Noga Banai releases debut EP with five original songs

Noga Banai, the daughter of the late Israeli singer Meir Banai, has released her first EP, a five-track collection of original songs that she wrote and composed. She first introduced her solo work in February with the single “Hachutzah” (“Outside”).

Banai said that art has always been part of her life, but that her father’s death nearly a decade ago changed how she related to music. “My father, who lived and breathed music, died. For me it was kind of the end of the world,” she said. “Music was an anchor for me when I could not find one anywhere else at that time. A place to hurt, to be angry, to express myself without thinking about consequences, to miss, not to be alone, to feel strong inside a very weak place, to be different without feeling abnormal.”

The EP was produced with help from family and musicians close to her. Her uncle Eviatar Banai and producer Tamir Muskat worked on “Hachutzah” and “Mi Katan Yoter,” her cousin Shmuel Banai on “Acheret” and “Ad SheNizkor,” and musician Dudu Tassa on “Milim.” All of them also played on the record and contributed backing vocals.

Banai said being part of the Banai family is “like ten tons of gold,” calling it both a blessing and a burden. She added that she is not driven by a musical career, but by a need for expression, honesty, vulnerability, change, boundaries, and movement.