Noga Banai Debuts Her First EP with Help from Family and Leading Israeli Musicians

Noga Banai, the daughter of the late singer Meir Banai, released her first EP on Thursday morning, June 26, 2026. The mini-album includes five original songs that she wrote and composed herself.

Banai says music became a refuge after her father died nearly a decade ago. “Creation and art were always an inseparable part of my life,” she said. “About a decade ago my father, who lived and breathed music, died. For me it was like the end of the world. Music was an anchor I could not find anywhere else at that time, a place to hurt, to be angry, to express myself without thinking about consequences, to miss him, not to be alone, to feel strong inside a very weak place.”

The project was supported by family members and well-known Israeli artists. Eviatar Banai and Tamir Muskat produced two of the songs, and Noga’s cousin Shmuel Banai, Eviatar’s son, along with Dudu Tassa, took part in the playing and backing vocals.

Reflecting on her surname, she said, “Being a daughter of the Banai family is like ten tons of gold.” She called it a blessing that also carries weight, adding that she does not feel a burning drive for a music career, but does feel a need for expression, honesty, vulnerability, change, boundaries, and movement.