Lior Attar, better known simply as Lior, is an independent Australian singer-songwriter based in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

. He is best known for his 2005 debut studio album ''Autumn Flow'', which featured singles such as "Daniel", the title track and his

signature song A signature (; from , "to sign") is a depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. Signatures are often, but not always, handwritten or styliz ...

"This Old Love".

Early life and education

Lior was born in

Rishon LeZion Rishon LeZion ( , "First to Zion") is a city in Israel, located along the central Israeli coastal plain south of Tel Aviv. It is part of the Gush Dan metropolitan area. Founded in 1882 by Jewish immigrants from the Russian Empire who were ...

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

and he and his family moved to Sydney when he was 10. They made their first Australian home in Lane Cove, and Lior studied at Killara High School and the

University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW) is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was established in 1949. The university comprises seven faculties, through which it offers bachelor's, master's and docto ...

Career

2000–2007: Early EP, ''Autumn Flow'' and ''Doorways of My Mind''

In 2000, Lior released his debut extended play ''The Soul Suicide EP''. In October 2004, Lior recorded his debut studio album '' Autumn Flow''. He sent it to a number of record labels but failed to secure a deal, and released the album independently, late in 2004. In 2015, Lior recalled the first time he heard a song of his on the radio station,

Triple J Triple J is an Australian government-funded national radio station founded in 1975 as a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). It aims to appeal to young listeners of alternative music, and plays far more Australian conten ...

; "I'd just done the so-called tour to launch the album but it didn't have any sort of exposure or radio play, so no-one really knew what it was. I went up and down the east coast with a band and lost all my money. I was feeling really defeated and quite sorry for myself, going 'how am I going to do this', and the song ("This Old Love") came on." ''Autumn Flow'' made its ARIA chart debut in early 2005, peaking at number 45. Lior has toured with the

WOMAD WOMAD ( ; World of Music, Arts and Dance) is an international arts festival. The central aim of WOMAD is to celebrate the world's many forms of music, arts and dance. History WOMAD was founded in 1980 by English rock musician Peter Gabriel, w ...

festival in 2005 to the UK, Singapore and

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

. Lior also performed at the Spiegeltent throughout the world, and the

Make Poverty History Make Poverty History were organizations in a number of countries, which focused on issues relating to 8th Millennium Development Goal such as aid, trade and justice. They generally formed a coalition of aid and development agencies which worked ...

concerts in Australia. At ARIA Music Awards of 2005, the album was nominated for three awards; Breakthrough Artist, Best Male Artist, and Best Independent Release. In 2005, the album was one of the fifteen nominees for radio station

triple j Triple J is an Australian government-funded national radio station founded in 1975 as a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). It aims to appeal to young listeners of alternative music, and plays far more Australian conten ...

's inaugural

J Award The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards, established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J, and which also extend to sister stations, Triple J Unearthed and Double J. The award ...

, given to "an album of outstanding achievement as an Australian musical work of art – for its creativity, innovation, musicianship and contribution to Australian music. ''Autumn Flow'' was certified gold by

ARIA In music, an aria (, ; : , ; ''arias'' in common usage; diminutive form: arietta, ; : ariette; in English simply air (music), air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrument (music), instrumental or orchestral accompan ...

in 2006. In February 2006, Lior released a live album, '' Doorways of My Mind'', recorded at the Northcote Social Club. The album consisted mostly of tracks from '' Autumn Flow'' as well as some new material such as "Diego and the Village Girl", "Burying Chances" and "Avinu Malkeinu" (a traditional prayer). At the

ARIA Music Awards of 2006 The 20th annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAs) were held on 29 October 2006 at the Acer Arena at the Sydney Olympic Park complex. Presenters on the night includ ...

, the album was nominated for two awards; ''Best Independent Release'' and '' Best Blues and Roots Album''. Lior moved from Sydney to Melbourne in 2007.

