My favourite singer is actually really, really good
March 12, 2008 3:37 AM   Subscribe

Israeli-French singer Yael Naim, recently featured in this Macbook Air commercial, might just be the Next Big Thing. A little bit of soul and a little bit of folk have snagged her Album of the Year in World Music at the annual Les Victoires de la Musique French music awards this year. She currently only has two English songs released - one of them an absolutely lovely song entitled New Soul with an equally charming music video, and the other a slow and jazzy rendition of Britney Spears' Toxic, finally somewhat redeeming that song. Official Site.
posted by Phire (44 comments total) 8 users marked this as a favorite
 
In retrospect, apologies for the heavy editorializing.
posted by Phire at 3:40 AM on March 12, 2008


Toxic needs no redeeming, thank you very much, and certainly not in a "slow and jazzy rendition"... ugh
posted by Spacelegoman at 3:50 AM on March 12, 2008 [2 favorites]


I dunno, Phire, doesn't seem too heavy to me... you like her stuff, so good on ya!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 3:51 AM on March 12, 2008


"New Soul" is huge in France. I like her version of "Toxic" (though agree wholeheartedly that it needs no redeeming) but all-in-all find her a little boring.
posted by nonmerci at 4:15 AM on March 12, 2008


Interesting.

Much nicer version of Toxic by her found chasing the "related videos" here.
posted by Iosephus at 4:38 AM on March 12, 2008


I think that album has more than two songs in English.
posted by Lucy2Times at 4:39 AM on March 12, 2008


MacBook Air.
"Making every possible mistake!"
posted by markkraft at 5:21 AM on March 12, 2008


I admit that I get 95% of my music off of Apple advertisements. The other 5% comes from Rock Band. So after weeks of holding my tape recorder up to the TV in an attempt to capture the song, I was surprised to learn that Apple offers a service, called 'iTunes' that would allow me to play 30 seconds worth of the song "New Soul" for free, whenever I needed it. No more desperate scrambles for the tape recorder for me! So after about the 5th time I've replayed my free 30 seconds into the tape recorder (A song has to be at least 2 minutes long, after all! Otherwise it's not worth setting up the reel-to-reel), my wife, genius that she is, pointed out that I could download the entire song for the paltry sum of 1 dollar!

So I did, but I fear this ruined my major source of music for me forever. Have you listened to the full lyrics of that song! It talks about the singer making "every possible mistake!" Now in the ad, it is obviously the Mac Air that is singing the song, so cute in its document envelop dress, so I was surprised to hear that the laptop was calling itself a mistake! Why would Apple pick a song that stated that their new laptop was a mistake! Don't they have any faith in their products?

I was so dispirited by this revelation that I needed a good pick-me-up. Luckily I had some old tapes of that patriotic Wrangler ad where everyone was born to wave the flag. That song hearkens back to a simpler, more honest time and always makes me feel so good about myself and my country.

Oh, hey, I wonder if that song is on the 'iTunes'? That would be fortunate. Just the thing I need!
posted by robocop is bleeding at 5:22 AM on March 12, 2008 [5 favorites]


"Toxic" was already redeemed for me by Molly.
posted by doift at 5:31 AM on March 12, 2008 [1 favorite]


Toxic is a great song. Screw y'all.
posted by smackfu at 5:39 AM on March 12, 2008


LEAVE YAEL ALONE!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:46 AM on March 12, 2008


Well. Huh.

As the meme goes, and then it gets weird.
posted by Iosephus at 5:50 AM on March 12, 2008


And then there's this kickass version by some Polish guys named 96PROJECT. This song sure has travelled around...
posted by Iosephus at 6:02 AM on March 12, 2008


so you work for her marketing co?
posted by mary8nne at 6:12 AM on March 12, 2008


The original version of Toxic is fucking awesome.
posted by chunking express at 6:30 AM on March 12, 2008


I don't quite understand why this thread is all about "Toxic," but I found the video of "New Soul" charming. She's an OK singer, even if I probably wouldn't pay money to see her. But then there are few people I'd pay money to see these days.
posted by languagehat at 6:42 AM on March 12, 2008


Norah Jones + Tori Amos + Achinoam Nini = pass.
posted by ericbop at 6:46 AM on March 12, 2008


That's funny, there's another Israeli-French singer gaining popularity in Israel right now. Her name is Keren Ann.
[warning: youtube]
posted by alon at 6:47 AM on March 12, 2008


I bought her song and then proceeded to get super tired of it. And her.
posted by onepapertiger at 6:47 AM on March 12, 2008


So, is she the "Next Big Thing" because her music showed up in a Mac ad? The music in Apple ads always strikes me as soothing music to be tastefully played in the background of dentist waiting rooms. It does fit the Mac's white-plastic-block-with-no-holes aesthetic though.
posted by fuq at 7:02 AM on March 12, 2008


Agree that the original "Toxic" needs no redeeming. That said, the Chapin Sisters do a version that's pretty damn good -- slowed down like Naim's, but a bit folkier.
posted by pised at 7:18 AM on March 12, 2008 [2 favorites]


Heh, if it were that easy to get a marketing job, mary8nne, I'd be shamelessly all over whatever gig I can get, trust me.

