At some point in their education, a ton of college students either find themselves friends with aspiring musicians or become aspiring musicians themselves. Malia Obama has fallen into the former group, making her debut music video appearance in a visual for an indie rock band of Harvard peers. Needless to say, the former First Daughter is doing college right.
The premise of the shockingly well-produced video (for college kids anyway) is that the New Dakotas are looking for a new member, so logically they hold auditions. In a black hoodie and beanie, 20-year-old Malia gives a convincing performance as she dances and sings the band's lyrics for the catchy song “Walking on Air.” At one point later in the video, she’s also shredding a harmonica solo. The band signs another artist in the end, but it’s doubtful the confident, fictitious character Obama plays is sweating the rejection.
Malia still has two years at Harvard to figure out what what she’s going to do next, and it’s safe to say joining a rock band isn’t her top priority. She may be interested in going into show business, after interning for Lena Dunham on her HBO shows Girls, and Halle Berry on the sci-fi drama Extant.
It’s a little surprising that Malia hasn’t appeared in more music videos, considering she’s rubbed shoulders with the likes of Aminé and Bryson Tiller, and that her family is good friends with the Carters. Either way, she looks like she’s having some fun in between her rigorous course load and that’s all that matters.