2008–2012: ''Corner of an Endless Road'', ''Tumbling into the Dawn'' and ''Giggle and Hoot''

In February 2008, Lior released his second studio album, '' Corner of an Endless Road''. The album debuted at number 13 on the

charts. At the

ARIA Music Awards of 2008 The 22nd annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAs) took place on 19 October 2008. The nominees for all categories were announced on 10 September, while the winners of ...

, the album was nominated for the ''Best Independent Release''. In 2008, Lior toured extensively, both in his home country of Australia and abroad including feature performances at the

Edinburgh Festival __NOTOC__ This is a list of Arts festival, arts and cultural festivals regularly taking place in Edinburgh, Scotland. The city has become known for its festivals since the establishment in 1947 of the Edinburgh International Festival and the ...

. In early 2009, he performed with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra for a series of outdoor concerts. In 2009, Lior launched the Shadows and Light Tour, a collaboration with renowned shadow artists Stephen Mushin and Anna Parry; an interactive performance combining Lior's music with live shadow art performance and featured a season at the

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue Performing arts center, performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive b ...

. In 2009, Lior was approached by children's television show ''

Giggle and Hoot ''Giggle and Hoot'' is an Australian children's television "wrap-around" program block that aired on the ABC Kids channel. The series was produced from 2009 to 2019, with the final episodes airing in 2020, and depicted the adventures of ...

'' series producer Clare Gerber, and was asked to write a song. He agreed thinking "this could be fun" and wrote "Hoot's Lullaby". The song played nightly on ABC 2 just before 7:00pm, and marked the end of children's programming on the channel for the day. In October 2010, Lior released his third studio album ''Tumbling into the Dawn''. The album peaked at number 26 on the ARIA charts. In 2011 Lior wrote and recorded "Hey Hootabelle" for Giggle and Hoot. At the

APRA Music Awards of 2012 The Australasian Performing Right Association Awards of 2012 (generally known as APRA Awards (Australia), APRA Awards) are a series of related awards which include the APRA Music Awards, Art Music Awards, and Screen Music Awards. The APRA Music A ...

, the song won the APRA Award for Best Original Song Composed for Screen.

2013–2018: ''Compassion'', ''Scattered Reflections'' and ''Between You and Me''

In September 2013, Lior and Nigel Westlake premiered ''Compassion'' at the

. ''Compassion'' is an orchestral song cycle for voice and orchestra consisting of original melodies and orchestration set to ancient texts in Hebrew and Arabic, all centred around the wisdom of compassion. The performance was recorded and the album of ''

Compassion Compassion is a social feeling that motivates people to go out of their way to relieve the physical, mental, or emotional pains of others and themselves. Compassion is sensitivity to the emotional aspects of the suffering of others. When based ...

'' was released in November 2013. At the

ARIA Music Awards of 2014 The 28th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAs) are a series of award ceremonies which include the 2014 ARIA Artisan Awards, ARIA Hall of Fame Awards, ARIA Fine ...

, it won the

ARIA Award for Best Classical Album The ARIA Music Award for Best Classical Album, is an award presented within the Fine Arts Awards at the annual ARIA Music Awards. The ARIA Awards recognise "the many achievements of Aussie artists across all music genres", and have been given ...

. Lior premiered ''Compassion'' in the US with the Austin Symphony Orchestra in 2016 and was subsequently awarded the Austin Table Critics' Award for Best Symphonic Performance of 2015-16 and in 2016 Lior also won the Melbourne Music Prize Civic Choice Award for ''Compassion''. In March 2014, Lior released his fourth studio album '' Scattered Reflections''. The album peaked at number 23 on the ARIA charts. In April 2015, Lior was invited as the sole Australian artist to perform at the prestigious 100 year anniversary of the landing at

Gallipoli The Gallipoli Peninsula (; ; ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles strait to the east. Gallipoli is the Italian form of the Greek name (), meaning ' ...

, performing his song "Safety of Distance" with the Gallipoli choir leading in to the dawn service. In June 2015, ''Autumn Flow'' was re-released as a tenth anniversary edition. From December 2015, Lior played the part of Motel Kamzoil in ''

Fiddler on the Roof ''Fiddler on the Roof'' is a musical theatre, musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and musical theatre#Book musicals, book by Joseph Stein, set in the Pale of Settlement of Russian Empire, Imperial Russia in or around 19 ...

