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 Trace of the Butterfly
Rim Banna Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
أَثَرُ الفراشة لا يزولُ
هو جاذبيّةُ غامضٍ
يستدرج المعنى، ويرحلُ
حين يتَّضحُ السبيلُ
هو خفَّةُ الأبديِّ في اليوميّ
وإشراقٌ جميلُ
هو شامَةٌ في الضوء تومئ
حين يرشدنا الى الكلماتِ
باطننا الدليلُ
هو مثل أُغنية تحاولُ
أن تقول، وتكتفي
بالاقتباس من الظلالِ
ولا تقولُ...
The Trace of the Butterfly by Rim Banna is a song that speaks to the transcendent and ephemeral nature of beauty and meaning. The title refers to the idea that the trace or imprint of a butterfly cannot be seen and yet it remains. This idea is used as a metaphor for the way that meaning and beauty exist in the world. They are not always apparent or easily understood, but they have a lasting impact.
The lyrics describe the mysterious attraction that beauty holds for us. It draws us in and leads us on a path towards understanding. The song suggests that this attraction is a reflection of the eternal and spiritual realm. It speaks of the longing we feel for something more, something higher. The beauty we experience in the world is like a guide, leading us towards our true selves and the deeper meaning that lies within.
The song also touches on the limitations of language and our ability to express what we feel. Like a butterfly's imprint, the beauty we experience is difficult to put into words. The song suggests that we are like a song that tries to say everything and yet only ends up hinting at what lies beneath the surface.
Overall, The Trace of the Butterfly speaks to the way that beauty and meaning exist in the world. They are not always apparent, but they have a lasting impact that guides us towards a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
Line by Line Meaning
أَثَرُ الفراشة لا يُرَى
The trace of the butterfly cannot be seen
أَثَرُ الفراشة لا يزولُ
The trace of the butterfly never fades
هو جاذبيّةُ غامضٍ
It is a mysterious attraction
يستدرج المعنى، ويرحلُ
It lures meaning and then departs
حين يتَّضحُ السبيلُ
When the path becomes clear
هو خفَّةُ الأبديِّ في اليوميّ
It is the eternal lightness in everyday life
أشواقٌ إلى أَعلى
Longing for the highest
وإشراقٌ جميلُ
And a beautiful glow
هو شامَةٌ في الضوء تومئ
It is a mole in the light that nods
حين يرشدنا الى الكلماتِ
When it guides us to the words
باطننا الدليلُ
Our inner selves are the evidence
هو مثل أُغنية تحاولُ
It is like a song that tries
أن تقول، وتكتفي
To say something, and be content
بالاقتباس من الظلالِ
With quotes from the shadows
ولا تقولُ...
And yet it does not say...
Contributed by Elena R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@nourn7889
أثر ريم الذي لا يزول ❤ فراشتي غزالة فلسطين ... بحبك
@tinalucas9374
رحلتي يا ريم حين اتضح سبيلك 😞💜😭😭 سلاما لروحك و بقائا ابديا لصوتك 😞
@zahraahayder8486
،😭🥺 الله يرحمهَ
@marshallanson1478
You prolly dont care but if you are stoned like me atm you can watch all of the latest series on InstaFlixxer. Have been streaming with my girlfriend recently :)
@lukaarian1480
@Marshall Anson yup, I have been watching on instaflixxer for since november myself :D
@smww
الصدق ما بيروح يا صديقة.. بتظل..
@smww
أحبك .. احب فيك الخير، و العيش لمعني والحق و العدالة و الصدق و الحب الكان بيوصلني و الأمل و حسن الظن
احبك يا ريم.. و يوم ما راحت الروح لخالقها و ماعدتي هنا علي الدنيا ، بكيت وكاننا نشأنا سويا.. و افتقدت ك و مازلت " )
@Mai_ISC
ابداع درويش وروعه ريم 🖤🖤🖤
@smww
ءامل من الله ان يعاملك برحمته " )
@Mgr.1_6
يا جمال صوتك 😔😔
المغفرة لروحك 😔💜