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 Free Man
Rim Banna Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
مخنوق يصعب صياحو
كي الطير ما بين الاوحال
جات ضربتو في جناحو
يا وقت داويه بالنار بالكَيّ تبرا جراحو
يزّيه ما شرب مُرّار سنّيه مِالْهمّ طاحوا
الحُرّ مهما تدمّر لا يساوم
يموت واقف والسلاح معمّر
يحبّ الرصاصة نار تقديه حيّة
كلاب الجيَّف يعرفها
لا مشى معاها يوم ولا حالفها
وغزلان الصحرا يعرفها
توالفوا ويوالفها
ويتفاهموا برمشة عيون ذكيّة
Rim Banna's song The Free Man is a powerful anthem for freedom, which speaks to the struggles of being an honorable and free person in a society that doesn't always value these traits. The opening lines describe how difficult it is for the free man to survive amidst the lowlifes in society, and how his cries for help are often muffled and ignored. The imagery used compares the free man to a bird that is constantly being attacked, yet this bird always manages to find a way to heal and rise above the challenges it faces. The free man is resilient and strong, never willing to compromise his values or give in to societal pressures.
The second part of the song describes how the free man is willing to die for his beliefs, and how he refuses to be silenced. He is aware of the danger around him, but he stands tall and proud, with his weapon at the ready. The free man is a symbol of resistance in the face of oppression, and he is willing to use the power of his convictions to fight for what he believes in. The last few lines describe the animal kingdom in the desert, where even the animals understand the power and strength of unity and cooperation. They communicate with one another through their eyes, and they are able to form alliances that help them survive.
Line by Line Meaning
الحُرّ ما بين الانذال
A free man among cowards who struggle to raise their voice.
مخنوق يصعب صياحو
Suffocated, it is difficult for his voice to be heard.
كي الطير ما بين الاوحال
Like a bird among the oppressive conditions.
جات ضربتو في جناحو
His wings have been struck.
يا وقت داويه بالنار بالكَيّ تبرا جراحو
Only fire can heal his wounds and make him stronger.
يزّيه ما شرب مُرّار سنّيه مِالْهمّ طاحوا
His teeth are strong, he never abandoned his principles even when he faced obstacles.
الحُرّ مهما تدمّر لا يساوم
A free man never compromises no matter how much he is destroyed.
لا يطبّل ولا يزمّر
He neither drums nor sings praises of anyone.
يموت واقف والسلاح معمّر
He stands tall even in death, his weapons remain ready.
يحبّ الرصاصة نار تقديه حيّة
He loves the bullet that is fired in defense of his values.
كلاب الجيَّف يعرفها
He knows the desert dogs who walk beside him, but never follow them.
لا مشى معاها يوم ولا حالفها
He never walks alongside them nor swears an allegiance to them.
وغزلان الصحرا يعرفها
He knows the desert deer who understand him and flock to him.
توالفوا ويوالفها
They join him and follow him as he leads the way.
ويتفاهموا برمشة عيون ذكيّة
They communicate through their wise, knowing glances.
Writer(s): Rim Banna
Contributed by Jordan D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@talaabughoush5571
الأغنية اليوم أقوى من أي يوم قبل ...
@maher4931
مرت ثلاث سنوات على رحيلك ريم، لكن صوتك لازال يصدح من السماء، ينشد للأحرار و الحريه. لن ننساك و ستبقين في قلوبنا حتى نلقاك.
@yasmeentolba3704
ماتت إزاي
@MakeLoveNotWar865
الحر مهما دمر لا يساوم لا يطبل و لا يزمر بموت واقف سلاحه معمر.
R.I.P pure angel 🖤
@asmrlamis8476
حزينة لموتك، فنانة جميلة بكل المعايير
@userp512
*
أحب ريم بنا كثيرًا وحزنت اكثر على فقدانها
عليه سلام الله هذا الصوت الشجي .
@islamicvideos4161
انتى عظيمة
يارب اهدى الامة لتحرير بيت المقدس
@Elnajjar100
رايحة سنة وجاية سنة .. واسمعلك... يا الحرة !! لو تشوفي شو صار فينا من بعدك ..
@wojtekhappywarrior1
So haunting, so beautiful, I love her singing, and can't believe she is no longer
@depp.-1611
الله يرحمك ياريم تستاهلين كل خير والله يجعل قبرك روض من رياض الجنه