Achinoam Nini - אחינועם ניני (sister of peace in Hebrew), known as Noa, was born in Israel on the 23rd of June, 1969. When she was only one year old, her father, a chemical engineer, and her mother, a children psychologist, emigrated to the United States to further enhance their education. The family moved to New York, settling down in the Bronx. When she was 8 years old, she started composing her first songs and when she was 17, she decided to leave the New York School of Arts to go to Israel, where a few months earlier she had met Asher Barak, her future husband.  

At the age of 17, Noa leaves the United States and joins the Armed Forces of Israel to carry out the compulsory military service. Noa ‘lands’ in a division that was in charge of troop entertainment. She spends the following two years travelling in Israel as a "vocalist sergeant".

Her meeting with Gil Dor was crucial to her career. Dor is a virtuous guitarist and composer, as well as the co-founder of the Rimon School of Jazz and Contemporary Music, where Noa was a student since 1990. Noa and Gil began to work together and published albums in Hebrew, one with pop, rock and jazz standards (Achinoam Nini Gil Dor Live 1991) and another one with poems of famous Israeli female poets (Achinoam Nini Gil Dor 1993), which went Platinum in Israel.

It was at that time that Dor showed some of their songs to the guitarist Pat Metheny, who introduced them to Geffen Records. In 1993, Metheny co-produced the album NOA, with his partner and friend Steve Rodby, having some international success: Japan, Italy, France, Spain and finally, the U.S.A. surrendered to the magic of Noa. Her second international work (with songs written mainly in English) was CALLING, produced by Rupert Hine in his studio near Paris,  where, in addition to Dor and Hine, you could find musicians like Manu Katche and Pino Palladino or Nacho Campillo (Noa collaborated with him singing in Rosas de Papel). The Spanish debut of Noa with Calling took place in 1996.

Then there were four years of international silence in the career of Noa. She and Gil have two parallel careers, one more international (Noa, Calling, Blue touches Blue, Now) and  the other for the Israeli market: Achinoam Nini (1997), Achinoam Nini & The Israel Philarmonic Orchestra (1998), First Collection (2001). At the same time,  she increased her political activism to bring peace between Palestinians and Israelis, which was further brought forth by the murder of Yitzhak Rabin to whom she has dedicated several songs throughout her career.

In those years, her appearances in Europe (specially in France) were numerous. Noa participated in the recording of the musical Notre Dame de Paris (1997), based on the book by Victor Hugo, in the role of Esmeralda. Her musical collaborations in the musical TV program “Taratata” on France2 were numerous: she sang with Donovan, Patrick Bruel, Zucchero, Maurane, Khaled (they recorded a version in Hebrew and Arabic of the Lennon classic Imagine). One of the most famous duets sung in “Taratata” was I don't know with Flaurent Pagny.

In Spain, Noa collaborated with Carlos Nuñez (whom she met in the WOMAD festival) performing A lavandeira da Noite in his album Os Amores Libres. At that time, Noa met Miguel Bosé who directed a show on TVE (7° de Caballeria), which was very similar to the French "Taratata" and he invited  Noa to collaborate in the tribute to Serrat. Years later Bosé dedicated a program to Noa on the occasion of the presentation of her album Blue Touches Blue. That’s where, after singing duets with Carlos Nuñez, Serrat, Marina Heredia and Bosé himself, the idea of singing together came up. The song "La vida es bella" (from the film Life is Beautiful) was adapted by Maldeamores and sung by Noa and Miguel Bosé. That was the first time Noa performed in Spanish. She had already sung in French, German (with Peter Maffay) and sometimes in Italian.  

In the Spanish edition of her Blue Touches Blue album (2000) there are two more adaptations to Spanish: Uno queriendo ser dos and Otra vez.. Blue Touches Blue is defined by Noa as that point in the horizon where the sky and the sea become one. Two opposite poles that are united, the rational and the irrational. It is a title of hope and freedom, in this album produced by Mike Hedges (The Cure and Manic Street Preaches), still faithful to her own style, to the strength of a prodigious, warm voice, and to the sensitive, intelligent person behind it.

In 2001, when her first son, Ayehli, was born, Noa released a successful Greatest Hits Compilation in Israel called "First Collection".

 In 2002, Noa releases her latest  international album NOW and quoting her words: "Now was written ‘under the influence’ of my pregnancy and Ayehli’s birth, and during the first year of his life. It is a journey that has transported me from wherever it was I used to be (that place is fading fast...) to where I am now: a small island of hope in a vast sea of uncertainty."

In 2003, Noa is named ambassador of the FAO  (the  international agency that works to alleviate poverty and hunger through agricultural development and improved nutrition). Also in 2003, Noa  realeases in Spain a greatest hits album: NOA GOLD. And in 2005 releases in Israel her first DVD, recorded in April with the Solis String Quartet. The international release of this DVD & Double Live CD is in march 2006.

Noa & Gil Dor, besides being accessible, warm and nice, friendly people, are a part of those few talented composers that caress emotions with high quality music, to bring about a message of peace and understanding... and to touch you deeply with the ability of a sensitive, almost pure voice and the virtuosity of a guitarist. Where Noa & Gil go, magic walks with them.

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