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The JV’s Exclusive Interview with Idan Raichel

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Israeli superstar Idan Raichel is expected to draw a sellout crowd at New York's Town Hall.
Israeli superstar Idan Raichel is expected to draw a sellout crowd at New York’s Town Hall.
The first time I heard Boe, (“Come”), Idan Raichel Project’s first hit single, was circa 2002. I was still in high school and getting carpooled somewhere when my friend turned up the radio. We both sat in complete silence until the song was over: it was unlike anything either of us had ever heard before.

The melody had clear outside influences, what is now known to be a fusion of African, Latin, Caribbean and Middle Eastern sounds. The words, of course, were about love. It’s the one thing Israel and our many neighbors have in common: we all sing about love.

While they often say that you have to be in love to love a love song, Idan remains coy about any romantic influences, and maintains a simple truth about his writing routine. “There are no rules for me for writing, it’s all open to interpretation. Once you write a song, it is not yours any more, and people can understand it the way they wish.” In other words, he is not about to tell me if there’s a special someone influencing his writing. And that’s okay, it’s part of his charm, a certain air of mystery, “I just feel lucky to be a part of other people’s soundtracks.”

While he refrains from making any political statements in his lyrics, the Idan Raichel Project does use a lot of Biblical passages in their songs, one of which is the famous Shir Ha Shirim, Song of Songs. I vaguely remember studying about this passage for one of my tests in high school. But listening to the song makes the passage much more beautiful and passionate than it did back then. Still, for a young, popular artist, I was curious what his inspiration was behind putting Biblical passages to music? “The Bible is the biggest influence for all the writ-
ers, even if they don’t know it yet, everything has already been said and told over there,” Idan told me. Wise words spoken by an old soul with a rasta, though he insists he actually sports dreadlocks, not a rasta, (what’s the difference? I’ll have to Google it.)

And speaking of his famous hair, during the course of our interview, Idan gave a challenge for his Jewish Voice fans: let him know when you think it’s time to cut off the dreads. “I am going to cut it off very soon, for all my fans reading this, feel free to write or post on my Facebook page when you think it would be a good time to cut it off.”

With a big concert in New York coming up, I asked him what the difference is between the Israeli and New York audience. “In Israel, I always know someone in the audience who is waving and saying hello. That’s the main difference, but feel free to wave from the audience in the USA so I will feel at home.” Did you hear that, Jewish Voice readers? You have an invitation from Idan to wave from the crowd. With how ego-free and easygoing this guy is, you will most likely get a wave back.

And speaking of the New York audience, few Israeli artists have managed to maintain a steady level of success in the US; Idan Raichel and his project are one of them. I wanted to know what their secret was, is it the different languages they use in their songs? “I don’t think so,” he says. “I feel that for someone in London, it doesn’t matter if you sing in Hebrew, Arabic or Amharic. It all sounds like it’s
not English, so it’s more about the effect that our music has on the listeners.” Still, with so many different cultural influences in Idan Raichel songs, the eclectic fusion alone feels like a silent stand towards unity. So, Idan, are you trying change the world, in your own way? “There’s no need to change the world, it changes anyway without us, all we can do is to try to give some input of good will from our side of the way we understand it.”

Perhaps the world wide popularity of the Idan Raichel Project is a result of the music’s ability to transcend through generations: I told Idan that I am not his only fan in the family, my grandmother, who currently resides in Tel Aviv, has recently been to a concert of his. What is it about this music that is able to break through the generational gap? “That is the most exciting thing that I could have ever asked for,” he told me. “To have all these people among our fans. Who can ask for anything more?” But he wasn’t done, adding, “send a hug to your grandmother from me.” I relayed the news to my grandmother, who, after blushing like a teenybop-per, insisted I let him know he has to wait in line.

The Idan Raichel Project will perform at Town Hall located at 123 W 43rd Street, New York, NY 10036, on Saturday, January 12 (8pm) & Sunday, January 13 (5pm).

Ticket prices are $45-$100 and can be purchased at http:// teev.simpletix.com/Show/9/ The-Idan-Raichel-Project/

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