Yael Naim Becomes Overnight Sensation Thanks to Apple MacBook Air Commercial

It's amazing how fast someone can rise from virtual obscurity to international sensation. Paul Potts saw his stock rise overnight after appearing on the British variety show, "Britain's Got Talent." Potts now famous introductory performance lead to an internet following of mammoth proportions, and his ultimate victory on the show.

Enter Yaël Naïm, born in France and raised in Tel Aviv, Israel. A former member of the Israeli Defense Forces, Naïm has lived a life of obscurity right up until Apple decided to use a clip from her song, "New Soul," to pitch their new MacBook Air product. If this all sounds too familiar to you it's probably because another singer saw a rise to stardom from an eerily similar track. Leslie Fiest, a Canadian singer who's hit "1234" was used in Apple commercials during the iPod Nano release. Prior to the iPod commercials, Fiest was a well-known singer amongst critics, but not so much from a larger fan base. However, after the iPod Nano craze, Fiest sold over 500,000 copies of her album, and also racked up four Grammy nominations.

One of the real beauties of Yael Naim's success is that it comes as a complete surprise to her. The new hit song, "New Soul" was not written with the idea that it would become a huge commercial hit. In fact, the entire album was recorded using one computer in Naim's Paris apartment. Naim worked with musician David Donatien for over two years to build her collection of songs.

Yael Naim grew up in Israel and was destined for musical success. She carried a guitar with her everywhere she went and played on an old organ in her Tel Aviv home. After moving to Paris she released her first album, "In a Man's Womb" which did not enjoy much success. Naim was ready to give up on her music career when her path crossed with David Donatien and he renewed her motivation to pursue producing music on her own, without the help of a major label.

"New Soul" was born from this new-found friendship and quickly became a hit in France, cracking the top 25 at #11 on the French music charts. Inclusion in Apple's MacBook Air commercials has increased interest worldwide, particularly from the United States. It appears Yael Naim's next project will be to re-record her now famous "New Soul" track for an international release. She is also planning her first tour to the United States.