Mali Obomsawin
Obomsawin in 2022
Background information
Born	(1995-07-19) July 19, 1995 (age 29) Stratford, New Hampshire, U.S.
Genres	Jazz, Free Jazz, Folk music, Roots, Rock, Contemporary Indigenous
Instrument(s)	Double Bass, Electric Bass, Voice, Guitar
Years active	2014-present
Labels	Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, Out Of Your Head Records
Website	maliobomsawin.com

Mali Obomsawin is an Indigenous musician from Abenaki First Nation at Odanak. An award-winning^[1] bassist, vocalist, songwriter, and composer, Obomsawin is a cross-genre artist specializing in free-jazz, rock, and American roots music. Her debut solo album Sweet Tooth (2022) received international acclaim.^{[2][3][4][5][6]}

Obomsawin was born in Stratford, New Hampshire.^[7] She is an enrolled member of Abenaki First Nation at Odanak in Quebec, and of Sephardic Jewish Descent. She is the granddaughter of writer/activist Paul Goodman,^[8] and cousin of renowned Abenaki musician, filmmaker and activist Alanis Obomsawin.^[9] Obomsawin grew up in Farmington, Maine,^[10] and began playing double bass at age ten.^[11]

Obomsawin attended Berklee College of Music in 2013^[12] before transferring to Dartmouth College where she obtained dual degrees in comparative literature and government in 2018.^[13]

In 2014, Obomsawin joined her first band, the folk-rock trio Lula Wiles,^[14] who would go on to tour extensively in the US, Canada, and Germany, receiving acclaim for their renowned three part harmony singing^[15] and innovative songwriting.^[16] Signing with Smithsonian Folkways Recordings in 2018, Lula Wiles released three well-received recordings before disbanding in 2021.^[17][18]

Obomsawin performs as an accompanist with Jake Blount, Peter Apfelbaum,^[19] Taylor Ho Bynum,^[20] Bill Cole's Untempered Ensemble.^[21][22] and The Julia Keefe Indigenous Big Band.^[23]

Obomsawin's debut solo album, Sweet Tooth was released October 28, 2022 on Out Of Your Head Records^[24] to international acclaim, receiving praise from Jazz Times "album of the day"^[25] Financial Times “Critic’s Choice,”^[26] and The Guardian’s "Folk Album of the Month" for November 2022.^[27] The album was coproduced by Obomsawin and Taylor Ho Bynum.^[28]

In 2023, Obomsawin's music was featured in season 3 of the television series "Reservation Dogs" (Deer Lady, episode 3) on FX on Hulu.^[29] She also scored the National Geographic Documentary Sugarcane,^[30] which premiered at Sundance Film Festival in January 2024.^[31]

In 2024, Obomsawin independently released her sophomore album under the alias Deerlady, a duo with guitarist Magdalena Abrego.^[32] She also released a collaborative album with Jake Blount, titled "symbiont" on Smithsonian Folkways Recordings.^[33] On December 10, 2024, National Geographic released Obomsawin's original score of Sugarcane on Hollywood Records.^[34]

As Mali Obomsawin

As Deerlady

With Lula Wiles

With Jake Blount