sang alongside Simone Stacey in that group.

Naomi Wenitong's Early Life

Naomi Sky Wenitong was born in 1982 in Cairns, Queensland. She comes from a big family belonging to the Kabi Kabi people. This is an Indigenous group from South East Queensland.

Her father, Mark Wenitong, is a doctor. He even became the head of the Australian Indigenous Doctor's Association. Her mother, Deb Sisson, studied art. Both her parents were also in music bands. Naomi's grandmother was one of the first Indigenous health workers in Queensland.

Naomi grew up in Newcastle, New South Wales. When she was sixteen, she moved back to Cairns to study music. Her older brother, Joel Wenitong, is also a musician. From 2002 to 2006, he was in a hip hop group called Local Knowledge. Naomi also has two other siblings, including a brother named Micah. In 2011, Micah helped Indigenous musicians in the Northern Territory. He taught songwriting and helped with recording music.

In 1999, Naomi studied music at TAFE in Cairns. This course was supported by ATSIC. There, she met Simone Stacey, another singer and songwriter. They became friends and started writing songs together.

Shakaya: Pop Duo Success

In 2001, Naomi Wenitong and Simone Stacey formed a pop girl duo called Shakaya. Soon after they started, they signed a deal with Sony Music Entertainment.

Shakaya's first song, "Stop Calling Me," came out in January 2002. Naomi, Simone, and their manager Reno Nicastro wrote it together. This song was their biggest hit. It reached number 5 on the ARIA Singles Chart.

The group's first album, also called Shakaya, was released in October 2002. It reached number 5 on the ARIA Albums Chart. Shakaya became very popular. They toured with famous groups like Destiny's Child and singers like Usher and Ashanti. They also sang backup for Peter Andre on his UK tour in 2004.

Naomi and Simone went to the United States to write and record Shakaya's second album, Are You Ready. It came out in March 2006. Naomi felt that she wanted to try a different kind of music. So, she decided to end the duo. Simone Stacey then took a break from music.

The Last Kinection: Hip Hop and Heritage

The Last Kinection is a hip-hop group that Naomi Wenitong started in Newcastle in 2006. In this group, she is known as "Nay." Her older brother, Joel "Weno" Wenitong, joined her. Jacob "DJ Jaytee" Turier, who was Joel's bandmate, also joined. Joel and DJ Jaytee were both in the group Local Knowledge before this.

Naomi shared in July 2009 that The Last Kinection helped her explore her family's heritage and her own music. This was different from her time with Shakaya, where others often wrote the songs. Naomi helped write songs for the group's two albums, Nutches (2008) and Next of Kin (2011).

Overcoming Challenges

In September 2008, all three band members were in a car accident. Naomi was seriously hurt. She had many injuries, including broken bones and head injuries. She was even in a coma for a while.

During her recovery, Joel, who was driving the car, felt very sad. Their father, Mark, said that Joel felt it might have been his fault. But as Naomi got better, Joel also started to feel better. This accident was even shown in an episode of the Crash Investigation Unit TV show.

In 2010, Naomi Wenitong co-hosted the Deadly Awards with Luke Carroll. At this event, she won the award for Female Artist of the Year. She also co-hosted a TV show called "Move it Mob Style" for three seasons with Brothablack.

In April 2015, Naomi, her father Mark, and Simone Stacey released cover songs. They sang "Black Roses" by Inner Circle and "As Long As I Can See the Light" by Creedence Clearwater Revival. They did this to help the community in Cairns after a sad event in December 2014.