Malia Obama appears in New Dakotas' music video

Malia Obama lip-syncs in the video

America's former first daughter has stepped back into the limelight - with a cameo in a music video.

A beanie-clad Malia Obama has been spotted lip-syncing and apparently playing the harmonica in the latest offering by Boston's The New Dakotas.

Never heard of them? You're not alone.

Their songs have yet to make much of a splash on music app Spotify, where the most popular got just more than 2,000 listens. Their last video, meanwhile, got 1,500 views on video site YouTube.

The one featuring Barack Obama's oldest daughter - entitled Walking on Air - has racked more than four times as many in a week.

According to US website The Hill, the band attend Harvard University, which is where Miss Obama is currently in her second year.

The music video appearance is unusual - as a general rule, Miss Obama and her younger sister Sasha have kept a low profile, despite their father being one of the most famous men on the planet.