'' at

's Princess Theatre opposite musical theatre star

Anthony Warlow Anthony Warlow (born 18 November 1961) is an Australian musical theatre performer, noted for his character acting and considerable vocal range. He is a classically trained lyric baritone and made his debut with the Australian Opera in 1980. ...

. In 2016, Lior worked with producer Tony Buchen to write an orchestral score for ''The Wider Earth'', a Queensland theatre production based on Charles Darwin's journey on HMS ''Beagle''. At the 2016 Matilda Theatre Awards, the music won Best Original Theatre Score. In 2016 Lior co-wrote and recorded a children's album with

The Idea of North The Idea of North are an Australian a cappella vocal ensemble founded in Canberra in 1993, by Nick Begbie (tenor), Meg Corson (alto), Trish Delaney-Brown (soprano) and Andrew Piper (bass). Still active in 2024, but touring less frequently sin ...

and

Elena Kats-Chernin Elena Davidovna Kats-Chernin (born 4 November 1957) is an Uzbek-born Australian composer and pianist, best known for her ballet ''Wild Swans''. Early life and education Elena Kats-Chernin was born in Tashkent (now the capital of independent Uz ...

for the HUSH Foundation. Created for the dual purpose of raising funds for the children's hospital as well as making original music to be played in the wards, the album ''A Piece of Quiet'' featured original music written to lyrics written by the children in the hospital wards and was released in October 2016. At the

ARIA Music Awards of 2017 The 31st Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAs) are a series of award ceremonies which include the 2017 ARIA Artisan Awards, ARIA Hall of Fame Awards, ARIA Fine ...

, the album was nominated for Best Children's Album. Throughout 2018 Lior toured with Australian pianist and composer

Paul Grabowsky Paul Atherstone Grabowsky , born 27 September 1958, is an Australian pianist and composer, founder of the Australian Art Orchestra. Biography Born in Lae, Papua New Guinea, Grabowsky is a pianist and composer of music for film, theatre and o ...

in performing a collection of Lior's songs adapted and reinterpreted for piano and voice. In 2019 Lior featured as the guest vocalist for the Australian Chamber Orchestra's 'Luminous' tour which toured nationally in Australia as well as performances in the Barbican in London. In September 2018, Lior released his fifth studio album ''Between You and Me''. In 2018 Lior was awarded a Fellowship of the

Australian Institute of Music The Australian Institute of Music (AIM) is an Australian private tertiary education provider, with campuses in Sydney, New South Wales and Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1968, AIM delivers education for careers in the Australian music, enter ...

in recognition of outstanding achievements and services to Australian music.

2019–present: Air Land Sea and ''Animal in Hiding''

In 2019, Lior formed the musical group Air Land Sea with Nadav Kahn and Tony Buchen. The group released four singles and a self-titled studio album across 2019. In 2019 Lior was awarded the

Sidney Myer Creative Fellowship The Myer Foundation is a major Australian philanthropic organisation. History The Sidney Myer Charitable Trust was established by the will of Sidney Myer, who died in 1934, leaving a portion of his estate for the benefit of the community. Myer's ...

, an award of over two years, given to mid-career creatives and thought leaders. As part of the 2021 WOMADelaide concert series, Lior performed his symphony ''Compassion'' alongside composer Nigel Westlake and the

Adelaide Symphony Orchestra The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra (ASO) is a South Australian orchestra based in Adelaide, established in 1936. The orchestra's primary performance venue is the Adelaide Town Hall, but the ASO also performs in other venues. It provides the orchest ...

. In 2021, Lior collaborated with fellow singer-songwriter Domini Forster on ''Animal in Hiding''. Lior said "She's been my support act for awhile now, after awhile, she became the backing vocalist in my band and then leading up to my last solo album, we decided we'd have a crack at writing a song together." The EP is scheduled for released on 15 October 2021.

