Hiatus Kaiyote () is an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Au ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major f ...

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the mid ...

band formed in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metrop ...

in 2011, made up of singer/guitarist

Nai Palm Naomi Saalfield (born 15 May 1989), known professionally as Nai Palm, is an Australian musician, best known as the vocalist, guitarist and occasional pianist for the jazz/funk band Hiatus Kaiyote. Early life Nai Palm was born Naomi Grace Saal ...

, bassist Paul Bender, keyboardist Simon Mavin, and drummer Perrin Moss.

History

2011–2013: Formation and ''Tawk Tomahawk''

In 2010, Nai Palm (born Naomi Saalfield) performed a solo show in Melbourne that was witnessed by Paul Bender. After the show, Bender approached Palm and suggested a collaboration. After working as a duo for a short time, they recruited Perrin Moss and Simon Mavin in 2011 and formed Hiatus Kaiyote. Mavin was then a member of The Bamboos but left that band to focus on Hiatus Kaiyote. Hiatus Kaiyote played their first gig at the 2011 Bohemian Masquerade Ball among

sword swallowers Sword swallowing is a skill in which the performer passes a sword through the mouth and down the esophagus to the stomach. This feat is not swallowing in the traditional sense. The natural processes that constitute swallowing do not take place, bu ...

, fire twirlers, and gypsy death core bands. In February 2012, the band opened for

Taylor McFerrin Taylor McFerrin (born June 28, 1981 at San Francisco, California) is an American DJ, music producer, keyboardist & beatboxer based in Brooklyn, New York City, United States. He is the eldest son of popular vocalist and classical conductor Bob ...

in Melbourne. McFerrin was so impressed with them that he introduced their music to influential broadcaster and record label owner DJ

Gilles Peterson Gilles Jérôme Moehrle MBE (; born 28 September 1964), better known as Gilles Peterson (), is a French broadcaster, DJ, and record label owner. He founded the influential labels Acid Jazz and Talkin' Loud, and started his current label Browns ...

. The band released their debut album ''Tawk Tomahawk'' independently in April 2012. It was noticed by numerous musicians including

Animal Collective Animal Collective is an American experimental pop band formed in Baltimore, Maryland. Its members consist of Avey Tare (David Portner), Panda Bear (Noah Lennox), Geologist (Brian Weitz), and Deakin (Josh Dibb). The band's work is characterize ...

and

Dirty Projectors Dirty Projectors is an American indie rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2002. The band is the project of singer-songwriter David Longstreth, who has served as the band's sole constant member throughout numerous line-up changes. The ...

, and the band later received public endorsements from

Erykah Badu Erica Abi Wright (born February 26, 1971), known professionally as Erykah Badu (), is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Influenced by R&B, soul, and hip hop, Badu rose to prominence in the late 1990s when her debut al ...

Questlove Ahmir Khalib Thompson (born January 20, 1971), known professionally as Questlove (stylized as ), is an American musician, record producer, disc jockey, filmmaker, music journalist, and actor. He is the drummer and joint frontman (with Black Thou ...

, and

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

, who urged their social media followers to explore the band's music. In early 2013, Gilles Peterson named them the Breakthrough Artists of the Year at his Worldwide Music Awards in London, and shortly thereafter they were introduced to

Salaam Remi Salaam Remi Gibbs (born May 14, 1972) is a Grammy winning American record producer known for his association with Nas, Amy Winehouse, Robby, Fugees, Fergie, Estelle, Black Thought, and Miguel, and for his reggae-tinged (often referred to as ...

who had just started working as an A&R executive at

Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainment ...

. Sony gave Remi the opportunity to start his own label, Flying Buddha, and his first signing was Hiatus Kaiyote. The band licensed ''Tawk Tomahawk'' to the label, adding an updated version of the song "Nakamarra" featuring Q-Tip. Following this release, the band toured internationally, and in 2014 were nominated for a

Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance The Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. According to the 54th Grammy Awards description guide it is designed for s ...

for "Nakamarra." They were the first Australian act to be nominated for a Grammy in an R&B category.

