SIVAN LEVY Releases a Captivating Live Session of Her Song “Jacaranda”

Photo still from video by Eric Raphael Mizrahi

Sivan Levy is a multi-faceted Israeli artist currently based in Tel Aviv, who’s not only a successful actress and filmmaker, but also a talented singer-songwriter and musician. She’s starred in several highly acclaimed films and television series, earning multiple awards for her exceptional work. Her latest film, My Daughter My Love, written and directed by Eitan Green, was screened last month at the prestigious Jerusalem Film Festival.

In June, Levy released a beautiful EP side:s, her first music release since her self-titled three-song EP in 2015. Featuring six captivating tracks written and sung by her, side:s was recorded and co-produced by Levy and Yoav Rosenthal, who also played guitar and bass, and sang backing vocals. Levy played piano and keyboards, Giori Politi played drums and programmed beats, and Maya Belsitzman played cello. Mixing was done by Nicolas Vernhes. One of the songs from the EP, “Swimming Backwards”, has already been streamed over 400,000 times on Spotify alone. Another track, “Jacaranda“, is now the subject of a special live performance filmed and recorded by Levy and her supporting musicians, released as a video premiering on August 4th.

One of the standout tracks on the EP, “Jacaranda”, is named for the Jacaranda mimosifolia, a type of tree that produces huge clusters of purplish-blue flowers in mid-to-late spring. Native to tropical and subtropical regions of Central and South America, they also thrive in Mediterranean climate regions like Spain, Portugal, Italy, Israel and Lebanon, northern Africa, Australia and California. They even grow in the hot desert climate of the Coachella Valley where I live.

The jacaranda tree has a special meaning for Levy, who says her song “‘Jacaranda’ is a love song for my childhood jacaranda tree. It was my favorite place to climb and sleep and hide. On my birthday, the 4th of June, I would wake up every year to a yard covered in a purple carpet. A gift from the tree.”

The live performance of the song, filmed by Eric Raphael Mizrahi, is an acoustic reimagining of the original studio version found on the EP, which features lush atmospheric synths, shimmery guitars and feathery percussion. Yet it still retains its enchanting vibe, with Levy’s lovely piano work, accompanied by Yoav Rosenthal on bass and Giori Politi on glockenspiel and gentle percussion, all of which create a stunning backdrop for Levy’s bewitching ethereal vocals, transporting us to a beautiful and dreamy world.