The Jewish Tunisian singer, creator, actress and musician Habiba Msika (1903–1930) became famous in Tunisia and France, both in the Jewish communities and among the Arab population. Msika led a free and open lifestyle and paid for it with her life. Her poems are imbued with a sense of freedom and burning passion and describe love with a magnetic and uninhibited simplicity, and the descriptions of nature in her poems reflect a pure spiritual experience. The melodies and arrangements of the songs, which combine East and West, echo the spirit of the time in which she worked, when Northern Tunisia was under the influence of French colonialism. Everyone’s Favorite pays tribute to the Tunisian diva, whose songs have not survived the years. Her original recordings were destroyed by the Nazis a few years after her murder. Vocalist Ayelet Ori Benita, oud player Emad Dalal and saz player Yuval Tobi present new arrangements of Msika’s songs, following many months of research.
Ayelet Uri Benita, vocals, frame drums; Imad Dalal, musical arrangements, oud, vocals; Yuval Tobi, Turkish saz, vocals; Omri Zichron, percussion; Basil Hleihel, flute, violin
Photo: Amikam Horesh