Yael Naïm

Indie-folk singer Yael Naïm had a surprise hit when her song “New Soul” was used in a 2008 Apple commercial. • Born in Paris, Naïm moved to Israel with her family when she was four. She joined her first band, the Anti-Collision, while completing her obligatory military service in Israel. • Naïm signed with EMI Records after traveling to France for a charity concert performance in 2000. • Her 2001 debut album, In a Man’s Womb, failed to dent the charts. Naïm considers it a personal failure. • The singer worked with percussionist David Donatien on her self-titled second album, which finally arrived in 2007. • Steve Jobs selected her track “New Soul” for the introduction of Apple’s Macbook Air laptops. The exposure pushed the song to No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100, making Naïm the first Israeli artist to score a Top 10 US hit. • In 2008, Yael Naim won World Music Album of the Year at the Victoires de la Musique, the French equivalent of the Grammys.