An Interview With The Israeli Rockstar, NINET!

Israeli female rockstar, NINET, released her latest and fifth album, “Paper Parachute” on February 3rd. NINET has definitely made a name for herself and it all started back when she was first known for winning “Israeli Idol.”

Her debut album took less than a day to go platinum and yielded five #1 singles, not to mention a long-running TV series (which she starred in) based on her life. Now, she is releasing her fifth album Paper Parachute that is a collection of hefty rock songs with deep resilience, fierce determination, and disarming vulnerability.

+ Recognized as the largest entertainment figure in her native country Israel

+ Ninet won Israeli Idol one decade ago, released 4 studio albums since with her debut hitting platinum in less than a day

+ Won ‘Most Favorite Act’ at the MTV Europe Music Awards twice

+ Unleashing her first U.S. record Paper Parachute on February 3, 2017

+ Collaborated and toured with Porcupine Tree’s Steven Wilson

+ Gained attention from NPR, Paste Magazine, WNYC, Rolling Stone, Earmilk, BlackBook, and more

Learn more about Ninet in the following All Access interview:

Thanks for your time! So where does this interview find you today? Is there music playing in the background? If so, what is it?

Hey! Thank you for having me. I’m pretty good, listening to the new Foo Fighters single, “Run.” I believe Dave Grohl is an alien, don’t you?

How is 2017 treating you so far? Did you approach the start of this year any differently then you did last year?

I promised myself that I’ll try to be more kind to myself this year.:) Instead of being so crucial, hard and tough. Sometimes that’s exactly what I need but then some other times all I need is to be able to wait patiently.

Growing up, did you always want to be a musician? Can you recall your first musical memory? Could you see yourself doing anything else today? If you weren’t a musician, what would you be doing?  

Oh yeah, that’s why I was born. My first gig was when I was 8, singing at the first time at my sister’s birthday party. I took the mic and never gave it back. If I weren’t a musician I’d probably be a monk.

Let’s talk about your newest and fifth album, “Paper Parachute” that you released earlier this year. What was it like putting these songs together? Did anything surprise about you about the whole process?

To me, writing an album is the most fun part. I get to learn and observe and to be so inspired by almost anything. The fact that those songs will stay long after I’m gone even if only three people have heard it, is actually a good reason to try to give my best as long as I’m here. When I listen to my favorite artists I fill up with hope and urge to do something and that’s what I want to give back with mine.

What are some of your favorite songs on “Parachute”? Can you talk about how some of them came together and got put on this album?

That’s a tough one..I can’t really choose. I can say that the song Paper Parachute was the first song I wrote for this album and a funny fact is that I wanted to create a drum loop with a different spunky sound so took my PC speakers, created a strange loop then press record on my MacBook and recorded it straight to there. Then I pitched it down and that’s what you hear at the beginning of the song. The loop from my hell.

How do you think you have grown as an artist on this album? How has your sound changed? Do you find that you like to experiment and try new musical things on each collection?

I want to believe I’m growing with each and every album I create. There is so much to learn and that’s the beauty, never ending oceans of sounds and thoughts. My sound has become more solid I think. I’m really into grunge and punk and my husband who produced this album has brought with him the middle eastern vibe and the combination is pretty satisfying to me for now.

I want to try new things all the time, it’s a part of my journey as an artist and as a human being.

How is your residency at Hotel Café going? How did you get connected with that very cool and intimate LA venue?

Oh I love Hotel Cafe. I feel privileged and thankful to do a residency there. It’s going pretty well actually. If I had a whisky shot right now I would probably do a “Lehaim” with you

I’ve read that you starred in a long-running TV series that was based on your life. What was that like? Do you still enjoy acting now? Would you like to continue pursuing it?

It was fun and innocent. I love acting, it’s another form of art you can express yourself through and I feel lucky to have been given a chance to do that but, music is the reason I’m here.

Looking back on your time on Israeli Idol, can you recall of favorite moment from that experience? Is there anything that you would change about it all?

The moment I won was a moment I will never forget. I wouldn’t change a single thing

What artists have continued to inspire you and your music? Who would you absolutely love to work with in the future? At the end of the day, what do you hope your fans take away from your music? What do you hope is the message of your songs?

I hope my music will give strength and inspiration to people to go after your dreams. Believe that anything is possible. I want them to feel comfortable in their own skin.

Is there anything else that you would like to share with our readers about yourself or your music?

I just want to say THANK YOU!