Banna was born in Nazareth, where she graduated from Nazareth Baptist School. She lived in Nazareth with her three children.
She died on 24 March 2018, aged 51, in a hospital in her hometown of Nazareth, Palestine following a lengthy and brave battle with breast cancer, which she openly shared with her numerous fans through social media. She met her husband, Ukrainian guitarist Leonid Alexeyenko, while studying music together at the Higher Music Conservatory in Moscow and they married in 1991, and divorced in 2010.
Banna first achieved popularity in the early 1990s, after recording her own versions of traditional Palestinian children's songs that were on the verge of being forgotten.
Banna also composed her own songs and set Palestinian poetry to music. Her message is often focused on the suffering of Palestinians. Her music is described as "haunting, emotional, at times bordering on kitsch." She described her music as a means of cultural self-assertion:
A part of our work consists of collecting traditional Palestinian texts without melodies. So that the texts do not get lost, we try to compose melodies for them that are modern, yet inspired by traditional Palestinian music.
In this way, Banna does more than mimic the traditional techniques and representations of the pieces she interprets. She blends them with modern singing styles because,
Oriental singing techniques are mostly ornamental… But my voice is more two-dimensional, thicker. I try to write songs that fit my voice. I want to create something new in every respect. And that includes bringing people elsewhere closer to the music and soul of the Palestinians.
She performed live in the West Bank and she reached audiences in Gaza through live webcasts. She performed her first concert in Syria on 8 January 2009 and also performed in Tunisia on 25 July 2011. Her first concert in Beirut took place on 22 March 2012.
Banna's popularity in Europe began after Norwegian music producer Erik Hillestad invited her to participate on the CD Lullabies from the Axis of Evil (2003) and Norwegian singer Kari Bremnes, who also took part on this production in a duet with Rim Banna, invited her to Oslo. Banna accepted the invitation, and the two artists did a show together.
The album, dubbed "a musical antiwar message to U.S. President Bush from female singers in Palestine, Iraq, Iran, and Norway," brings these women together with others from North Korea, Syria, Cuba, and Afghanistan, to sing traditional lullabies from their lands in duet form with English-language performers whose translation allows the songs to reach a Western audience.
The Mirrors of My Soul, which was dedicated to all the Palestinian and Arab political detainees in the Israeli prisons, is a stylistic departure from her previous body of work. Produced in cooperation with a Norwegean quintet, it features "Western pop styling" fused with Middle Eastern modal and vocal structures, and Arabic lyrics.
Although the style differs from previous recordings, the subject matter has basically remained constant. The album includes "songs of despair and hope" about the lives of "a struggling people, and even a song about late Palestinian leader and PA president Arafat in a way that is both thoughtful and subtle".
Discography
Jafra (1985)
Your tears Mother (1986)
The Dream (1993)
New Moon (1995)
Mukaghat (1996)
Al Quds Everlasting (2002)
Krybberom (2003) Rim Banna & SKRUK
Lullabies from the Axis of Evil (2003 – Various female artists)
The Mirrors of My Soul (2005, Valley Entertainment)
This was not my story (2006) Rim Banna & Henrik Koitz
Seasons of violet (2007)
Songs across Walls of Separation (2008 – Various artists from the Middle East, Africa, Central America, North America, and Europe)
April Blossoms (2009) an album for children, was dedicated to the children martyrs in Gaza
A Time to cry (2010), was recorded in one of the houses in Sheikh Jarrah under constant threat of eviction from the part of their house (with three Palestinian singers)
"Tomorrow" (Bokra) 2011, a single song of the American legend composer Quincy Jones, who chose Rim Banna to represent Palestine in this project which will be released in an Album and a video clip in September 2011
Revelation of Ecstasy and Rebellion (2013); produced by Bugge Wesseltoft
Songs from a Stolen Spring (2014, Valley Entertainment/Kirkelig Kulturverksted - Various Artists), featuring "Break Your Fears"
Maryam
Rim Banna Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
is the secret in her heart
while she says:
Me, whose olive trees
crack the solid rocks
drink the water of the rain
and let the olive oil flow in my veins
Its task is patience and vanquishing
to whom the strangers were coming from afar
and brought her gold, incense and myrrh
Hey, who would bring the medicine to my beloved
Anat, who is overfilled with yearning
is running in the meadows
ascending the mountains, descending the valleys
fighting the monsters of the wilderness
searching for her beloved
who was a victim of a treacherous enemy
Lyrics: Rim Banna
The song "Maryam" by Rim Banna tells a story of a woman named Maryam who carries a secret in her heart, which is described as bitter like the sea. Maryam is depicted as a strong woman who takes pride in her olive trees, which are able to grow even in rocky soil. She talks about drinking the water of the rain and letting the olive oil flow in her veins, which can be interpreted as a metaphor for her resilience and strength.
The song then shifts to talk about the land of myrrh, which is associated with patience and perseverance in the face of challenge. The strangers who come from afar and bring gold, incense, and myrrh represent outsiders who invade Maryam's land. The lyrics ask who will bring medicine to Maryam's beloved, who has been victimized by an enemy.
Anat is introduced as another woman who is searching for her beloved and fighting monsters in the wilderness. The song ends with an open question about the fate of Maryam's beloved.
Overall, the lyrics of "Maryam" are rich with symbolism and metaphors that convey themes of resilience, perseverance, and the struggles of women in a challenging environment.
Line by Line Meaning
Like the bitterness of the sea
Her secret is as deep and vast as the sea's bitterness.
is the secret in her heart
She carries a deep and bitter secret in her heart.
while she says:
And yet, she finds the courage to speak.
Me, whose olive trees
She speaks of herself, of her land, and of her heritage.
crack the solid rocks
Her land is harsh and unforgiving, yet yields to her strength and persistence.
drink the water of the rain
She finds nourishment from even the simplest of things, and makes it her own.
and let the olive oil flow in my veins
Her olive oil, her lifeblood, runs through her veins and defines her very being.
The land of myrrh and secrets and charm
Her land is a mystical and alluring place, full of secrets and wonder.
Its task is patience and vanquishing
The land is both wise and strong, and teaches her patience and resilience.
to whom the strangers were coming from afar
Her land is a destination of great intrigue and wonder, drawing travelers from far and wide.
and brought her gold, incense and myrrh
And yet, even with all its riches, her land remains humble and true to itself.
Hey, who would bring the medicine to my beloved
She ponders who could cure what ails her beloved, and bring him back to her.
Anat, who is overfilled with yearning
Anat, a symbol of her own yearning and longing.
is running in the meadows
Anat runs, wild and free, through the meadows of her mind.
ascending the mountains, descending the valleys
She braves the ups and downs of life, navigating its peaks and valleys.
fighting the monsters of the wilderness
She battles the monsters of the world, all in pursuit of her goal.
searching for her beloved
Anat seeks her beloved, one who completes her, and gives her life meaning.
who was a victim of a treacherous enemy
But her beloved has been taken by a sinister and foul foe, and she must rescue him at all costs.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Rim Banna
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@siavashhakim6904
Rest in peace beautiful soul
@ritabutman6892
سلام يا ريم