{{Short description|Argentine Australian singer-songwriter, actress and writer}} {{Use Australian English|date=February 2014}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2023}} '''Jessica Chapnik Kahn''' is an Argentine Australian poet, singer-songwriter, actress and writer. Her solo music is released under the moniker Appleonia.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.appleoniamusic.com/ |title=Home |website=appleoniamusic.com}}</ref> She is also known for her role as Sam Tolhurst/Holden in the Australian television drama ''Home and Away'' (2006–08).<ref name="HomeAway">{{cite web|url=http://www.backtothebay.net/characters/holden_sam.shtml|title=Holden, Sam – Characters – Home and Away|publisher=Back to the Bay|accessdate=14 February 2010}}</ref>
== Early life == Chapnik Kahn was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, but immigrated to Sydney, Australia with her family when she was five years old. On arriving to Australia, speaking no English, they lived in an immigrant hostel for one year. She has a Jewish parent of Polish descent and a Catholic Italian parent, and was brought up in an Argentine Spanish-speaking home (she is fluent in Spanish). Both religions were a strong influence in her life. After high school, Chapnik Kahn attended the University of New South Wales in Sydney and graduated with a degree in theatre and film and sociology.
== Career ==
=== Music career === Chapnik Kahn formed her first band at the age of 17. After one year, the band dismantled and she toured nationally and internationally playing keyboards and singing in the bands of artists and bands such as Sarah Blasko, Old Man River, and the Kahn Brothers. While touring, Chapnik Kahn met musician Ben Lee and the two later began collaborating on music projects.
In 2008 Chapnik Kahn recorded the soundtrack for the Australian film ''The Square'', directed by Nash Edgerton. All songs were written and produced by Ben Lee, and sung by Chapnik Kahn.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.undercover.com.au/News-Story.aspx?id=4208|title=Jessica Chapnik Sings Ben Lee|work=Undercover.com.au|publisher=Cashmere Media Pty Ltd|last=Cashmere|first=Paul|date=26 February 2008|accessdate=14 February 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091023214419/http://www.undercover.com.au/News-Story.aspx?id=4208|archive-date=23 October 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref> The album was nominated for both an AFI Award<ref name="AFI2008">{{cite web|url=http://www.afi.org.au/AM/ContentManagerNet/HTMLDisplay.aspx?ContentID=5931&Section=AFI_Awards_Nominees |title=The Australian Film Institute AFI Awards Nominees |publisher=Australian Film Institute |accessdate=14 February 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090914100500/http://www.afi.org.au/AM/ContentManagerNet/HTMLDisplay.aspx?ContentID=5931&Section=AFI_Awards_Nominees |archivedate=14 September 2009 }}</ref> and an Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Award for "Best Original Soundtrack".<ref name="ARIA2008">{{cite web|url=http://www.ariaawards.com.au/history-by-year.php?year=2008 |title=ARIA Awards – History: Winners by Year 2008: 22nd Annual ARIA Awards |publisher=Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) |accessdate=14 February 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090813152819/http://www.ariaawards.com.au/history-by-year.php?year=2008 |archivedate=13 August 2009 }}</ref>
Following this album, Chapnik Kahn re-invented her solo persona as Appleonia.
In 2013, Chapnik Kahn teamed with musician Nadav Kahn and scored the film ''Despite the Gods'', a documentary directed by Penny Vozniak which closely follows the journey of director Jennifer Chambers Lynch as she makes her film ''Hisss'' in India. The soundtrack was released in 2013 and features the song "She is the Sun" which Chapnik Kahn sang with Craig Nicholls from The Vines.
Chapnik Kahn again collaborated with Ben Lee, co-writing and co-producing his album ''Ayahuasca: Welcome to the Work'',<ref>[http://www.lojinx.com/releases/ben-lee/ayahuasca-welcome-to-the-work Lojinx – Ayahuasca: Welcome To The Work]</ref> released in April 2013. The album is a sonic documentation of her and Lee's experiences with the South American healing medicine, ayahuasca.
In 2014 she released her album ''OH'', which was recorded over a few continents and over several years. It features the handiwork of several collaborators including Dntel, Ian Ball and Nadav Kahn.
In 2022, Chapnik Kahn performed a rendition of the folk song ''The Water Is Wide'' with her husband, musician Nadav Kahn, for the closing moments and end credits of the Australian film ''Everything in Between''.<ref>{{cite web |title=A central element of film |url=https://www.australianjewishnews.com/a-central-element-of-film/ |website=The Australian Jewish News |date=31 October 2022 |access-date=30 July 2025}}</ref>
=== Acting career === Chapnik Kahn trained as an actress in New York City for two years at the Atlantic Theater Company Acting School, which was founded by playwright David Mamet. While living in New York, she acted in a string of plays, and on returning to Sydney she continued working in theatre. In 2006 she joined Australian TV drama ''Home and Away'', playing Sam Tolhurst/Holden.<ref name="HomeAway"/> The role was originally a three-month contract, but was extended to almost two years due to the storyline's popularity. Chapnik Kahn later had a guest role in the American adventure/fantasy series ''Legend of the Seeker'', playing Anna Brighton. The episodes (episode 12: "Home" and episode 14: "Hartland") were broadcast in early 2009 on Disney-ABC Domestic Television. In 2009 she also starred in the Spanish-speaking short film ''Amanecer'' (''Daybreak''), directed by Alvaro D. Ruiz, a film that won several awards in Latin film festivals worldwide.
Jessica has directed and co-directed music videos for her Appleonia albums. In 2013 she directed a music video for Ben Lee's song "On My Knees". === Writing career === Chapnik Kahn published her first children's book in 2018 called ''Lenny and the Ants,'' illustrated by Australian artist Matthew Martin. In 2019, she released a collection of poems and drawings called ''MADRE'', inspired by the birth of her son. In 2020, she co-wrote the biography A Repurposed Life which was longlisted for an ABIA Award for Biography Book of the Year in 2021. In 2025, she was a featured speaker and poet at TEDxSydney, and her collaborative work ''The Fire Always Says Yes'' had its world premiere at the Sydney Opera House later that year.
== Personal life == In 2011 Chapnik Kahn married musician Nadav Kahn, formerly of art rock band Gelbison. In 2016 their son Lev was born, followed by their daughter Shemi in 2020.
==Awards and nominations== ===ARIA Music Awards=== The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony held by the Australian Recording Industry Association. They commenced in 1987. {{awards table}} ! {{Abbr|Ref.|Reference}} |- | ARIA Music Awards of 2008 | ''The Square'' (with Ben Lee) | Best Original Soundtrack, Cast or Show Album | {{nom}} | <ref name="OST">ARIA Award previous winners. {{cite web|url=http://www.ariaawards.com.au/history/award/best-original-soundtrack-cast-show-album|title=History Best Original Soundtrack, Cast or Show Album |publisher=Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA)|access-date=16 July 2022}}</ref> |- {{end}}
==References== <references/>
==External links== * [http://www.appleoniamusic.com appleoniamusic] * {{IMDb name|2281137}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Chapnik Kahn, Jessica}} Category:Argentine people of Italian descent Category:Argentine people of Polish-Jewish descent Category:Argentine emigrants to Australia Category:Australian people of Italian descent Category:Australian people of Polish-Jewish descent Category:Australian soap opera actresses Category:Actresses from Buenos Aires Category:Actresses from Sydney Category:Australian women singers Category:Living people Category:Year of birth missing (living people)