Nai Palm

Australian songwriter, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist Nai Palm (born Naomi Saalfield) co-founded her soulful, futuristic indie quartet Hiatus Kaiyote in 2011. Along with other Melbourne area musicians, Palm crafted enormously produced songs that drew on elements of jazz, hip-hop, and neo-soul, and their music quickly drew the attention of fans and peers alike. Their brand grew exponentially over time when big names in the music industry sang their praises. The band's songs were sampled for hit records by superstar artists such as Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and Anderson Paak. Following the release of their 2015 album, Choose Your Weapon, Palm retreated to the Australian desert to record her first solo effort. The resultant album, 2017's Needle Paw, was a departure from the high-definition production and futuristic style of Hiatus Kaiyote, with Palm opting instead to build her songs from a minimal template of guitar and layered vocals. The stripped-down and intimate-feeling album consisted of several covers, a few original compositions, and rearranged readings of Hiatus Kaiyote tunes. ~ Fred Thomas