2014–2016: ''Choose Your Weapon''

In 2014, the band began working on their second album, ''

Choose Your Weapon ''Choose Your Weapon'' is the second studio album by Australian neo-soul quartet Hiatus Kaiyote, first released in 1 May 2015 through Flying Buddha and Sony Masterworks. Following the release of the band's debut album ''Tawk Tomahawk'' (2012) and ...

'', which was released on 1 May 2015. The review aggregator

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc D ...

gave the album a normalized rating of 87 out of 100, based on 6 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". On 9 May 2015, ''Choose Your Weapon'' debuted at number 22 on the

Australian albums chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian record chart, music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA beca ...

. Nai Palm described the album as an "extension" of their debut, and stated that she and the band had no intention to make a one-genre body of work. Many of the songs on the album started with Saalfield's original ideas and were later fleshed out by the band collectively. During the recording the band wanted to pay tribute to the

mixtape A mixtape (alternatively mix-tape, mix tape or mixed tape) is a compilation of music, typically from multiple sources, recorded onto a medium. With origins in the 1980s, the term normally describes a homemade compilation of music onto a cassette ...

format, so they incorporated interludes. ''Choose Your Weapon'' became the band's first release to chart in the US, reaching #127 on the ''Billboard'' 200, and #11 on the ''Billboard'' Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The song "Breathing Underwater" from the album was nominated for a

Best R&B Performance The Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. According to the 54th Grammy Awards description guide it is designed for s ...

at the

58th Grammy Awards The 58th Annual Grammy Awards was held on February 15, 2016, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The ceremony recognizes the best recordings, compositions and artists of the eligibility year, which was from October 1, 2014, to September 30, 201 ...

. Starting in 2016, prominent rap and R&B artists began sampling Hiatus Kaiyote songs, starting with

Anderson .Paak Brandon Paak Anderson (born February 8, 1986), better known by his stage name Anderson .Paak (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and drummer. He released his debut mixtape, ''O.B.E. Vol. 1,'' in 2012 and went on to rel ...

's sample of "Molasses" in "Without You" on his album '' Malibu''. The following year,

Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper and songwriter. Known for his progressive musical styles and socially conscious songwriting, he is often considered one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generat ...

sampled "Atari" in "Duckworth" from his album ''

Damn Damnation (from Latin '' damnatio'') is the concept of divine punishment and torment in an afterlife for actions that were committed, or in some cases, not committed on Earth. In Ancient Egyptian religious tradition, citizens would recite th ...

,'' and

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name ...

sampled "Building a Ladder" on the song "Free Smoke" from his playlist ''

More Life ''More Life'' is a commercial mixtape by Canadian rapper and singer Drake. Described and marketed as a playlist, some publications have referred to it as a mixtape. It was released on March 18, 2017, through Republic Records and distributed by Ca ...

''. In 2018, Beyonce and

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...

sampled "The World It Softly Lulls" in "713" from their album ''

Everything Is Love ''Everything Is Love'' (stylized in all caps) is the debut studio album by American musical duo the Carters, consisting of spouses Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter. It was released on June 16, 2018, by Parkwood Entertainment, S ...

''.

2017-2021: Side projects and ''Mood Valiant''

In 2017,

released her debut solo album ''Needle Paw''. In June 2018, Palm was featured on ''

Scorpion Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the order Scorpiones. They have eight legs, and are easily recognized by a pair of grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back and always end ...

'' by

, who has spoken highly of both her and the band. She sang a cover of "More Than a Woman" by Aaliyah, which appears at the end of

's song "Is There More?". On 18 October 2018, Palm revealed that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. While recuperating in the hospital following a

mastectomy Mastectomy is the medical term for the surgical removal of one or both breasts, partially or completely. A mastectomy is usually carried out to treat breast cancer. In some cases, women believed to be at high risk of breast cancer have the operat ...

