Naomi Wenitong
| Naomi Wenitong | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Naomi Sky Wenitong |
| Also known as | Nay |
| Born | 1982 Cairns, Queensland, Australia |
| Genres | Pop, R&B, soul, hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 2001-present |
| Associated acts | Shakaya, The Last Kinection |
Naomi Sky Wenitong (born 1982, Cairns) is an indigenous singer-songwriter based in Newcastle. Under the name, Nay, she is a member of hip hop group, The Last Kinection, alongside her older brother, Joel "Weno" Wenitong, and Jacob "DJ Jaytee" Turier. Previously Wenitong was a member of pop girl duo Shakaya (2001–2006) with Simone Stacey.
Naomi Sky Wenitong was born in 1982 in Cairns, Queensland to a large extended family belonging to the Kabi Kabi people of South East Queensland. Her father, Mark Wenitong, is a medical practitioner. He became head of the Australian Indigenous Doctor's Association. Her mother, Deb Sisson, studied art. Both her parents were also in bands. Her paternal grandmother was one of the first indigenous health workers in Queensland.
Wenitong was raised in Newcastle, New South Wales and at the age of sixteen she returned to Cairns to study music. Her older brother, Joel Wenitong, is also a musician and from 2002 to 2006 was a member of hip hop group Local Knowledge. They have two other siblings, including a brother, Micah. As from 2011 Micah was the Music NT Indigenous Music Officer in the Northern Territory where he "delivered song writing workshops and assisted with recording".
In 1999 Wenitong attended TAFE North: Cairns campus, studying an ATSIC-sponsored music course. She formed a song writing partnership with fellow singer-songwriter, Simone Stacey, also studying the same course. Wenitong's first job was in a coffee shop.
In 2001 Wenitong and Stacey formed a pop girl duo, Shakaya. Not long after their inception the group were signed to Sony Music Entertainment. Shakaya's debut single "Stop Calling Me" was released in January 2002, it was co-written by Stacey, Wenitong and Reno Nicastro, their manager and producer. It was the duo's highest charting single, reaching No. 5 on the ARIA Singles Chart.
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