Unconventional French opera singer Emma Shapplin shares her love for Israel

Much loved pop-opera singer, Emma Shapplin, was the first international artist to perform in Israel after Oct. 7, 2023. The French soprano has been coming to Israel for more than two decades and her love for this country and its people seems entirely mutual as Shapplin will be returning in the beginning of June.

In an interview with KAN News in Paris, Shapplin explained why she felt compelled to come to Israel, even during wartime, and spoke about her upcoming visit.

“I had to, it was important to me, especially at [this] time because, when I met people at the end of the show, I realized how much… everybody was suffering,” she said.

She refused to be deterred despite many urging her not to go. “I think me being on earth has nothing to do with politics and war. I'm not here for that,” she said. “This special exchange of energies, that's the most important to me.”

Her love for Israel has only grown stronger since the Hamas attack in 2023. She has visited twice since the war began, and six times in total. Now, she is preparing for her next trip in June.

“I have such an intense and very mutual connection,” she explained. “I don’t know… Maybe it’s in the air?” 

Shapplin recalls a performance in Caesarea that had a profound effect on her. “I remember when I sang by the sea and then the full moon in Caesarea. I don't know what happened. Even my drummer... everybody was crying and I don't know, the sea, the moon, the place, the emotion was so intense,” she described.

It wasn’t just the coastal city of Caesarea that impacted Shapplin so deeply either. “I remember the first time I sang in the Herodion, you know, the Acropolis. There's a very special energy in this place. There's some kind of wind when you're on stage. And then this wind is, like, pushing you.”

Shapplin is known for her trademark fusion of opera with more modern music styles including pop, rock, and electronica – a style she developed when she was just 23. 

It seems this has been a recipe for success, as she has become an international sensation, selling over 160,000 copies of her debut album in Israel alone. Her song “Spente le Stelle” (“Extinguish the Stars” in Italian) was a global hit, featuring in the 2002 World Cup broadcasts.

Today, she has her own production company, creating and producing her own music.

Shapplin has been working on her new album, which is now almost finished. “I'm still working on it, so it has no name for the moment. It'll be like the following step of [the previous album] “Macadam Flower.” So it's more electro pop and it's very poetic,” she promises. “The lyrics are very, very emotional.”

“I like to be fully with the arranger and with the musicians. I have to produce it. So I have to be fully involved in it,” she explained, adding, “I think it’s going to be beautiful.”

Poetic, emotional, and beautiful seem to be words that characterize the talented French artist very well. When at home she surrounds herself with nature: animals, gardens, and beauty.

When asked what she does with her spare time, Shapplin responded, “Too many things. Dancing, gardening, cooking, walking, swimming, reading…I spend a lot of time with my animals.” 

She admitted that she doesn’t post on social media very much. “I try to post sometimes, but it's true that I'm so much in the concrete, I would say. I don't want to be… rude or I don't know, or too old fashioned,” she said, apologetically.

While in Israel, Shapplin will be performing a mixture of her new music as well as some well loved classics.

“I will sing three new covers, new songs, and I will explain a little about it on stage,” she said. However, she was unwilling to be pinned down to an exact list, saying there may be some surprises.

“There probably will be a few classics, opera songs as well. Maybe,” she added.

Emma Shapplin will perform at the Culture Hall in Tel Aviv, and again at the Congress Center in Haifa, with the Ra’anana Symphonette at the beginning of June.

“I'm so happy to go back to Israel,” Shapplin enthused. “I hope we'll be together for a great, great, great, great night. And, with lots of emotions and good feelings together.”