Ninet Nati Tayeb (Hebrew: נינט טייב; born 21 October 1983), professionally known as Ninet, is an Israeli singer-songwriter, actress, model and radio broadcaster. She rose to prominence when she won the first season of reality TV show Kokhav Nolad ("A Star is Born") in 2003.
Her debut album, Barefoot (2006) went platinum within twenty-four hours in Israel and produced five no. 1 hit singles. She has released five subsequent albums: Communicative (2009), Sympathetic Nervous System (2012), All the Animals Knew (2013), Paper Parachute (2017) and I Got Up to Dance (2023).
As an actress she has starred in HaShir Shelanu (2004-2005), Zaguri Imperia (2014) and When Heroes Fly (2018), which was broadcast internationally by Netflix. She also stars in Paramount+ original mystery series, Fireflies (2025).
She is regarded as one of the most prominent figures in the Israeli entertainment industry. She has been referred to as a "Jewish Janis Joplin" by Haaretz.
Tayeb was born and raised in Kiryat Gat, Israel, to Maghrebi Jewish parents. Her father, Yosef Tayeb, was born in Tunisia, and her mother, Marcelle (née Malka), was born in Morocco. Both of her parents separately immigrated to Israel. She is the third of five siblings and was nicknamed "Nina" at a very young age by her family and friends. Ninet served as a soldier in the Combat Engineering Corps of the Israel Defense Forces.
Tayeb was brought up around music with performances in small events as a teenager. She appeared in the singing group of her school, Ort Rogozin At she age of 15, she one a local song contest in her home town with a rendition of "Hero" by Mariah Carey. She was influenced by artists such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Oasis.
Tayeb has released four successful albums in Israel (one of them in English), and has twice won Israel's Favorite Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards. She has worked with producer Mike Crossey (who produced her third album, Sympathetic Nervous System), and artists such as Steven Wilson, Gary Lucas, Cyndi Lauper, The Jesus and Mary Chain, and The Dead Daisies.
In addition to her musical career, Tayeb has enjoyed a successful acting career, performing in movies, scripted series, and the theater. One of her first roles in theater was Wendla in the Israeli production of Spring Awakening. In 2018, Tayeb had a role in the Israeli TV series, When Heroes Fly. Tayeb was also the singing voice for Mary Poppins in the Hebrew dub of the Disney movie and the singing voice of Tiana in the Hebrew dub for Disney's The Princess And The Frog.
Tayeb finished her first high-profile international tour in the United States, Canada, and Europe in 2016. The tour featured songs from her most recent release. It was her 5th album and the first to be released and promoted in the United States. As part of her tour, Tayeb was selected to perform at SXSW in March 2016. She was also featured as a guest vocalist on Steven Wilson's tour.
The 2016 tour was the result of Tayeb's short visit to the U.S. in 2015, which created an extensive buzz and high demand for this "infectious female artist". During her time in the United States, Ninet performed in several critically acclaimed concerts in New York City. One critic stated that "the entire audience was fixated and almost hypnotized by [Tayeb's] presence." Another claimed that "[Tayeb's] bold renditions of songs like 'Crazy' and her original releases have showcased the range in which [Tayeb] approaches music and thus identifies with at least some part of all of us."
In preparation for her 2016 tour, Tayeb released two new singles from her upcoming album: "Paper Parachute" and "Child". The two songs "promise an album worth waiting for," and were described as ones in which Tayeb's "haunting vocals are backed by clever production work and energy fulfilling beats."
Tayeb released her debut album, Barefoot (Yechefa, Hebrew: יחפה) on September 7, 2006. It was certified Platinum in less than 24 hours, having charted five no. 1 singles on the national radio. Barefoot was released by Helicon and was produced and primarily composed and written by Israeli rock musician Aviv Geffen.
Tayeb's acting career took rise when starred in Hashir Shelanu ("Our Song"), a TV series based on her life story. The show was created to capitalize on Tayeb's unprecedented popularity and lasted for four seasons.
On November 17, 2009, Ninet released her second album, Communicative, (Comunicativi, Hebrew: קומוניקטיבי). She wrote all of the lyrics, composed the majority of it, and produced the album with Rockfour.
Communicative was a musical shift and was released a turning point regarding Tayeb's public image. Audience members threw objects at Tayeb during the album's launch performance. Tayeb described this incident as a "professional watershed." Tayeb, who used to fill out major venues, found herself performing in front of significantly smaller audiences with sometimes fewer than 20 guests.
Her exploration of musical influences began to bear fruit as Communicative was praised by critics and fans, and was considered to be one of the most discussed albums in recent years. A new audience began to attend her performances, and attendance gradually grew and became more frequent.
Ninet released her third album, Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS), on May 30, 2012. SNS received positive reviews and is considered one of Ninet's best albums.
The album was composed and written by Ninet in English, produced by Mike Crossey, and recorded at the Motor Museum Studio in Liverpool. In SNS Ninet continued to establish herself as an indie-rock singer-songwriter, twice winning Israel's Favorite Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards.