Lina Makoul ( ar, لينا مخول, born ) is an independent

Palestinian Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...

singer-songwriter and music producer.

Biography

Makoul was born in

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

to Arab-Christian parents and raised in the city of Acre. Since the age of four she has loved dancing, playing the piano and singing. She is fluent five languages. She has described herself as an "American-Palestinian". She started studying biology at the

Technion – Israel Institute of Technology The Technion – Israel Institute of Technology ( he, הטכניון – מכון טכנולוגי לישראל) is a public research university located in Haifa, Israel. Established in 1912 under the dominion of the Ottoman Empire, the Technion ...

, which she dropped in order to pursue her singing career.

Career

2012-2013: The Voice Israel

In 2012, Makoul auditioned for the second season of

The Voice Israel ''The Voice Israel'' (Hebrew: ''The Voice ישראל'') is the Israeli version of ''The Voice of Holland''. It is part of the international syndication ''The Voice'' based on the reality singing competition launched in the Netherlands, created ...

and in 2013 she became the first Arab to win on the show. Throughout the show she was also voted "best singer" by viewers. In an audition for the second season of the reality singing competition ''

'' in late 2012, On 23 March 2013, Makoul won the final at the Nokia Arena in

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the ...

with 62% of the vote, having performed " What A Feeling", theme song of the movie ''

Flashdance ''Flashdance'' is a 1983 American romantic drama dance film directed by Adrian Lyne and starring Jennifer Beals as a passionate young dancer who aspires to become a professional ballerina (Alex), alongside Michael Nouri playing her boyfriend ...

''. Along with her mentor Shabat, she performed a song written and composed by him with his daughter singer Manor Shabat. She also sang ''Hallelujah'' by

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist. His work explored religion, politics, isolation, depression, sexuality, loss, death, and romantic relationships. He was inducted in ...

. She was approached by

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

i-born international manager Irit TenHengel, who signed her to her label, Yodan Productions.

2016: Opening for Queen + Adam Lambert

In September 2016, Makoul was selected as the opening act for the band

Queen + Adam Lambert Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mothe ...

in Tel Aviv. In late 2016, her cover of

Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Col ...

' "Holy War" caught Keys' attention who proceeded to share the song on her official social media channels.

2017: Touring with Little Mix

In September 2017, she announced she would be supporting British girl group Little Mix on the UK and Ireland leg of The Glory Days Tour for all 37 arena dates from October until November 2017. She performed an Arabic version of ''

Silent Night "Silent Night" (german: "Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht", links=no, italic=no) is a popular Christmas carol, composed in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber to lyrics by Joseph Mohr in the small town of Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. It was declared an ...

'' for the documentary film '' Silent Night: A Song for the World'' (2020).

Discography

Her first single "This Ain't About You" was released worldwide on the April 29, 2016. The track achieved a top 10 in the UK Music-Week's Club and Pop Charts. Her second single "Dance Sucker" rose even further to No. 4 in the UK Music Week's Official Club Chart, reflecting her growing international success. Single "Dance Sucker" was released as a preview of Makul's new album ''Walking on a Tightrope'' released in 2017. The track was produced by Grammy Award winner

Jerry Wonda Jerry "Wonda" Duplessis (born 9 August 1975) is a Haitian music producer, film score composer, entrepreneur and philanthropist. His first major success was as a producer for the Fugees' 1996 album '' The Score''. He also played the bass guitar ...

and Tal Forer. The album features songs written by

Karen Poole Karen Ann Poole (born 8 January 1971) is an English singer and songwriter. Poole has had over 35 Top 20 UK hits as a songwriter. Biography Karen was born in Chadwell Heath, London, England, and is the daughter of 1960s vocalist Brian Poole, le ...

(

David Guetta Pierre David Guetta ( , ; born 7 November 1967) is a French DJ and music producer. He has over 10 million album and 65 million single sales globally, with more than 10 billion streams. In 2011, 2020 and 2021, Guetta was voted the number one D ...

/ Janet Jackson / Kylie Minogue) and Grammy Award winner

Eliot Kennedy Eliot Kennedy (born 29 March 1969) is an English songwriter and record producer based in Sheffield. He has worked with artists such as Billie Piper, The Spice Girls, Mary J. Blige, Donny Osmond, Bryan Adams, Lulu, S Club 7, Five, Gary Barlow, D ...

( Spice Girls /

Take That Take That are an English pop group formed in Manchester in 1990. The group currently consists of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen. The original line-up also featured Jason Orange and Robbie Williams. Barlow is the group's lead singer ...

). Lina is currently working with writers such as

Brit Award The BRIT Awards (often simply called the BRITs) are the British Phonographic Industry's annual popular music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain", or "Britannia" (in the early days the awards were sponsored ...

Nominee

Maegan Cottone Maegan Cottone is an American songwriter, singer, vocal producer and vocal arranger. In 2012, Cottone signed to British publishing company Phrased Differently and managed by Wide Awake Music. She achieved international songwriting success in the ...

( Demi Lovato /

Iggy Azalea Amethyst Amelia Kelly (born 7 June 1990), known professionally as Iggy Azalea (), is an Australian rapper. At the age of 16, Azalea moved from Australia to the United States in order to pursue a career in music. Azalea earned public recognitio ...

/ Britney / Little Mix), Hiten Bharadia (

Craig David Craig Ashley David (born 5 May 1981) is a British singer and songwriter who rose to fame in 1999, featuring on the single " Re-Rewind" by Artful Dodger. David's debut studio album, ''Born to Do It'', was released in 2000, after which he has re ...

Lemar Lemar Obika (born 4 April 1978), known as Lemar, is an English singer, songwriter and record producer. Initially rising to fame after finishing third on the first series of British talent show ''Fame Academy'', he was later signed to Sony BMG ...

/ Omi / Tiesto) and Knightstarr ( Anne-Marie /

Janelle Monáe Janelle Monáe Robinson (; born December 1, 1985) is an American singer, rapper and actress. She is signed to Atlantic Records, as well as to her own imprint, the Wondaland Arts Society. Monáe has received eight Grammy Award nominations. Mon� ...

Singles

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Makhul, Lina 21st-century Israeli women singers 1993 births Living people People from Acre, Israel The Voice (franchise) winners Israeli Arab Christians Israeli people of Palestinian descent Arab citizens of Israel American people of Israeli descent American people of Arab descent American people of Palestinian descent