- Yael Naim
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Yael Naïm 
Background information Birth name Yael Naïm Born February 6, 1978
Paris, FranceOrigin Paris, France Genres Indie folk, new wave Occupations Singer, songwriter Instruments Piano, Guitar, Ukulele Years active 2000 – present Labels Warner Music France
Tôt ou tardWebsite www.yaelweb.com Yael Naïm (Hebrew: יעל נעים) (born February 6, 1978 in Paris, France), is a French-Israeli singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in 2008 in the US after her hit single "New Soul" was used by Apple in an advertising campaign for its MacBook Air. The song peaked at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100.
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Biography
Yael Naïm was born in Paris, France to Tunisian Jewish immigrants from Tunisia. At the age of four, she moved with her family to Ramat HaSharon, Israel, where she spent the rest of her childhood. She served in the Israel Defense Force as a soloist in the Israel Air Force Orchestra.[1]
She began her singing career with a part in the musical Les Dix Commandements[2][3] and her first solo album, In a Man's Womb (recorded in Los Angeles with Kamil Rustam), was released in 2001. She also sang the song "You Disappear" by Bruno Coulais for the film Harrison's Flowers. In her early work, she was credited simply as Yaël. She also performed a duet with Din Din Aviv titled "Mashmauyot".[4]
Naïm joined with percussionist David Donatien and, over a period of two years, they arranged and recorded thirteen of Naïm's songs in a studio in her apartment in Paris.[5] These were released as her second album, Yael Naïm, on 22 October 2007, on the Tôt ou tard label. The songs are in French, English and Hebrew and received critical acclaim.[2] The album entered the French album chart at #11 the week after its release. Her style has been described as having a touch of folk and a touch of jazz, with mysterious and evocative words sung with a delicate and intentionally husky voice.[6]
In January 2008, Apple featured her song "New Soul" in its debut commercial for the MacBook Air laptop. Steve Jobs himself picked the song "New Soul" for the launch of the MacBook Air.[7][8] Owing to high U.S. digital sales, the song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 for the chart week of February 16, 2008, at #9, becoming Naïm's first U.S. top ten single, and making her the first Israeli solo artist to ever have a top ten hit in the United States. "New Soul" moved up to #7 the following week. The song was also featured on the soundtrack of the movies The House Bunny and Wild Target.
Her third album was released in November 2010. The first single from this new record is "Go to the River".
Discography
Studio albums
- 2001 - In a Man's Womb
- 2007 - Yael Naïm
- 2010 - She Was a Boy
Singles
- 2001 - "You Disappear"
- 2001 - "Do I Do"
- 2001 - "Avril"
- 2007 - "Toxic"
- 2008 - "New Soul"
- 2008 - "Too Long"
- 2009 - "Far Far"
- 2010 - "Go to the River"
- 2011 - "Come Home"
Awards and nominations
Year Award Category Result 2008 Victoires de la Musique Album of the Year (World Music Category) Won NRJ Music Awards Francophone Revelation of the Year Nominated Prix Constantin Album of the Year Nominated 2009 Victoires de la Musique Best Female Singer of the Year Nominated 2011 Victoires de la Musique Best Female Singer of the Year Won TV
Naïm's voice was used in a Season 21 episode of The Simpsons, entitled "The Greatest Story Ever D'ohed". Naïm voiced Dorit, the niece of an Israeli tour guide named Jakob (voiced by Sacha Baron Cohen).
Her single Come Home was in an episode of the Season 7 of Grey's Anatomy and in the episode 6 of ABC Family Series Switched at birth .
References
- ^ Shechnik, Raz (2008-07-29). "Yael Naim makes the cut". Ynetnews. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3574064,00.html. Retrieved 2008-07-29.
- ^ a b Yael Naïm – News http://artists.letssingit.com/yael-naim-jv79n/news/
- ^ See also French Wikipedia site at http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Dix_Commandements_(com%C3%A9die_musicale)
- ^ YouTube - Din Din Aviv and Yael Naim - Mashmauyot
- ^ YAEL NAIM & David Donatien http://www.myspace.com/yaelnaim
- ^ Yael Naïm — Chanson http://www.telerama.fr/musique/20994-yael_naim.php
- ^ Mac Ad Raises Yael Naim's Profile : NPR Music
- ^ Hey, Let's Write a Song Called "Steve Jobs Is Dreamy" 100 And Single, Idolator. Accessed 12 February 2008
External links
- Official website
- Official blog
- Yael Naïm's 'New Soul' Review on Daily Music Guide
- Official biography (French)
- Yael Naïm at Allmusic
- "Nice to meet you" - article about Yael Naïm on NRG.il (Hebrew)
- “Apple Macbook air” commercial video song by Yaël Naïm
- Yaël Naïm at NPR Music
- "Cinderella Song" - Interview with Yaël Naïm in Ha'aretz by Tidhar Wald
Preceded by
Canta
by Agnès Jaoui
2007Victoires de la Musique
World music album of the year
Yael Naïm
by Yael Naïm
2008Succeeded by
most recentCategories:- 1978 births
- Living people
- Atlantic Records artists
- French emigrants to Israel
- Israeli female singers
- Israeli Jews
- Israeli people of Tunisian origin
- French Jews
- Israeli pop singers
- Jewish singers
- People from Tel Aviv District
- Sephardi Jews
- Ukulele players
- Voice actors
- People from Paris
- French people of Tunisian descent
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