Rona Kenan רונה קינן | |
|---|---|
 Kenan on stage at theIsrael Festival, 2009,Jerusalem. | |
| Background information | |
| Born | (1979-07-26)26 July 1979 (age 46) Jaffa, Israel |
| Origin | Tel Aviv |
| Genres | Singer-songwriter |
| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1990s–present |
| Labels | NMC Music |
| Website | www.ronakenan.co.il |
Rona (Aharona) Rachel Kenan (Hebrew:רונה קינן; born 26 July 1979) is an Israeli singer-songwriter.
Kenan was born on 26 July 1979. Her father is the lateAmos Kenan and her mother is the scholarNurith Gertz. She was attracted to music at a young age and learned to play the guitar. She graduated from the theater program at Thelma Yellin High School of the Arts, but preferred a musical career. At the age of eighteen she was considered a "discovery". She has cited theBeatles (particularly the songBlackbird),Leah Goldberg,The Pixies,Pina Bausch andThelma Yellin as early influences.[1]
In 1997 she participated in a song festival called Next, organized by musicianEran Tzur, in which she recomposed and performed songs by poetYona Wallach. She also performed in an evening commemoratingInbal Perlmutter, a young poets' event, and an evening of Leah Goldberg's poetry.[2] She played with several Israeli musicians, includingTal Gordon,Dana Berger andAsi Levi. In 1999 she and Gordon became a duo and recorded an album titledI Didn't Want It to End: Tal Gordon Hosting Rona Kenan. Kenan co-composed four of the album's songs. The album tour went on until late 2000. In 2001 she started touring solo with a show which included two instrument players beside her. She sang and promoted four songs that came out as a single. She sang mostly in English.
In 2002, she kept collecting material for her debut album and started working hard withIzhar Ashdot as producer. In 2003, she began appearing with her trio inTel Aviv, along with multi-instrumentalist Adam Scheflan and drummer Omri Hanegbi.[2] She released three songs from the album: "Ahava Shkufa" ("Transparent Love"), "Lichyot Nachon" ("To Live Right") and "Mabul" ("Flood"). In 2004, she released her debut, "Linshom Bisphira Le'achor" ("Breathing Down to Zero"). The album included eleven original tracks in both Hebrew and English, a cover version of aYaakov Orland song, and an instrumental track titled "Hatzama Vehara'av" ("Thirst and Hunger"). The album featured guest appearances byMaya Dunietz,Shlomi Shaban andBerry Sakharof.[2] She said it was a challenge to write in her native language.[3] After the album's release, she entered a state of deep depression. Her health deteriorated and she had to cancel shows. Taking Ashdot's advice, she moved back with her parents to recover. They decided not to share what she was going through with almost anyone.[4]
She wrote the music for several of Israeli films and television series, including "The Cemetery Club", a documentary film directed by Tali Shemesh.[2] In 2006 she released the first single from her second album, the title song "Einayim Zarot" ("Through Foreign Eyes"), and in early 2007 the second single from that album "Hapa'am Ha'acharona" ("The Last Time"), came out. The album came out in February. She wrote all ten songs on the album, including a duet withGidi Gov, "Harikud Hamuzar Shel Halev" ("Strange Dance of the Heart").[2] In 2008 she andYoni Rechter performed renditions of two poems by authorDavid Grossman – "Sof" ("End"), for which Kenan wrote the music, and "Beveit Kafe" ("At a Coffee Shop"), which Rechter composed – at an afternoon honoring Grossman's latest novel atHolon's Mediatech Center.[5] She also performed in London on a boat on theThames, re-enactment of aMaapilim boat circa 1946, during theBritish Mandate of Palestine.[6] In 2009 she released her third album,Shirim Leyoel ("Songs for Yoel"), a concept album inspired by her father's life story.[7] In 2013, she was part of theAsaf Avidan European tour, as guitarist and vocalist and as support band in France. In January 2014 three singles from an album named "Af Al Pil" were released, Kenan participating in two of them. In "Ha'Parpar Ve'Ha'Zahal" she sings aduet withOmer Klein; in "Ani Ve'Atsmi" she's a solo vocalist. The album was composed by Shahar Barbash and translated to Hebrew fromYiddish byBenny Mer.
In 2005 she became a "chosen artist" of theIsrael Cultural Excellence Foundation.[2] She is openly gay and is considered an icon in thegay and lesbian community in Israel.[4] In 2007 she was photographed for the Israeli fashion company Comme Il Faut.[8]
Collaborations
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