Whenever I hear a cover at a concert, I usually let out a long, exasperated βugh,β followed by some aloof remark about the lack of originality or aesthetic laziness.
But that inclination vanished when Netta played Aquaβs βBarbie Girlβ at Annie Oβs Concert Series at The East Village Standard. Dancing my ass off to βLife in plastic, itβs fantasticβ wasnβt just a blast. It was revelatory. But that’s the superpower of Israeli looping artist Netta Barzilaiββshe can hotwire any song with delay units, sequencers, and scatting to make sugary, left-of-center pop anthems that feel distinctive, certain, and full of promise.
Reality TV started as an American delicacy, but it now enjoys ubiquity across the globeββyou’d be hard-pressed to find one country that hasnβt made their own version of The Voice or American Idol. In Israel, they have HaKokhav HaBa (βThe Rising Starβ), a singing competition that has its contestantsββyou guessed itββperform popular songs in front of some local famous people. Itβs indistinguishable from anything youβve seen on ABC or NBC, although Netta was something of an oddball on the franchiseβs fourth season.Β Unlike the other contestants, she builds her songsΒ live, employing looping pedals and quirky ad-libs to reanimate worn out melodies.Β Her ingenious approach is what won her the competition this year, but Netta has so much more to offer than inventive reboots of old tunes.
Netta has had quite the year in 2018. The proof? After winningΒ HaKokhav HaBa, her punchy, feminist-powered “Toy” won herΒ the storied internationalΒ Eurovision Song Contestββif you’ve never heard of it,Β think of it as the “World Cup of Singing.” Typically,Β EurovisionΒ supplies only short-term success to its victors, but the music video for the dance-hit has already garnered over 85 million plays, ample evidence of her growing popularity. Lively and unorthodox, Netta comes off as a mix between Gwen Stefani and Gaga but equipped with vicious beatboxing skills, chicken sounds, and wicked looping techniques that makes her an artist to watch out for.
