Nomi Abadi
Nomi Abadi | |
|---|---|
| Born | United States |
| Occupation(s) | Pianist, composer, vocalist, actor, activist |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Known for | Piano performances on Sekou Andrews & The String Theory (Grammy-nominated album), founder of Female Composer Safety League |
| Website | www |
Nomi Abadi is a pianist, composer, vocalist, actor, and activist of American birth with Syrian-Egyptian heritage. In 2019, she contributed piano performances to the album Sekou Andrews & The String Theory, which received a Grammy nomination in 2020 for Best Spoken Word Album.
Early life
Born into a lineage of piano educators spanning four generations, Abadi showed prodigious talent early on, beginning her professional journey at age five as the youngest soloist to perform a Mozart concerto with the Orange County Chamber Orchestra. She is of Jewish descent. Raised in Orange County, California, her education was conducted at home by her mother while her father, Marden Abadi—a classical and ragtime pianist—provided her musical training. At eight years old, after auditioning for Juilliard, she commenced formal classical piano studies at the Mannes School of Music. She completed her studies ahead of schedule at Orange County School of the Arts by age sixteen and subsequently enrolled at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.
Music career
Abadi has created original compositions for more than twenty video games and films, including the 2023 film Sebastian featuring Darius McCrary and the 2019 movie Gothic Springs starring Peyton List.
Her contributions to video games encompass composing original scores, sound design, and voicing three characters in The Clairvoyant AR, as well as composing music for Star Twin Locator, both projects developed by Weird Sisters. The Clairvoyant AR was showcased at San Diego Game Jam and received an invitation to participate in the Bose Game Jam on Bose's AR Platform during PAX West in 2019.
Since 2012, Abadi has pursued solo musical projects. Her 2016 single "Omega" was acclaimed by buzzbands.la as "a lush, cascading pop track built around an acrobatic piano line."
Her vocal work is featured on Satanic Planet’s self-titled 2021 album on the track "Devil in Me," which she co-wrote and includes poetry by Lucien Greaves, founder of the Satanic Temple. After contributing to Sekou Andrews and the String Theory in 2019, she joined the group for their 2020 release The Los Angeles Suite, collaborating with artists such as Jens Kuross, SORNE, Shana Halligan, Vōx, and Addie Hamilton.
NORY double synth/keytar
In 2017, Abadi developed the double keytar, known as the NORY Double Synth, which was granted a US Patent in 2019. She debuted her composition Quartet for NORY® in E Minor at Video Game Music Con Puerto Rico in 2023.
Discography
- 2012: Chase/No Running
- 2015: Nomi Abadi
- 2016: "Omega"
- 2020: "Animals"
- 2023: Heavy Reign
Activism
Abadi established the Female Composer Safety League (FCSL) in 2020—a nonprofit organization under section 501(c)(3)—dedicated to offering networking opportunities, resources, and support for emerging female composers. The organization was founded following two gender safety panel discussions at GameSoundCon and has since attracted hundreds of members. The Guardian recognized Abadi’s commitment to revealing abusive practices within soundtrack composing environments as exposing "one of Hollywood's last dirty secrets." Prior to the 65th Annual Grammy Awards MusiCares gala, she publicly condemned sexual misconduct within the music industry.
In 2022, Abadi spearheaded a coalition addressing sexual abuse claims at the Orange County School of the Arts, securing backing from community leaders and prompting an investigation by the Orange County Board of Education. The Orange County Register reported multiple lawsuits involving OCSA faculty members, including its founder Ralph Opacic.
In 2023, according to Rolling Stone, Abadi accused composer Danny Elfman of sexual harassment occurring between 2015 and 2017. The parties entered into a non-disclosure agreement in 2018 wherein Elfman agreed to pay $830,000 to prevent public disclosure. Elfman denied these accusations but later failed to fulfill payment obligations to FCSL, leading Abadi to initiate a breach of contract lawsuit. A second accuser filed suit against Elfman in October 2023; however, this case was dismissed in September 2024 due to statute of limitations issues.
On July 10, 2024, Abadi filed a defamation lawsuit against Elfman; his motion to dismiss was denied later that year. The complaint alleges that Elfman propagated false statements intending to undermine Abadi’s reputation as part of an effort to safeguard his own image, as reported by Variety.