Vikki Thorn

Vikki Elizabeth Thorn (née Simpson, born c. 1974) is an Australian harmonica player, guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter and one-third of the Australian folk rock band the Waifs. Her elder sister, Donna Simpson, also plays guitar and sings in the group. Vikki has released eight studio albums with the Waifs, and wrote the band's singles, "Bridal Train" and "Sun Dirt Water" (2007).

Since 2021, Thorn has released music under the name Thornbird.

Early life and education Thorn and her elder sister, Donna, grew up in Albany, Western Australia. Their father, Jimmy Simpson, fished salmon in season. In an interview with Andrew Denton on Enough Rope, Thorn described the lifestyle of a fisherman's daughter:

Career 1980s-1991: Early life Thorn received a harmonica when she was a teenager, and started playing Bob Dylan songs. On Thorn's last day of high school, aged 16, she was picked up by Simpson, in a yellow Kombi, who asked her to travel with her: "I'd said to Vikki, you know, we should go round Australia. Let's, let's just get out of here, let's go travelling. You know, we were from this town where if we saw a car come through from over east with eastern states number plates, I mean I would just look at these cars and think wow, they're from over east. They're from Sydney and, and Wollongong and… you know and it was really exciting for us. So I bought this old van and I went and picked her up from school." – Donna Simpson, August 2007. Thorn's song "Bridal Train" was released as a single, by the group in 2004, and the song won the USA Songwriting Competition in 2006. The Waifs' fifth studio album, Sun, Dirt, Water (September 2007), provided a title single, which was written by Thorn.

The group's eighth studio album, Ironbark, released in February 2017, led Thorn to reflect on their being together for 25 years, "I just sent an email the other day saying 'When the tour's over, when do we celebrate?' We need to have a party, we need to have something where we sit down and celebrate, just have a toast."

2020: Vikki Thorn and the Red Tails Thorn returned home to Western Australia after ten years in Utah, USA

2021-present: Thornbird In July 2021, Thorn released her first material as Thornbird. The single, "Tempest" is a cinematic tale of hope and desire, told by a lonely waitress stuck in a predictable, suffocating, desolate, outback truck stop. which according to Thorn "broke down". She also said that "Through all those years of touring, there was that dynamic going on."

Thorn wrote the Waifs song, "Sun Dirt Water" (August 2007), for her husband, Matt Thorn, "I wrote the song as a letter to him, just letting him know the things that were important to me and describing the road we were going to travel... It's the last song I wrote, and I wrote it four years ago." The couple have three children and since 2008 reside in Utah.

Discography Studio albums + List of studio albums, with selected chart positions Title Album details Peakchartpositions AUSIndi Thornbird Released: 11 March 2022 Formats: CD, digital Label: Vikki Thorn, MGM 5

Awards and nominations ARIA Music Awards The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. They commenced in 1987. 2022 Thornbird (as Thornbird) Best Blues and Roots Album

Australian Women in Music Awards The Australian Women in Music Awards is an annual event that celebrates outstanding women in the Australian Music Industry who have made significant and lasting contributions in their chosen field. They commenced in 2018.

Songwriter Award Inspiration Award