| Lina Makoul | |
| Birth Date: | 11 July 1993 |
| Birth Place: | Toledo, Ohio, U.S. |
| Birth Name: | Leena Courtney Makhoul |
| Genre: | Pop/Dance |
| Years Active: | 2013–present |
| Origin: | Acre, Israel |
| Website: | https://linamakoul.com/ |
Lina Makoul (ar|لينا مخول, born 11 July 1993) is a Palestinian/Lebanese singer-songwriter and music producer.[1] [2] In 2013, she won The Voice Israel.
Lina Makhoul was born in Ohio, United States, to Arab-Christian parents - A Palestinian Mother who was born in Northern Palestine in Al Bokay’a and a Lebanese/Palestinian Father who was born in Southern Lebanon, and raised in Acre, Israel.[3] Since the age of four she has loved dancing, playing the piano and singing. She is fluent five languages. She describes herself as American-Palestinian.[1]
She started studying biology at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa. She dropped out in order to pursue her singing career.
In 2012, Makoul auditioned for the second season of The Voice Israel. On 23 March 2013, Makoul won the final at the Nokia Arena[4] in Tel Aviv with 62% of the vote, having performed "What A Feeling", theme song of the movie Flashdance. Along with her mentor Shabat, she performed a song written and composed by him with his daughter singer Manor Shabat. She also sang Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen.[5] She was the first Arab-Israeli to win the show. Throughout the show she was also voted "best singer" by viewers.[6] She was approached by Israeli-born international manager Irit TenHengel, who signed her to her label, Yodan Productions.
In September 2016, Makoul was selected as the opening act for the band Queen + Adam Lambert in Tel Aviv.[7]
In September 2017, she announced she would be supporting British girl group Little Mix on the UK and Ireland leg of The Glory Days Tour for all 37 arena dates from October until November 2017.[8]
She performed an Arabic version of Silent Night for the documentary film (2020).
Makoul's first single "This Ain't About You" was released worldwide on the April 29, 2016. The track achieved a top 10 in the UK Music-Week's Club and Pop Charts.[9] Her second single "Dance Sucker" rose even further to No. 4 in the UK Music Week's Official Club Chart, reflecting her growing international success.[10] The single "Dance Sucker" was released as a preview of Makoul's 2017 album Walking on a Tightrope. The track was produced by Jerry Wonda and Tal Forer.
| Year | Single | Music Week (UK) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| DJ Charts | Commercial Pop Charts | ||
| 2016 | "This Ain't About You" | ||
| 2017 | "Dance Sucker" | ||
| "Can't Keep Falling" | |||