Nali & Friends is the sixth studio album and first children's music album by Australian musician Dan Sultan, released on 12 April 2019. While this is Sultan's first children's album, he has previously collaborated with children's music icons The Wiggles and Play School.

At the ARIA Music Awards of 2019, the album won the ARIA Award for Best Children's Album.

Background and release The album's narrative arc follows the journey of hero character Nali, a baby Arctic bird with a crooked wing, who loses her way flying from the North to the South Pole. Along the way she meets different animals from all around the world, from the jungles of Uganda to the highlands of Borneo and the deserts of Australia. The album was co-written with long-time friend and collaborator, filmmaker Rhys Graham, and the stories were inspired by the pair's journey through Uganda and Kenya working with The Thin Green Line Foundation – an international organisation that provides welfare and support to Wildlife Rangers. It was during this trip that Sultan and Graham had the opportunity to get up close with baby animals and observe their quirky personalities.

In a statement, Sultan said "It was one of the most rewarding musical experiences I've had to date. I like a lot of different types of music, and what was really refreshing for me was this opportunity to dip into so many musical styles, to represent the various characters' stories. There's everything from calypso to flat out honky-tonk to cinematic ballads with strings Artistically it was very fulfilling."

Production The album was produced and engineered by Jan Skubiszewski at Red Moon Studios in the Macedon Ranges, Victoria.

Singles On 19 March, Sultan released "Nali" as the album's lead single. The song tells the tale of an Artic tern (Nali), who loses her way flying from the North to the South Pole, meeting animals friends from all around the world along the way.

On 5 April, "Bwindi" was released as the album's second single.

Track listing

Charts Chart (2019) Peakposition Australian Albums (ARIA) N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart. 157 Australian Digital Albums (ARIA) 22

Release history Country Date Format Label Catalogue Australia 12 April 2019 Digital download, CD, streaming ABC, Universal Music Australia 7737149

See also The Thin Green Line

References