The inhabitants of the earth are of two sorts: Those with brains, but no religion, And those with religion, but no brains.
Al-Ma'arri|Abu'l-
A little philosophy inclineth man's mind to atheism; but depth in philsophy bringeth men's minds about to religion.
Francis Bacon|Sir Francis Bacon, Essays, 16, "Of Atheism"
Atheism leaves a man to sense, to philosophy, to natural piety, to laws, to reputation; all which may be guides to an outward moral virtue, though religion were not; but superstition dismounts all these, and erecteth an absolute monarchy, in the minds of men.
Sir Francis Bacon, Essays, 16, "Of Superstition"
ATHEISM: A godless religion that retains all the dogmatic posturing of the faiths it so confidently denies, with few of the consolations.
Rick Bayan|Rick Bayan, The Cynic's Dictionary, unidentified ISBN/edition, unidentified chapter/page
Yael Naïm (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"New Soul" is a song by the French-Israeli indie folk singer Yael Naïm, from her eponymous album. The song has gained popularity in the U.S. following its use by Apple in an advertisement for their MacBook Air laptop. In the song Naïm sings of being a new soul who has come into the world to learn...
" was used by Apple in an advertising campaign for its
MacBook AirThe MacBook Air family is a line of Apple ultraportable Macintosh notebook computers.The first-generation MacBook Air was a 13.3"-only model, previously promoted as the World's Thinnest Notebook, introduced at the Macworld Conference & Expo on January 15, 2008. It featured a custom Intel Merom CPU...
. The song peaked at #7 on the
Billboard Hot 100The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
.
Biography
Yael Naïm was born in Paris, France to Tunisian Jewish immigrants from
TunisiaTunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
. At the age of four, she moved with her family to
Ramat HaSharonRamat HaSharon is a city located on Israel's central coastal strip in the south of the Sharon region, bordering Tel Aviv to the south and Herzliya and Kibbutz Glil Yam to the north. It is part of the Tel Aviv District, within Gush Dan metropolitan area...
,
IsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, where she spent the rest of her childhood. She served in the Israel Defense Force as a soloist in the Israel Air Force Orchestra.
She began her singing career with a part in the musical
Les Dix Commandements and her first solo album,
In a Man's WombIn a Man's Womb is the debut album released by French-Israeli singer-songwriter Yael Naïm, which was released under only the name Yael.-Track listing:#"Cross"#"In a Man's Womb"#"Maître De Mes Rêves"#"Alone"#"In the Desert"#"Hit "...
(recorded in
Los AngelesLos Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
with
Kamil RustamKamil Rustam is a French guitarist, composer, arranger, songwriter and producer whose musical career has made known as a prolific musician in many different styles....
), was released in 2001. She also sang the song "You Disappear" by
Bruno CoulaisBruno Coulais is a French composer, most widely known for his music on film soundtracks. He recently composed the score for the animated film, The Secret of Kells, released 12 March 2010.- Life and career :...
for the film
Harrison's FlowersHarrison's Flowers is a 2000 French film by Elie Chouraqui. It stars, among others, Andie MacDowell, Elias Koteas, Brendan Gleeson, Adrien Brody, Marie Trintignant, Gerard Butler and David Strathairn....
. In her early work, she was credited simply as Yaël. She also performed a duet with
Din Din AvivDin Din Aviv is an Israeli pop and folk singer. After performing with Gaya and with the Idan Raichel Project, she released a successful debut album, Sodotay in 2006.-Background:...
titled "Mashmauyot".
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. These were released as her second album,
Yael NaïmYael Naim is the self-titled second studio album by Yael Naïm. It contains the single "New Soul", which gained widespread popularity due to being featured in Apple's MacBook Air video advertisement.- Track listing :# "Paris" - 3:08# "Too Long" - 4:43...
, on 22 October 2007, on the
Tôt ou tardTôt ou tard is a French record label, founded in 1996 as a break-off from Warner Music Group, which has been independent since 2002. It can be translated as "Early or late," or more figuratively "Sooner or later," in French...
label. The songs are in
FrenchFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, English and
HebrewHebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
and received critical acclaim. 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.
In January 2008, Apple featured her song "
New Soul"New Soul" is a song by the French-Israeli indie folk singer Yael Naïm, from her eponymous album. The song has gained popularity in the U.S. following its use by Apple in an advertisement for their MacBook Air laptop. In the song Naïm sings of being a new soul who has come into the world to learn...
" in its debut
commercialA television advertisement or television commercial, often just commercial, advert, ad, or ad-film – is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization that conveys a message, typically one intended to market a product...
for the
MacBook AirThe MacBook Air family is a line of Apple ultraportable Macintosh notebook computers.The first-generation MacBook Air was a 13.3"-only model, previously promoted as the World's Thinnest Notebook, introduced at the Macworld Conference & Expo on January 15, 2008. It featured a custom Intel Merom CPU...
laptop.
