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French-Israeli singer Yael Naim. (AP) Last update - 15:45 23/03/2008 Israeli singer Yael Naim embraces Apple, Britney Spears for success By Reuters Tags: Israel, music, Yael Naim  Folksy French-Israeli singer Yael Naim found commercial success after her song "New Soul" played in Apple's MacBook Air laptop ads, pushing the song to No. 7 on U.S. music chart Billboard's Hot 100. She already had gained fame for what some saw as a comic choice to cover pop singer Britney Spear's "Toxic," singing a soulful, poignant version of the commercial hit while playing piano. But Naim, 29, whose self-titled new album was just released in the United States two months earlier than originally planned following the success of the Apple ad, says she's not worried about being seen as too commercial. Advertisement "It opened a great window for us, for a lot of people to have a chance to hear about our music," she said in New York. "We had a lot of propositions ... but we thought Apple and Macintosh have some connection because today we work with computers to do our music." The singer-songwriter, who was born in Paris but spent a large part of her childhood growing up in Ramat Hasharon in Israel, recorded her new album in her Paris apartment with her music partner, percussionist David Donatien. "We did not have have a label," she said. "We did not have a lot of money so we did it just with a computer." Name halved She became disillusioned with the "big studio" experience after her first album "In a Man's Womb" was released in 2001 through EMI, which insisted she keep her name to just Yael. "It was like they took half of my energy," she said. Both "Toxic" and "New Soul" appear on her new, second album, which was recorded in English, Hebrew and French and has received warm reviews. Rolling Stone magazine noted: "The way Naim purrs any word with a hard 'ch' will make your loins tingle." Naim, who spent two years in the Israel Air Force Orchestra, said she was surprised audiences in France had embraced the mixed-language album. "I did not think anyone would want to listen to ballads in Hebrew," she said. "It is not considered a very sexy language." She also didn't expect the success of her version of "Toxic," which Rolling Stone described as "a stripped-down, slow-motion, kinda-brilliant cover." "I don't particularly like her (Spears) as a musician, the voice, but this song is a good song," she said. "I wanted to take something that is completely opposite of the music we do." Audiences at live shows, such as one last week in Manhattan, react excitedly to "Toxic," as well as to her current hit. She confided to the crowd of several hundred that she once believed she was an old soul. "Then my real life began and I figured that maybe I'm not an old soul," she said before launching into "New Soul. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Declassifying AIPAC Two former pro-Israel lobbyists charged with revealing secret info. to Israeli diplomats. Jersualem pilgrimage Christian pilgrims flock to Holy City to mark Good Friday and retrace the route of Jesus.

Today Online Hezbollah: We have proof Israel killed Mughniyah Responses: 84 Jerusalem official denies reported truce offer to Hamas, Jihad Responses: 57 Gideon Levy: Blind int'l friendship enables Israel to kill, settle Responses: 22 Editorial: Swiss gas deal with Iran a disgrace, like WWII neutrality Responses: 12 Zvi Bar'el: U.S. has turned Iraq into Iranian dependent Responses: 8 Uzi Benziman: Halakhic concepts in public discourse threaten democracy Responses: 7 Rosner's Domain U.S. govt. to appeal ruling on classified material in AIPAC trial I've known my rabbi for more than 20 years... (WTR) Poll: Mideast summit in Moscow, a good idea? There's no need for American pressure on Israel Jewish connections in the NCAA (WTR) More Headlines 16:49 Cheney in Ramallah: Peace will require 'painful concessions' 16:36 Jerusalem official denies reported truce offer to Hamas, Jihad 17:34 PM: Israel to send back refugees who infiltrate from Sinai 15:59 Shi'ite mourners hail Mughniyah as martyr at Beirut gravesite 16:27 Top PM aide planning Web site to link Diaspora Jews with Israel 15:25 Ethiopian activist: Integration failed, separate schools needed 12:35 Christian pilgrims flock to Jerusalem to celebrate Easter 15:36 Hamas, Fatah officials in Yemen agree to revive direct talks 15:45 Israeli singer Yael Naim embraces Apple, Britney Spears for success 14:33 Saddam collected information on dozens of potential targets in Israel 16:24 Egypt frees 34 Palestinians imprisoned after border breach 16:32 TASE opens strong as traders expect BoI to cut interest rates 16:19 Man sentenced to 9 years in jail for assaulting 4 elderly women Previous Editions Select Day 21 mar 20 mar 19 mar 18 mar 17 mar 16 mar 14 mar 13 mar 12 mar 11 mar 10 mar 09 mar

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