And seriously people, hard to please much? :P

But at any rate. Yeah, did not expect the derail. I actually quite like Toxic! It's got 35 plays on my iTunes! See! But grabbing the video off youtube - and more importantly, actually WATCHING the video - has definitely turned me off it for the immediate future. Dear god, whatever previous enthusiasm I had for defending Britney's musical endeavours have just faded. The music video makes me want to cry.

Yeah.
posted by Phire at 7:28 AM on March 12, 2008


hmmm... I can't say if being featured at the Victoires de la Musique is really a recommendation. Between the singers who whisper and the ones who shout like mad to make people think they're pavarotti there should be some space left on the air. Anyway - and, my philosemitism being set aside (as would have said Pierre Desproges) - she's a rather enjoyable singer.
posted by nicolin at 7:36 AM on March 12, 2008


I went to high school with her. How cool.
posted by Afreemind2007 at 7:43 AM on March 12, 2008


Hilarious. I thought the MacBook Air song was Yet Another Feist song. Seems like I've slipped outside the demographic.
posted by mwhybark at 7:48 AM on March 12, 2008


The Toxic music video is also awesome. I mean, of all the things to hate Spears about, Toxic has to rank very very very low. I think you wouldn't have had this derail had you just LEFT BRITNEY ALONE.
posted by chunking express at 7:51 AM on March 12, 2008 [1 favorite]


I don't quite understand why this thread is all about "Toxic,"

Because it was slagged off in the post, and it must be defended, dammit!
posted by smackfu at 8:02 AM on March 12, 2008 [2 favorites]


Are you serious, chunking express? The music video? *shudders* I don't even know where to begin insulting that glorified softporn piece of crap - complete with terrible acting and overexaggerated movements. I mean, I get that it might be intentional? But the jerky, almost-robotic-but-terribly-human movements in that ugly-ass blue thing is a terrible spectacle to watch.
posted by Phire at 8:11 AM on March 12, 2008


Hey, I've got an idea! Let's keep talking about "Toxic"!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 8:18 AM on March 12, 2008


*looks at flapjax sheepishly*
posted by Phire at 8:28 AM on March 12, 2008 [1 favorite]


Add an "E" to "Toxic" and you get "Exotic"!
Add a "T" to "Dizzy" and take away a "Z" and you get "Ditzy"!
Wheeee!
posted by Dizzy at 8:36 AM on March 12, 2008


I'd say Tunisian-Israeli-French
posted by zouhair at 8:38 AM on March 12, 2008


Hey, I've got an idea! Let's keep talking about "Toxic"!

At least give everybody credit for not talking about Brittney Spears.
posted by spock at 8:39 AM on March 12, 2008


yeah, but no... I hope she doesn't become the next big thing.. I don't really find that her music has much melody to it at all, but I've never really been one for slow jazz songs. Her voice IS good tho, i'll give you that, Phire :)
posted by Planet F at 8:42 AM on March 12, 2008


Heh. I thought I'd be the only one coming in here to defend "Toxic". I think there is a really great slowed-down, bluesy, gritty, semi-disturbing version of the song to be made, but none of these in the thread is it. Can we get Fiona Apple working on it, maybe?
posted by Rock Steady at 9:10 AM on March 12, 2008


Also, I wouldn't wish becoming "the next big thing" on my worst enemy.
posted by Rock Steady at 9:14 AM on March 12, 2008


In France that song has been everywhere for the last few months. The French can't enough of that slow jazzy shit.
posted by greytape at 10:20 AM on March 12, 2008


The French can't enough of that slow jazzy shit.

Don't worry. They can't smoke indoors anymore.
posted by tkchrist at 11:18 AM on March 12, 2008


mcwhybark: That's funny--when I first heard it, I thought "New Soul" sounded an awful lot like Feist too.

But then I like Feist, so I mean it as a compliment.

Phire: I just read the post title and now I understand your comment about the heavy editorializing. :-)
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 11:23 AM on March 12, 2008


Haha, I was more referring to the blatant advertising in the post itself actually. The post title was more a riff on the "your favourite band sucks" meme, but eh, no harm done :)
posted by Phire at 11:29 AM on March 12, 2008


Don't worry. They can't smoke indoors anymore.

At least there's still Belgium.
posted by smackfu at 3:29 PM on March 12, 2008


We'll always have Belgium.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:53 PM on March 12, 2008


Her version of Toxic is pretty good; it certainly lives up to the original. I think I like the the chapin sisters version more then this singers, though they are both enjoyable enough. But seriously, the Brittany version is great.
posted by chunking express at 6:59 PM on March 12, 2008


the Brittany version is great

Funny, last time I was there I didn't hear anybody singing it...
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:19 PM on March 12, 2008


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