Steve JobsSteven Paul Jobs was an American businessman and inventor widely recognized as a charismatic pioneer of the personal computer revolution. He was co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Apple Inc...
himself picked the song "
New Soul"New Soul" is a song by the French-Israeli indie folk singer Yael Naïm, from her eponymous album. The song has gained popularity in the U.S. following its use by Apple in an advertisement for their MacBook Air laptop. In the song Naïm sings of being a new soul who has come into the world to learn...
" for the launch of the
MacBook AirThe MacBook Air family is a line of Apple ultraportable Macintosh notebook computers.The first-generation MacBook Air was a 13.3"-only model, previously promoted as the World's Thinnest Notebook, introduced at the Macworld Conference & Expo on January 15, 2008. It featured a custom Intel Merom CPU...
. Owing to high U.S. digital sales, the song debuted on the
Billboard Hot 100The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
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
soundtrackA soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
of the movies
The House BunnyThe House Bunny is a 2008 romantic comedy film directed by Fred Wolf, written by Kirsten Smith and Karen McCullah Lutz, and starring Anna Faris as a former Playboy bunny who signs up to be the "house mother" of an unpopular university sorority after being conned by a rival into believing she's now...
and
Wild TargetWild Target is a 2010 comedy film, directed by Jonathan Lynn. It is based on the 1993 French film Cible Emouvante. Lucinda Coxon wrote the screenplay, and it was produced by Martin Pope and Michael Rose....
.
Her third album was released in November 2010. The first single from this new record is "Go to the River".
Studio albums
- 2001 - In a Man's Womb
In a Man's Womb is the debut album released by French-Israeli singer-songwriter Yael Naïm, which was released under only the name Yael.-Track listing:#"Cross"#"In a Man's Womb"#"Maître De Mes Rêves"#"Alone"#"In the Desert"#"Hit "...
- 2007 - Yael Naïm
Yael Naim is the self-titled second studio album by Yael Naïm. It contains the single "New Soul", which gained widespread popularity due to being featured in Apple's MacBook Air video advertisement.- Track listing :# "Paris" - 3:08# "Too Long" - 4:43...
- 2010 - She Was a Boy
Singles
- 2001 - "You Disappear"
- 2001 - "Do I Do"
- 2001 - "Avril"
- 2007 - "Toxic"
- 2008 - "New Soul
"New Soul" is a song by the French-Israeli indie folk singer Yael Naïm, from her eponymous album. The song has gained popularity in the U.S. following its use by Apple in an advertisement for their MacBook Air laptop. In the song Naïm sings of being a new soul who has come into the world to learn...
"
- 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 Victoires de la musique , is an annual French award ceremony that recognizes the best musical artists of the year.- Male artist of the year :*1985 : Michel Jonasz*1986 : Jean-Jacques Goldman*1987 : Johnny Hallyday...
|
Album of the Year (World Music Category) |
Won |
| NRJ Music Awards The NRJ Music Awards, created in 2000 by the radio station NRJ in partnership with the television network TF1 takes place every year in mid-January at Cannes as the opening of MIDEM...
|
Francophone Revelation of the Year |
Nominated |
| Prix Constantin The Prix Constantin is an annual French music prize awarded to the best album of an artist who has come to prominence during the course of the past year. It was inaugurated in 2002, following the example of the Mercury Music Prize, as an attempt to bring to light artists who have not had major...
|
Album of the Year |
Nominated |
| 2009 |
Victoires de la Musique Victoires de la musique , is an annual French award ceremony that recognizes the best musical artists of the year.- Male artist of the year :*1985 : Michel Jonasz*1986 : Jean-Jacques Goldman*1987 : Johnny Hallyday...
|
Best Female Singer of the Year |
Nominated |
| 2011 |
Victoires de la Musique Victoires de la musique , is an annual French award ceremony that recognizes the best musical artists of the year.- Male artist of the year :*1985 : Michel Jonasz*1986 : Jean-Jacques Goldman*1987 : Johnny Hallyday...
|
Best Female Singer of the Year |
Won |
TV
Naïm's voice was used in a Season 21 episode of
The SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
, entitled "
The Greatest Story Ever D'ohed"The Greatest Story Ever D'ohed" is the sixteenth episode of The Simpsons twenty-first season and the 457th episode overall. It aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 28, 2010...
". Naïm voiced Dorit, the niece of an Israeli tour guide named Jakob (voiced by
Sacha Baron CohenSacha Noam Baron Cohen is an English stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and voice artist. He is most widely known for his portrayal of three unorthodox fictional characters: Ali G, Borat, and Brüno...
).
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 .
External links