Jump to content

Totemo

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Totemo (Israeli musician))

Totemo
Background information
Birth nameRotem Or
Born (1985-10-13) 13 October 1985 (age 38)
Tel Nof
GenresIndie pop, electronic, dream pop
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, producer
Instrument(s)Vocals, electric guitar, keyboard.
Years active2008–present
Labels
Websiteimu-music.com/totemo/

Rotem Or (born October 13, 1985) is an Israeli singer-songwriter and electro-pop musician, created in recent years under the stage name Totemo.[1][2]

Early life and career

[edit]
Totemo live in 2016

Or was born in a family home at Tel Nof Airbase. As a child she wandered between the air force bases, Tel Nof and Nebatim, because her father served as a fighter pilot in the army.[3][4]

From a young age, she posted songs and doodles for the website "Bama Hadada", which eventually led to her recording an album.[5] In 2003, during his military service, he released his first EP, "Lightly Easy", on the Jerusalem independent record company Fact Records. Musical influences can be heard on the album from both veteran producers such as Kate Bush, Simon Wegerfunkel and Leonard Cohen and newer names in the music world such as Fiona Apple, Tanya Donnelly and Cat Power.[6] In 2004, Or recorded a Hebrew version of the song "One of Us Can't Be Wrong" as part of the music magazine "The Blind Server's" Foreign Song project.[7]

In 2012, 9 years after the EP's release, Or released his debut album, "Hard Magic". On this album, Or did almost everything alone: writing, composing, recording, producing and playing most of the instruments. He recorded and edited the entire album in his own home. Musical influences on this album were more recent producers such as James Blake, Feist and Laura Marling.[8] The album received praise and media exposure in the Israeli press and media websites and on various banda blogs abroad.[9]

Totemo has toured the world performing at festivals such as the Milege World Music Festival in Entebbe Uganda in November 2017,[10][11] the annual InDnegev festival[12] in Israel and Zandari Festa in Seoul in South Korea. Totemo has worked with other Israel artists including Amit Erez, Alon Lotringer, Roey Avital, Mo Kolours and shared stage with a multitude of other Israeli artists.

In March 2019, his first full album called Totemo, "Everything Happens Only Once" was released, a direct continuation of his collaboration with producer Roy Avital.[13]

The album contains 10 songs that Or wrote and produced in collaboration with Avital. The album also features Ran Yaakovovich on percussion and drums and Eden Barkat on saxophone and clarinet. The editing and order of the songs on the album was carried out by his ex-partner, Kwamy.[14]

Personal life

[edit]

Both Rotem's parents used to work in the Israel Air Force. Rotem grew up on a military base for most of her childhood until she was 12 when her family moved to Modiin.[15]

Rotem Or did her mandatory military service after high school and went on to join the Hebrew University of Jerusalem where she obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and Psychology majoring in Brain Science.

In 2014 she contracted breast cancer, from which she recovered.[16]

Discography

[edit]

Albums

[edit]

Lightly Easily (as Rotem Or)

  • Format: CD
  • Label: FACT Records[17]
  • Writer: Totemo
  • Producer: Totemo
  • Chart position: NA
  • Tracks: Sniff, Charges, Suzanne, La Dance, Untitled, On the move, Scream

Hard Magic[18]

  • Released: 2012
  • Format: LP
  • Writer: Totemo (As Rotem Or)
  • Writers: Totemo (As Rotem Or)
  • Producer: Totemo (As Rotem Or)
  • Tracks: This Is What You All Came For, Secret Particles, A Little Bird in Your Ear, Dear Sir, Untitled, Human Being, Covers, How I Lost Your Respect, Scholarships, A Flower For You, We Choose Future B
  • Singles: Covers

Heavy as My Dreams (EP)[19][20]

  • Released: 2014
  • Format: LP
  • Label: BLDG5
  • Writer: Totemo (As Rotem Or)
  • Writers: Totemo (As Rotem Or)
  • Producer: Totemo (As Rotem Or), Roey Avital
  • Tracks: Heavy as my dreams, Opposite of Charm, Host, Whois, Time to shine
  • Singles: Host

Desire Path[21]

  • Released: 2016
  • Format: EP
  • Writer: Totemo
  • Writers: Totemo
  • Producer: Totemo, Roey Avital
  • Tracks: Dreamit, Seesaw, Kick, Hits, Prime
  • Singles: Hits

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Totemo Reveals Musical Memories, Dream Collaborations + More". Diffuser. 26 November 2014.
  2. ^ "TOTEMO". IMU Music.
  3. ^ "Totemo previews debut EP with 'Heavy As My Dreams'". Diymag. 16 October 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  4. ^ "האור שבקצה". מודיעין ניוז (in Hebrew). 26 September 2016. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
  5. ^ "New Stage | במה חדשה | Rotem Ore | רותם אור". 5 May 2015. Archived from the original on 5 May 2015. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
  6. ^ "Fact Records". 20 August 2004. Archived from the original on 20 August 2004. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
  7. ^ "Blind Janitor - Magazine -". 20 October 2004. Archived from the original on 20 October 2004. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
  8. ^ "דף האלבום "Hard Magic"".
  9. ^ "בכורה: אלבום רימיקסים לרותם אור. האזינו - וואלה תרבות". וואלה (in Hebrew). 26 October 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
  10. ^ "Uganda: Milege Falls Short This Time". All Africa. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  11. ^ Kaggwa, Andrew (24 November 2017). "Milege World Music festival is on this weekend". The Observer. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  12. ^ "WATCH: Tel Aviv Songstress Elevates Electronic Indie-pop in English". Haaretz. Ben Shalev. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  13. ^ "Everything Happens Only Once, by totemo". totemo. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
  14. ^ "רותם אור החלימה מסרטן וחוזרת עם אלבום שנולד על ספת הפסיכולוגית".
  15. ^ "Interview: Taking the desired path". The Jerusalem Post. 13 June 2016. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
  16. ^ "Totemo Documents Her Chemotherapy in This Intimate Video for "Hits"". Noisey. 15 June 2016. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  17. ^ "FACT Records". discogs. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  18. ^ "Hard Magic Album". Bandcamo. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  19. ^ "Heavy As My Dreams (EP) By Totemo". Spotify. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  20. ^ Kristobak, Ryan (4 November 2014). "Totemo Just Broke All of Pop's Rules". HuffPost. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  21. ^ "Desire Path". Bandcamp. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rotem Or.
Retrieved from "https://wiki.riteme.site/w/index.php?title=Totemo&oldid=1246454965"