Musicians Yehudit Ravitz and Ze'ev Nechama are the winners of the ACUM (Society of Authors, Composers and Music Publishers in Israel) Lifetime Achievement Award for 2021/2 it was revealed on Wednesday.
Ravitz has been one of the leading figures in Israeli music since the late 1970s, and behind her is a multitude of songs and albums that have entered the local pantheon. "Yehudit Ravitz is almost synonymous with the nomenclature of Israeli music," stated the judges in justifying their choice to award her the award named after Naomi Shemer.
"With a clear and precise voice, hard work and humility, spectacular compositional talent and meticulous musical productions - Ravitz is a central part in the creation of the Israeli soundtrack," added the judges. "During her extensive career, Ravitz composed songs by poets that, thanks to their beautiful and catchy melodies, became common hymns. Being a successful singer who also creates and produces many of her songs, Ravitz has been a model and inspiration for many singers and creators over the years."
"During her extensive career, Ravitz composed songs by poets that, thanks to their beautiful and catchy melodies, became common hymns. Being a successful singer who also creates and produces many of her songs, Ravitz has been a model and inspiration for many singers and creators over the years."
ACUM judges
Nechama, the leader of the band Ethnix and one of the prominent designers of local pop in recent decades, won the corresponding award named after Ehud Manor.
"Zev Nechama is an original and unique creator who signed dozens of huge hits. From the beginning, both as part of the Ethnix band and in his work for others, Nechama managed to combine in a wonderful and innovative way between East and West, between guitars and synthesizers, between obscure songs and summer hits that millions know how to sing," stated the judges. "In his writing, Nechama deals with issues of reconciliation, human love and the pursuit of peace, and it can be said that his poems, which are still loved to this day, actually contributed to the bringing together of strata and populations."
Who's getting the prizes?
Along with this, it was also announced that special awards for contribution to Hebrew music and Israeli culture would be given to the musician Yehuda Eder and the Reuveni brothers. Eder, a former member of the Lehakat HaNahal (the Nahal band), a member of the Tamuz and Duda bands and a prominent music producer, is also one of the founders of the "Rimon" school and its first director, and in this framework, he "cultivated generations of artists", the judges reasoned.
The Reuveni Brothers Company, managed by Meir Reuveni, is a pioneering production company that played a central role in the development of oriental music in Israel from the 1970s onwards. Under their patronage flourished artists such as recent Israel Prize laureate Avihu Medina, Ahuva Ozeri, Zion Golan, Itzik Kala, Shimi Tabori, Avner Gadasi, Margalit Tsenani, Zohar Argov, Tslilei HaKerem, Haim Moshe, Daklon and others. "Their contribution to the Mediterranean music genre and its advancement is major and is a milestone for many creators and artists in the field," stated the judges.
Along with these awards, this year at a ceremony to be held at the beginning of September, awards will also be given for the discovery of the year, the album of the year, the song of the year, the lyricist of the year, the composer of the year and the arranger of the year.
Naomi Aharoni Gal - aka the pop sensation Nono - was chosen as the discovery of the year (the award named after Inbal Perlmutter). "For a long time, there has not been a success story similar to that of Nuno. A success story that sweeps adults and children, radio and TikTok behind her. It can be said that she captured the hearts of the shapers of public opinion and the audience - alike," stated the judges, who noted the original and surprising humor of her songs, and emphasized that They bring "a new sound to Israeli pop - fast, intense and broken, and at the same time catchy, intriguing and addictive."
In addition, the committee chose to award the achievement award of the year for albums to rapper Tuna for his album "Wild East", and the achievement award of the year for songs named after Moshe Wilensky to Narkis, for singing "Going with You". To the credit of Tuna's album, the judges especially noted "sharpened, poignant and critical writing, a flowing flow that is more exciting than ever, and a musical production that creates a whole world that is pleasant, but also gripping and shaking to dive into." Regarding Narkis's singing, the judges emphasized that it was "an engrossing and hit song, which was a huge success and exposed Narkis to audiences who had not yet known her up to that point", and defined the singer as someone who is "at the center of the Israeli pop industry".
Three additional awards were given for many achievements throughout the last period, and the judges did not emphasize a specific work of theirs in the reasons for the decision, but mainly an assessment of their cumulative work. Thus, Ron Biton ("Moabet," "Madhouse," "Trilili Tralala") won the achievement award of the year for lyricists named after Yossi Banai; Keren Peles won the achievement of the year award for composers named after Sasha Argov, among other things after she was a partner in the creation of the huge hits of her son Raviv Kanar; Vinon Yahal won the year's achievement award for arrangers named after Yair Rosenblum, among other things after he produced Narkis' "Going Away from You", which was chosen as the song of the year by ACUM.
At the ceremony, ACUM will also celebrate the most played songs throughout the period - "The Reason for the Reasons" by Ishai Ribo in Hebrew as well as "Bad Habits" by Ed Sheeran in English.
The judges' committee included the songwriter Mirit Shem Or, herself the recipient of last year's ACUM Lifetime Achievement Award; the singer Eden Hasson, who was chosen as composer of the year last year; musician Peter Roth, ACUM's Discovery of the Year for the year 2016; Yasmin Yashbi, the chief music editor of Galgalatz radio.