Amir Benayoun (

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

: עמיר בניון) (born on August 30, 1975) is an Israeli singer-songwriter.

Biography

Amir Benayoun was born in

Beersheba Beersheba or Beer Sheva, officially Be'er-Sheva ( he, בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע, ''Bəʾēr Ševaʿ'', ; ar, بئر السبع, Biʾr as-Sabʿ, Well of the Oath or Well of the Seven), is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. ...

to Maxim and Esther Benayoun who moved to Israel from

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

. His father was an

oud , image=File:oud2.jpg , image_capt=Syrian oud made by Abdo Nahat in 1921 , background= , classification= * String instruments *Necked bowl lutes , hornbostel_sachs=321.321-6 , hornbostel_sachs_desc=Composite chordophone sounded with a plectrum , ...

player. From a very young age he showed great interest in music, playing with his father and his brother. While devoting himself to songwriting, he made a living working in home repair jobs. He was turned away from serving in the

IDF IDF or idf may refer to: Defence forces * Irish Defence Forces * Israel Defense Forces *Iceland Defense Force, of the US Armed Forces, 1951-2006 * Indian Defence Force, a part-time force, 1917 Organizations * Israeli Diving Federation * Interac ...

because of a drug problem. Benayoun is a second cousin of

Yossi Benayoun Yossi Shai Benayoun ( he, יוסי שי בניון; born 5 May 1980) is an Israeli former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He spent most of his career in England and captained the Israel national team. Born in Dimona, he is s ...

. In November 2005 he married Miryam Golan, an Israeli poet and musician. The couple have two children. They divorced in 2018.

Music career

In 1999 Benayoun released his first album, "Rak Ath" (Only You), selling 40,000 copies. Shortly after it came the second album, and in 2002 his third, "Shalechet" (Fall), was a big hit, establishing Benayoun in the mainstream of Israeli music. Additionally, he wrote and composed songs for other artists, such as

Gidi Gov Gideon "Gidi" Gov ( he, גידי גוב; 4 August 1950) is an Israeli singer, TV host, entertainer, and actor. He was married to the late Anat Gov with whom he had three children. Biography Early life Gov was born in Rehovot, Israel, to Da ...

and

Gali Atari Gali Atari ( he, גלי עטרי; born December 29, 1953) is an Israeli singer and actress. Atari won the Eurovision Song Contest 1979 which was held in Jerusalem, as part of Milk and Honey. Early life Atari was born in Rehovot, Israel, to Jewi ...

and

Yehoram Gaon Yehoram Gaon ( he, יהורם גאון, born December 28, 1939) is an Israeli singer, actor, director, comedian, producer, TV and radio host, and public figure. He has also written and edited books on Israeli culture. The son of Sephardic Jewish ...

. In 2011, Benayoun created an album in

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

called "Zini" to support the people in the Syrian uprising. In 2012 he began to include in his Albums parts of his wife's poetry. The artistic collaboration between the two maintained until their divorce.

Awards and recognition

In 2006, Benayoun won an ACUM prize for his song, "Nitzacht Iti Hakol" but he refused to accept it and donated it instead.

Controversy

In November 2014, the President of Israel,

Reuven Rivlin Reuven "Ruvi" Rivlin ( he, רְאוּבֵן "רוּבִי" רִיבְלִין ; born 9 September 1939) is an Israeli politician and lawyer who served as the tenth president of Israel between 2014 and 2021. He is a member of the Likud party. Riv ...

cancelled a scheduled performance by Benayoun at the president's official residence, after the latter released a song reacting to a deadly terror attack on a synagogue in Jerusalem on November 18. The lyric described a terrorist dreaming of murdering Jews, and a wave of controversy arose in reaction to its circulation.Rivlin Cancels Appearance by Israeli Singer After Anti-Arab Song'

The Forward ''The Forward'' ( yi, פֿאָרווערטס, Forverts), formerly known as ''The Jewish Daily Forward'', is an American news media organization for a Jewish American audience. Founded in 1897 as a Yiddish-language daily socialist newspaper, ' ...

25 November 2014. A poll by Channel 2 News suggested 42% of Israelis concur with the song's sentiments.

Meretz Meretz ( he, מֶרֶצ, ) is a left-wing political party in Israel. The party was formed in 1992 by the merger of Ratz, Mapam and Shinui, and was at its peak between 1992 and 1996 when it had 12 seats. It currently has no seats in the Knesset ...

Issawi Frej Issawi Frej ( ar, عيساوي فريج, ; born 14 December 1963) is an Arab-Israeli politician who currently serves as a minister and was a member of the Knesset for Meretz in 2021 and was also an MK for the party between 2013 and 2019. As of Ju ...

has requested that the singer be investigated on incitement charges.'New song 'Ahmed Loves Israel' sparks charges of racist incitement,'

Israel Hayom ''Israel Hayom'' ( he, יִשְׂרָאֵל הַיּוֹם, lit=Israel Today) is an Israeli national Hebrew-language free daily newspaper. First published in 2007, ''Israel Hayom'' is Israel's most widely distributed newspaper. Owned by the fam ...

November 25, 2014 However, Benayoun was not investigated and President

was severely criticized for his decision, also by MP

Uri Orbach Uri Shraga Orbach ( he, אורי שרגא אורבך; 28 March 1960 – 16 February 2015) was an Israelis, Israeli Religious Zionism, Religious Zionist writer, journalist, and politician. He served as a member of the Knesset for the Jewish Home p ...

who stated he will not attend the event at the president's official residence if Benayoun's performance will not take place as planned.

Discography

Albums

* Rak At (רק את - Only You) 1999 * Oto Makom, Ota Haruach (אותו מקום אותה הרוח - The Same Place, the Same Spirit) 1999 * Shalechet (שלכת - Fall) 2002 * Nitzacht Iti Hakol (ניצחת איתי הכל - You Won Everything with Me) 2004 * Hakol Ad Lecan (הכל עד לכאן - Everything until Here) 2006 * Aluf Beshachor (אלוף בשחור - Champion in Black) 2007 * Omed Basha'ar (עומד בשער - Standing at the Gate) 2008 * Machshavot - with Yehuda Masas (מחשבות - Thoughts) 2010 * Lada'at Hakol (לדעת הכל - To Know Everything) 2010 * Etz Al Mayim (עץ על מים - Tree On Water) 2012 * Shirei Eretz Ahava (שירי ארץ אהבה - Songs of a Land of Love) 2013 * Sufa (סופה - Storm) 2015 * Milah Baruach (מילה ברוח - A Word in the Wind), 2016 ** ** "ch" is pronounced kh**

Compilations

* Sha'a Shel Or (שעה של אור - Hour of Light) 2009

Mini albums

* Hamiklat (המקלט - The Shelter) 2011 * Zini 2011 (in Arabic)

References

External links

About Amir Benayoun
in the website of "Nevel Asor" (his record label)(in Hebrew) {{DEFAULTSORT:Benayoun, Amir 1975 births Living people 20th-century Israeli Jews 21st-century Israeli Jews Jewish Israeli musicians Israeli male singer-songwriters Musicians from Beersheba Israeli people of Moroccan-Jewish descent 20th-century Israeli male singers 21st-century Israeli male singers