Oren Lavie ( (born 1976) is an Israeli singer, songwriter, playwright, and theatre director. His music video for "Her Morning Elegance" earned a 2009 Grammy Award nomination for "Best Short Form Music Video".[1] On March 10, 2009, Oren released his debut album, The Opposite Side of the Sea, in the United States. He revealed on his Facebook page that he has a second album in the works.
Lavie was born in Tel Aviv and spent his youth in Israel.[2] In 1997 his play Sticks and Wheels and his production of it were awarded the main prizes at the Acco Festival of Alternative Israeli Theatre. The production played in Tel Aviv during 1998.[3] In that year he went to London to study theatre directing at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA).[4] After his graduation, two of his plays were produced in various London theatres. They already contained several songs written and composed by him.
In 2001 Lavie moved to New York where he directed several workshops on his plays, and gradually shifted his focus to songwriting. In 2003, he relocated to Berlin and began recording his first album, The Opposite Side of the Sea, which he self produced. The album was released in Europe in January and February 2007, and in the United States in March 2009.
In 2009, his stop motion style music video, "Her Morning Elegance," featuring Shir Shomron, an Israeli-born actress/model, achieved significant popularity on YouTube,[5] receiving over 20 million views. Lavie produced and co-directed the video, which was shot in 48 hours without a break.[6] Celebrating the Grammy nomination, the video was broken down to the original still frames, which are now exhibited online at www.hmegallery.com.
He appears on Chimes of Freedom: Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International, covering 4th Time Around.
