Hiatus Kaiyote
Hiatus Kaiyote are a Melbourne quartet weaving soul, jazz, funk and R&B into songs built around Nai Palm’s voice and the band’s shared sense of adventure.
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Latest
Hiatus Kaiyote’s happenings, collected from public sources, plus their backstory and Starbook, where fans write.
Known for
Brainfeeder
Overview
- Based
- Melbourne / Naarm, Australia
- Formed
- 2011
- Members
- Nai Palm, Paul Bender, Simon Mavin and Perrin Moss
- Sound
- Soul, jazz, funk and R&B. They also call it wondercore.
- Breakout
- Tawk Tomahawk and the Grammy-nominated “Nakamarra”
- Latest studio album
- Love Heart Cheat Code (2024)
Mini bio
How it started.
Nai Palm on guitar and vocals, Paul Bender on bass, Simon Mavin on keys and Perrin Moss on drums first jammed together in a Melbourne share house in 2011. They independently released Tawk Tomahawk in 2012.
Finding their people.
The debut travelled far beyond Melbourne, winning support from musicians including Erykah Badu and Questlove. “Nakamarra,” in its Q-Tip collaboration version, earned a Grammy nomination in 2014. Choose Your Weapon followed in 2015, with “Breathing Underwater” bringing another nomination.
A widening circle.
Their music has been sampled by Kendrick Lamar, Drake and The Carters. For Mood Valiant, they travelled to Rio de Janeiro to work with Brazilian arranger Arthur Verocai on “Get Sun.” Released in 2021, the album became their third Grammy-nominated project.
Still making room to play.
Love Heart Cheat Code arrived in June 2024. In 2025, the connected Tres Leches project revisited their catalogue on The Smooth Sounds of Tres Leches, LHCC Mart Vol. 1. Their 2026 anniversary shows marked 15 years together, while Nai Palm told Double J that new material was already taking shape.
Creditschronological, newest first
Albums
- 2024Love Heart Cheat CodeFourth studio album
- 2021Mood ValiantThird studio album; includes “Get Sun” with Arthur Verocai
- 2015Choose Your WeaponSecond studio album
- 2012Tawk TomahawkDebut album; written and produced by Hiatus Kaiyote
Collaborations
- 2025The Smooth Sounds of Tres Leches, LHCC Mart Vol. 1Hiatus Kaiyote songs reworked by Tres Leches; featuring Hiatus Kaiyote
Awards
Quotes
I think there’s a massive level of trust that we’ve developed over time.Simon Mavin, official Ninja Tune artist biography
On the freedom that comes from making music together. Source: https://ninjatune.net/artist/hiatus-kaiyote
Trivia
- The band call their sound wondercore, a description used on their own Bandcamp page.
- Nai Palm’s melody and lyrics for “Everything’s Beautiful” began in a dream.
- A barbershop-window sign inspired a refrain in “Love Heart Cheat Code.”
- They arranged a small tour to help pay for their trip to record with Arthur Verocai in Rio de Janeiro.
Find Hiatus Kaiyote
Follow the band for music, live dates and glimpses of what they are making.
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