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"
The Carmel of My Soul
Rim Banna Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
وأصرخ من قاع الروح يا كرمل الروح
إجلب له هواء بحر حيفا
أحضر له نسيم بحر يافا
يلطف برد زنزانته وحرها
يلطف برد زنزانته وحرها
يا كرمل الروح كن حنونا عليه
أنت أقرب مني إليه
The song "The Carmel of My Soul" by Rim Banna is a powerful ode to love and longing. The lyrics express the deep emotions of the singer who passionately calls out to a beloved who is far away from their embrace. The lyrics speak to the beauty of nature, particularly the winds that blow from the Haifa and Yaffa seas, which are requested to be brought to the beloved to soothe them. The reference to the Carmel of the soul indicates a spiritual connection and attachment to the land and the natural beauty of the region. The singer is calling out to this spiritual connection to help lessen the suffering and isolation of their beloved in their cell.
The intensity of the emotions evoked in the lyrics are underscored by the repetition of the mournful refrain "O thou, the Carmel of my soul." The usage of the word "thou" instead of "you" adds a sense of reverence and devotion to the address of the faithful companion, the land. The singer expresses their vulnerability by acknowledging that the Carmel of their soul is closer to the beloved than they are. It is a testament to the depth of passion and attachment beyond physical bounds.
Overall, "The Carmel of My Soul" is a moving ode to love, separation, and spiritual connection to the land. The lyrics express the rawness of human emotion and the desire for the comfort of nature.
Line by Line Meaning
And I yell
I shout with intense emotion
From the depth of my soul
From the innermost part of my being
O thou, the Carmel of my soul
Oh, the mountain range that holds a special place in my heart
Bring him the soft wind
Please deliver a soothing breeze
That blows from Haifa sea
Coming from the sea next to the city of Haifa
And the gentle breeze
Also bring the calming winds
That comes from Yaffa sea
That originate from the sea near the city of Yaffa
To lessen the cold
In order to reduce the harshness of the cold
Of his cell and its heat
Referring to the intense heat found in the prison cell, caused by the lack of ventilation
O thou, the Carmel of my soul
The beloved, admired mountain range that holds significance for me
Be tender to him
Be kind and compassionate to him
Cause you are nearer to him
Because he is closer to you and your surroundings
Than myself
Closer to him than I am
Oh thou, the Carmel of my soul
The cherished location in my heart
He is my soul
He is an integral part of my essence
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Rim Banna, Leonid Alexeienko
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@tarekjamil7445
أروع صوت فلسطيني على الإطلاق , فيه فيروز بلبنان وفيه ريم بنا بفلسطين
@Free_Palestine2000
يااااااا قلبي على صوتك يا ريم الله يرحمك و ينوّر قبرك بنوره
@adelkoura3379
صوتها يذكرني بمعانة الاخوة الفلسطنين :(
@yasermousa2193
من أحب الاغاني ع قلبي، بحسها بتلمس قاع الروح..
لروحك السلام ريم 2021
@Free_Palestine_1948
بعد ان اسمينا اميرتنا كرمل .. تيمنا بجبل الكرمل .. شامة الحسن الفلسطيني .. تعرفت على هذه الاغنيه .. فازداد يقيني بالاسم الذي اخترناه انا وزوجتي حيث اتت الينا غاليتنا ونحن في قمة مآسينا لتحل علينا البركات من الله على وجه قدومها لنا .. الحمد والشكر لله دائما وابدا
@Forever.122
وحشتينا يا كرمل الروح ..
@alibaba8397
صوت صادق لمأساة إنسانية لم تنقشع بعد!
@alibaba8397
لهذا العالم المنافق مصالح و ليس للعرب نخوة
@mbassamcom
الموسيقى رائعة جداً .. لا توصف
@samer737
مش بسمع غيرها اليومين دول