Sure,
you’ve heard the light ‘n’ lovely Mac AirBook song a million times. And it’s
definitely proven an uplifting career boost for overseas songstress Yael Naim, whose latest album
features a fresh mix of English, Hebrew and French lyrics.
But what we’re really loving
right now is her dark, moody and utterly captivating cover of “Toxic.” Yes,
that’s right…she does what Britney couldn’t. Brit Brit’s actual life and career
may be the definition of toxic, but Yael makes us believe the lyrics…as well as
simultaneously long for (and want to run screaming from) the guy she’s
singing about.
And for all you aspiring
musicians out there, Yael’s story is as inspiring as her work. Though she’s
been making music since her teenage years (and recorded her debut album in
2001), it was only when she left her record label and recorded for herself that
she found her Cinderella rags-to-music-stardom story. As Time
Out New York reported:
“Naim recorded the album in
her Paris apartment, a relaxed collaboration with the producer
and multi-instrumentalist David Donatien. Listen closely, Donatien claims, and
you can hear him cracking eggs in the kitchen as Naim sings. Both musicians
were disgruntled veterans of what Naim, speaking by phone from Paris, calls ‘the big system—big record company, big
budget, big everything. And nothing
good or creative came out of that. Suddenly, we found ourselves in the living
room without labels or deadlines. It was paradise.’”
