Mali Obomsawin is a performer, composer, and improviser. She is best known for her evocative singing, compositional storytelling and bass playing in her experimental ensembles and her band Deerlady. She is a citizen of Abenaki Nation at Odanak. Mali also works in film as a composer, writer and actress.
Mali’s 2022 debut Sweet Tooth garnered critical acclaim in diverse publications from The Guardian and NPR to Jazz Times and No Depression. Her stunning follow-up “Greatest Hits” under the alias Deerlady (2024) shocked audiences and became an underground sensation after anonymously premiering the single “There There” on the FX series Reservation Dogs. The band went on to receive praise from Stereogum, KEXP, and NPR for its soundscapes and songwriting.
Mali also composed the score for the Oscar-nominated documentary Sugarcane (2024) directed by Julian Brave Noisecat and Emily Kassie, and scored, wrote and narrated Lokotah Sanborn’s experimental doc Otherworld (2025). She has collaborated with musicians Raven Chacon, Esperanza Spalding, Yo-Yo Ma, Taylor Ho Bynum, and visual artist Cannupa Hanska Luger in recent years.
Mali has several pending releases, including a collaborative album with Raven Chacon, Steve Hammond, and the Living Earth Show titled “Lazyhorse.”
photo by Luxienne
