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Interview
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New York Blueprint, Interview >>
Inbar Bakal’s album cover definitely grabs your attention. The Hebrew sentence from “Song of Songs,” sits beneath the Israeli artist, who wears a stunning necklace.
“I guess there are some people that might get offended that I’m kind of half-naked,” Bakal says with a laugh.
But her music is serious business, so much so that when she was given a chance at a position in the Israeli Army that many couldn’t refuse, she did just that, in order to move from Tel Aviv to Southern California to pursue a career in music.
“I was offered something very prestigious but I decided I wanted to move to the United States,” she said. “My friends told me I was crazy. I love Israel, but I had to go with what would be a better opportunity for me musically.”
Bakal said she learned to have thick skin, patience and focus as the first female in the Anti-Aircraft Combat Division. At the tender age 19, she had 12 men working under her.
“Some of the soldiers weren’t exactly welcoming at first,” she said. “They were like ‘who is this tiny girl telling us what to do.’”
One of the highlights of her album “Song of Songs,” is the radio-friendly “The Battle of Jerusalem.” Bakal said that during the war with Lebanon a few years ago, she felt bad about not being in Israel. She said she wrote the song with vivid images in her head of pilots awaiting take-off for their missions. The 28-year-old said she wasn’t afraid to speak her heart in her songs, despite possible criticism in the world music scene for supporting her country.
“I know that in the artsy community, people can get turned off is they feel it’s too political,” Bakal said. “But I don’t care. I’m proud of where I came from.”
“I told her, ‘you have a story and your music needs to represent that,’” Rizzo said. “I thought (English) was a little safe and I convinced her to go back to her roots-Hebrew and Yemenite songs.”
Bakal sang in the “Ron-Li Choir,” when she was a child and once sang in a cover band. She said she hopes that she can inspire people through her music. Bakal, who cites Ofra Haza and Zion Golan as her main musical influences, also sings in Arabic. She takes pride in her Yemenite and Iraqi ancestry, and says that she is spiritual, though not religious.
On the album, “Meditation,” is a fittingly hypnotic tune, while “Song of Ascension,” with lyrics from Psalms, shows off her soaring vocals.
Bakal said that her time in Los Angeles was made easier by the fact that she met many Israelis. But she didn’t enjoy rooming with a man who had six cats.
“They smelled terrible but I must have gotten used to them because when my friends would come over, they’d ask how I could take the terrible smell,” she said.
Now she’s hoping for the smell of success. On the heels of Idan Raichel and Yael Naim, Bakal said she thinks wider audiences can be open to songs in Hebrew even if they don’t understand the words.
It’s clear from her debut album that she has star-power. The execution of her trills is thrilling and her voice evokes feelings of hope and introspection. Bakal should make a name for herself rather quickly. So what about the sentence on the album cover? It’s translation is: “Let me hear your voice, because your voice is sweet and your face is beautiful.”
Her voice is certainly sweet and her face is definitely beautiful. Judging from these track sit appears that Bakal, who organizes Shabbat dinners and poker nights for the JCC of Long Branch, has made a gamble that will pay off.
Visit to hear Inbar's music.
- Alan Zeitlin 05/24/09 >> go there
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