Yael Meyer | |
|---|---|
 Meyer performing in 2014 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Yael Elisa Meyer Barbarach |
| Born | (1981-06-13)June 13, 1981 (age 43) Santiago, Chile |
| Genres | Indie folk,indie pop,electronic |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, musician, producer |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar, bass, percussion, accordion, glockenspiel, keyboards, piano, melodica, ukulele, ocarina |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Labels | Yael Meyer Music Kli Records |
| Website | yaelmeyermusic.com |
Yael Meyer (bornYael Elisa Meyer Barbarach, June 13, 1981)[1] is aLos Angeles-based singer, songwriter, musician and producer.
Meyer was born inSantiago, Chile.[2] She starting playing piano at the age of 5, began writing original music at 8, and learned the guitar at 13.[2][3] As a teenager, she participated in various music festivals in Chile, and was a youth leader at Maccabi Hatzair, a Jewish youth organization there.[4]
At age 19, Meyer left Chile forBoston, Massachusetts, to attend theBerklee College of Music on a scholarship. She graduated in 2003.[4][5] It was in Boston that she wrote, produced and recorded her debut album,Common Ground, released in the US in 2004.[2] She played all the instruments on the album, producing and engineering most of the record herself.[6] A blend of indie folk and lounge electronica,Rolling Stone Chile called it "one of the top 50 albums of the year."[4]
On November 10, 2009, her five-songHeartbeat EP was released.[7] Meyer wrote all the songs[7] and played multiple instruments, including guitar, ukulele, keyboards and glockenspiel.[6] The EP was recorded in Los Angeles and produced by Bill Lefler (Ingrid Michaelson,Tim Myers,Fall Out Boy,Gym Class Heroes), with guest appearances by Danny Levin on trumpet, Fil Krohnengold on acoustic guitar and accordion, andJoseph Karnes on bass.[8] The first track, "Shed Their Fear," was called "a hopeful, pretty song" byNic Harcourt inLos Angeles Times Magazine.[9]
Meyer's second full-length album,Everything Will Be Alright, was released on November 15, 2011, on her record label, Kli Records.[2][10]The Wall Street Journal called it "a bright, affecting album in which synthesized rhythms and ambient sounds burble under Ms. Meyer's soft, sweet voice, her sing-along melodies and her nylon-string guitar."[2]Heeb deemed it a "sublime and wistful record,"[11] andSpin rated it a 7 out of 10.[10] The album includes four songs from theHeartbeat EP, plus seven new songs. The single "Fire" was remixed by Colombian-Argentinian electronic folk duo Lulacruza in 2012.[12]
Meyer has had songs featured in episodes ofPrivate Practice onABC;Life Unexpected onThe CW;Awkward,Teen Mom 2,Teen Mom 3 and16 and Pregnant onMTV;Parenthood onNBC;Giuliana and Bill onStyle; andDrop Dead Diva onLifetime.[4] In October 2010, "Tea For Two" was the opening track in an episode ofLife Unexpected,[13] and later appeared in a 2012 episode ofTeen Mom 2.[14] "Shed Their Fear" was the closing track in an episode ofPrivate Practice,[15] and it was also in a 2012 episode ofParenthood.[16] "Used To Be" debuted on September 6, 2011, in an episode of the first season ofAwkward.[17] Other Meyer songs also appeared in the first season ofAwkward: "Favorite Two"[18] and "I Wonder How"[19] from theHeartbeat EP, and the single "All Around Me",[19] which was also in a 2011 episode of the third season ofDrop Dead Diva.[20] In 2012, "Tiny Nose" and "All Around Me" appeared onGiuliana and Bill.[21] In June 2014, "All Around Me" reached #16 on the digital chart of South Korea'sGaon Music Chart.[22] In 2013, "Backbone" and "Will They Forget" appeared onTeen Mom 3,[23] and "Everything Will Be Alright" appeared on16 and Pregnant.[24]
Meyer wrote the song "Aqui" for the 2007 Chilean-Mexican filmEl Brindis, directed by Shai Agosin.[8] The 2010 Chilean filmQue Pena Tu Vida, directed by Nicolás López, included three songs by Meyer. She also had three songs in the 2011 sequel,Que Pena Tu Boda, and one song in the final film of the trilogy,Que Pena Tu Familia.[2][25] Her songs were used in the 2011 filmBlacktino, directed by Aaron Burns,[4] and in the documentaryAl Final del Tunel, directed by Eterio Ortega. A remix of the single "Fire (Computo Remix)" appears in the 2012 filmAftershock, directed by López, and produced by and starringEli Roth.[26] Her music has been used inRalph Lauren runway shows,[8] and her song "Beautiful People," a collaboration with Cathy Heller, was licensed for ABC for use in a network promo.[7]
Meyer plays various instruments live and on her recordings, including guitar, bass, percussion, accordion, glockenspiel, keyboards, piano, melodica, ukulele and ocarina.[7] She has toured the United States, Europe and South America,[3] and performed at festivals around the world, including theSziget Festival inHungary in 2005,[27]Lollapalooza Chile in 2012,[2] the 2012 Washington Jewish Music Festival inWashington, D.C.,[28] and the 2015 C/O Pop Festival inCologne, Germany.[29]
Meyer's third studio album,Warrior Heart, was announced with the release of the title track and first single, which appeared as a free download on theMercedes-Benz blog on January 17, 2014.[30] The video for "Warrior Heart" premiered on theWall Street Journal's Speakeasy section on July 16, 2014.[31] The album was recorded in Los Angeles with Bill Lefler, and was released on Kli Records on September 16, 2014.[31]
Meyer wrote and produced the song "When You Hold Me Tight" for the South Korean television seriesHealer. The song was released on the second part of the show's soundtrack on December 22, 2014.[32]Entertainment Weekly called theWarrior Heart track "Human Divine" "bouncy, ebullient electropop" with "a timely, uplifting message."[33] In March 2016, the video for her song "The Hunt" was named byRolling Stone as one of the top 5 videos of the week.[34]
In 2010, Meyer was selected byMTV and OurStage as a Needle in the Haystack artist.[5][7] She was selected byEl Mercurio as one of the top 100 young leaders in Chile in 2014.[35] In 2015,Rolling Stone called Meyer one of five Chilean singers to know about.[36]
Meyer lived in Los Angeles, California from 2006 until 2014. Since then she resides in Chile, where she co-owns and co-manages her own company KLI Records and Publishing.[4]
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