Nai Palm

Australian songwriter Nai Palm, born Naomi Saalfield, joined forces with fellow Melbourne musicians in 2011 to establish the soulful, futuristic indie quartet Hiatus Kaiyote. Together they shaped elaborately layered tracks that wove jazz, hip-hop, and neo-soul into a distinctive sound, quickly capturing notice from listeners and fellow artists. Recognition intensified as major figures across the industry voiced admiration, and the group’s compositions found their way onto hit releases by Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and Anderson Paak. After Hiatus Kaiyote issued the 2015 album Choose Your Weapon, Palm withdrew to the Australian desert to shape her debut solo project. The resulting 2017 release, Needle Paw, moved away from the polished, forward-looking aesthetic of the band in favor of a spare approach built around guitar and stacked vocal lines. That intimate collection mixed several covers with a handful of new pieces and reworked versions of Hiatus Kaiyote material.