Mali Obomsawin is a bassist, vocalist, songwriter and composer. She is Abenaki from Odanak First Nation. Her touring projects include her eponymous experimental ensemble, the rock band Deerlady, and her new collaboration with Raven Chacon, LazyHorse. She also performs regularly in the Julia Keefe Indigenous Big Band.

Since her solo debut “Sweet Tooth” in 2022, which NPR’s Larry Blumenfeld called “the most auspicious album I heard all year,” Mali Obomsawin’s prismatic rise has kept a brisk pace. An artist of prolific output, her music was featured on the FX series Reservation Dogs in 2023, her original score for the documentary “Sugarcane” brought her to the Oscars in 2024, and her myriad projects have taken her to premier stages across the US and Canada. Her two primary projects, Deerlady and Mali Obomsawin XTET, are both poised to release new material in 2026.

Mali has been blessed to learn from and work with notable artists including Yo-Yo Ma, Cannupa Hanska Luger, Esperanza Spalding, Raven Chacon, Taylor Ho Bynum, Bill Lowe, Dave Holland, Angelica Sanchez, Kris Davis, Billy Hart, Jeff Parker, Peter Apfelbaum, Craig Harris, Bill Cole, Althea Sully-Cole, Tomas Fujiwara, Mike Formanek, and more…

photo by Bren Wyona