Philanthropy

In a 2015 interview, Lior mentioned working for the charities Cambodian Children's Trust and

Global Poverty Project Global Citizen, also known as Global Poverty Project, is an international education and advocacy organization that seeks to catalyze the movement to end extreme poverty and promote social justice and equity through the lens of intersectionalit ...

as well as supporting Oscar's Law.

Discography

Albums

Studio albums

Live albums

Other albums

Compilation albums

Extended plays

Singles

As lead artist

Awards

AIR Awards

The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as

AIR Awards The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector. History The inaugural 2006 awards were held at Blacket Hot ...

) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector. , - , rowspan="2" ,

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

, ''Autumn Flow'' , Best Performing Independent Album , , - , himself , Independent Artist of the Year , , - , rowspan="3" ,

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

, rowspan="2" , ''Corner of an Endless Road'' , Best Independent Album , , - , Best Independent Blues and Roots Album , , - , himself , Best Independent Artist , , -

ARIA Music Awards

The

ARIA Music Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of

Australian music The music of Australia has an extensive history made of music societies. Indigenous Australian music forms a significant part of the unique heritage of a 40,000- to 60,000-year history which produced the iconic didgeridoo. Contemporary fusions o ...

. Lior has won two awards from nine nominations. , - , rowspan="3",

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

, rowspan="3", '' Autumn Flow'' , Best Male Artist , , - , Breakthrough Artist - Album , , - , Best Independent Release , , - , rowspan="2",

, rowspan="2", '' Doorways of My Mind'' , Best Blues & Roots Album , , - , rowspan="2" , Best Independent Release , , - ,

, ''Corner of an Endless Road'' , , - ,

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

, ''

''
(with Nigel Westlake &

Sydney Symphony Orchestra The Sydney Symphony Orchestra (SSO) is an Australian symphony orchestra based in Sydney. With roots going back to 1908, the orchestra was made a permanent professional orchestra on the formation of the Australian Broadcasting Commission in 1932. ...

) , Best Classical Album , , - , rowspan="2",

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

, ''

Ali's Wedding (soundtrack) ''Ali's Wedding (soundtrack)'' is the original motion picture soundtrack for the 2017 Australian romantic comedy Ali's Wedding, of the same name starring Osamah Sami and Don Hany. The soundtrack is credited to Nigel Westlake, Sydney Symphony Orc ...

''
(with Nigel Westlake, Sydney Symphony Orchestra,

Joseph Tawadros Joseph Tawadros (born 6 October 1983) is an Egyptian-born Coptic Australian multi-instrumentalist and oud virtuoso. Tawadros has won the ARIA Award for Best World Music Album seven times: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023. Biograp ...

& Slava Grigoryan) , Best Original Soundtrack or Musical Theatre Cast Album , , - , ''A Piece of Quiet (The Hush Collection, Vol 16)''
(with

& Elena Kats-Chernin) , Best Children's Album ,

APRA Awards

The APRA Awards are held in Australia and New Zealand by the

Australasian Performing Right Association APRA AMCOS consists of Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS), both copyright management organisations or copyright collectives which jointly represent over 100,000 songwri ...

to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually. Lior has won one award from five nominations. , - ,

, "Daniel" , rowspan="2" , Most Performed Blues & Roots Work , , - ,

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

, "Heal Me" , , - , rowspan="2",

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

, "Hey Hootabelle" for ''

'', written by Lior , Best Original Song Composed for the Screen , , - , '' Hootabelle'' , Best Music for Children's Television , , - ,

, ''Compassion'' , Work of the Year – Orchestral , , -

J Award

The

J Awards The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards, established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J, and which also extend to sister stations, Triple J Unearthed and Double J. The awar ...

are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is ...

's youth-focused radio station

. They commenced in 2005. , - ,

, ''Autumn Flow'' , Australian Album of the Year ,

References

External links

Official web site
* {{Authority control Living people APRA Award winners ARIA Award winners Australian male singers Israeli emigrants to Australia Israeli Jews Jewish Australian musicians Singers from Melbourne University of New South Wales alumni Year of birth missing (living people)