, Palm and Bender performed a cover of Curtis Mayfield's "The Makings of You" which was released online. Palm announced in 2019 that she was cancer-free. During Palm's recovery period, the other members of Hiatus Kaiyote formed several side projects. Perrin Moss, under the name Clever Austin, released the solo album ''Pareidolia'' in 2019. Simon Mavin formed a band called The Putbacks, and produced the album ''Control'' by Natalie Slade in 2020. Paul Bender formed an act called The Sweet Enoughs and released the album ''Marshmallow'' in 2020. Bender has also produced albums for Jaala, Vulture St. Tape Gang, and Laneous. Bender, Mavin, and Moss also released an all-instrumental album called ''Improvised Music 2015-17'' in 2020, under the name Swooping (formerly Swooping Duck). Hiatus Kaiyote reconvened in 2020 and signed a global publishing deal with

Warner Chappell Music Warner Chappell Music, Inc. is an American music publishing company and a subsidiary of the Warner Music Group. Warner Chappell Music's catalogue consists of over 1.4 million compositions and 65,000 composers, with offices in over 40 countries. ...

. They began work on a new album inspired by Palm's health crisis and her loss of a beloved pet, as well as the social difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The song "Get Sun" was arranged and conducted by Brazilian musician Arthur Verocai. The album ''

Mood Valiant ''Mood Valiant'' is the third studio album by Australian neo-soul quartet Hiatus Kaiyote, released in 2021 on Brainfeeder. The album peaked at number 4 on the ARIA charts. At the 2021 ARIA Music Awards, the album was nominated for Best Soul/R&B ...

'' was released on 25 June 2021, and reached the Top Ten on the Australian albums chart. The album was nominated for a

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

in 2022 for Best Progressive R&B Album.

Discography

Albums

Extended plays

Music videos

* "Jekyll" (2012) * "Lace Skull" (2013) * "Nakamarra" (2013) * "Breathing Underwater" (2015) * "Red Room" (2021) * "Get Sun" (2021) * "And We Go Gentle" (2021)

Prominent samples

Anderson Paak Brandon Paak Anderson (born February 8, 1986), better known by his stage name Anderson .Paak (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and drummer. He released his debut mixtape, ''O.B.E. Vol. 1,'' in 2012 and went on to rel ...

: "Without You" from '' Malibu'' (2016) samples "Molasses" *

: "Duckworth" from ''

'' (2017) samples "Atari" *

: "Free Smoke" from ''

'' (2017) samples "Building A Ladder" * Beyonce and

The Carters The Carters (stylized in all caps) are an American musical duo composed of married artists Beyoncé and Jay-Z. They released their first album as the Carters, '' Everything Is Love'', on June 16, 2018. Before formally naming their collaboration ...

: "713" from ''

Everything is Love ''Everything Is Love'' (stylized in all caps) is the debut studio album by American musical duo the Carters, consisting of spouses Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter. It was released on June 16, 2018, by Parkwood Entertainment, S ...

'' (2018) samples "The World It Softly Lulls" live performance in 2013

Awards and nominations

AIR Awards

The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector. ! , - ,

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

, ''Mood Valiant'' , Best Independent Jazz Album or EP , ,

APRA Awards

The

APRA Awards APRA Awards may refer to one of two awards ceremonies: *APRA Awards (Australia) The APRA Music Awards in Australia are annual awards to celebrate excellence in contemporary music, which honour the skills of member composers, songwriters, ...

are held in Australia and New Zealand by the

Australasian Performing Right Association APRA AMCOS consists of Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS), both copyright management organisations or copyright collectives which jointly represent over 100,000 songwri ...

to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually. ! , - , 2014 , Hiatus Kaiyote , Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year , , , - , rowspan="2",

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh c ...

, "Borderline With My Atoms" , rowspan="2", Song of the Year , , rowspan="2", , - , "Breathing Underwater" , , - ,

, "Red Room" , Song of the Year , , , -

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of

Australian music The music of Australia has an extensive history made of music societies. Indigenous Australian music forms a significant part of the unique heritage of a 40,000- to 60,000-year history which produced the iconic didgeridoo. Contemporary fusions of ...

