Yael Naïm: Biography

• Overview
• Discography
• Biography
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Born:

Jan 1, 1978 in Paris, France

Genres:

Electronic & Dance Music, Rock Music, Singer/Songwriter Rock Music, Adult Alternative

Decades Active:

1990's|2000's

A singer/songwriter born to Jewish and Tunisian parents, Yael Naim first hit the popmusic scene in 2001, but her debut was not what she had hoped for, and it wouldn't until 2007 that her follow up appeared. Born in Paris in 1978, Naim first got a taste for pop music when she discovered the Beatles. Adding Aretha Franklin and Joni Mitchell to her list of influences, Naim soon found herself playing shows with Winton Marsalis' backing musicians in Tel Aviv (where she had moved at the age of four). During her obligatory military service for Israel, Naim started her first band, the AntiCollision. Her appearance at a charity concert in 2000 scored her a record deal with EMI. After an appearance as Miriam in the Ten Commandments, Naim recorded her debut album on both coasts of the United States. The album, In A Man's Womb, was a sobering affiar for Yael, who considered the album a personal failure. She kept on singing to make a living, but it wasn't until she met up with David Donatien, a West Indian percussionist, in 2004 that she regained her desire to write and perform. Working as a group, Donatien and Haim came together to record Haim's second album, Yael Naim. Released in October of 2007, the album contained songs in French, English, and Hebrew, and included a surprising cover in Britney Spears' "Toxic." Critical acclaim and chart success (the album hit number 11 in France and broke the top forty in Switzerland) followed, and in 2008 Naim's song "New Soul" was used in a commercial for Apple Computers.

- Chris True, All Music Guide