. ! , - ,

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...

, ''Choose Your Weapon'' , ARIA Award for Best Urban Album , , , - ,

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

, ''Mood Valiant'' , ARIA Award for Best Soul/R&B Release , ,

Australian Music Prize

The

Australian Music Prize The Australian Music Prize (often shortened to the AMP) is an annual award of $30,000 given to an Australian band or solo artist in recognition of the merit of an album released during the year of award. The award was made by Australian Music Pri ...

(the AMP) is an annual award of $30,000 given to an Australian band or solo artist in recognition of the merit of an album released during the year of award. It commenced in 2005. , - ! scope="row", 2021 , ''Mood Valiant'' , Australian Music Prize ,

Grammy Awards

The

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

is an award presented by

The Recording Academy The Recording Academy (formally the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences; abbreviated NARAS) is an American learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is famous for its Grammy Aw ...

to recognise achievement in the music industry. , - , 2014 , "Nakamarra" featuring Q-Tip ,

, , - ,

, "Breathing Underwater" , Best R&B Performance , , - ,

, "Mood Valiant" , Best Progressive R&B Album , , -

J Awards

The

J Awards The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J and which are judged by the music and on-air teams from radio stations Triple J ...

are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station

Triple J Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greater emphasis on broadc ...

. They commenced in 2005. ! , - , J Awards of 2015 , Hiatus Kaiyote , Double J Artist of the Year , , , - ,

J Awards of 2021 The J Awards of 2021 are the seventeenth annual J Awards, established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian radi ...

, Hiatus Kaiyote , Double J Artist of the Year , ,

Music Victoria Awards

The

Music Victoria Awards The Music Victoria Awards (previously known as The Age EG Awards and The Age Music Victoria Awards) are an annual awards night celebrating music from the Australian state of Victoria. They commenced in 2006 and are awarded in Melbourne Music W ...

, are an annual awards night celebrating Victorian music. They commenced in 2005. ! , - , rowspan="2",

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

, Hiatus Kaiyote , Best Emerging Artist , , rowspan="2", , - , ''Tawk Tomahawk'' , Best Soul, Funk, R'n'B and Gospel Album , , - , rowspan="5",

, ''Mood Valiant'' , Best Victorian Album , , rowspan="5", , - , "Red Room" , Best Victorian Song , , - , rowspan="2", Hiatus Kaiyote , Best Group , , - , Best Soul, Funk, R’n’B or Gospel Act , , - , Nai Palm (Hiatus Kaiyote) , Best Musician , , -

National Live Music Awards

The

National Live Music Awards The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse and successful live industry, celebrating the diversity and success of the Australian live scene – recognising the best vocal talents and musicians alongside ...

(NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse live industry, celebrating the success of the Australian live scene. The awards commenced in 2016. , - ,

National Live Music Awards of 2016 The National Live Music Awards of 2016 are the inaugural National Live Music Awards. The event took place on 29 November 2016. Award director, Larry Heath said: "Artists like Ngaiire are the beating heart of the contemporary live music scene i ...

, Hiatus Kaiyote , Live R&B or Soul Act of the Year , , - , National Live Music Awards of 2017 , Hiatus Kaiyote , Live R&B or Soul Act of the Year , , -

Rolling Stone Australia Awards

The

Rolling Stone Australia Awards The Rolling Stone Australia Awards are awarded annually in January or February by the Australian edition of ''Rolling Stone'' magazine for outstanding contributions to popular culture in the previous year. The awards initially commenced in 201 ...

are awarded annually in January or February by the Australian edition of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its cov ...

'' magazine for outstanding contributions to popular culture in the previous year. ! , - , 2022 , Hiatus Kaiyote , Rolling Stone Global Award , , , -

References

External links

Hiatus Kaiyote official website
{{Authority control Australian soul musical groups Musical groups from Melbourne Musical groups established in 2011 2011 establishments in Australia Brainfeeder artists