The most the average American ever hears about Israel is when a new military conflict or suicide bombing takes place. This results in a terribly inaccurate image of the country as a war-torn backwater in the middle of the desert. The truth is that much of Israel is a very beautiful, very modern country. It was an early adopter of the Internet and its medical facilities are frequently rated the best in the world. Israel also has a vibrant music scene. For example, in the 1960's and 70's, the Israeli folk movement was every bit as pervasive as its American and British counterparts. Today, pop music from Israel is starting to get wider recognition in the West. Here are a few artists to look out for.
Sarit Hadad
Israel's answer to the pop diva, Sarit Hadad has been a constant chart-topper in her home country for more than a decade. She represented Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2002 with her song "Light a Candle". She came in 12th place. Hadad's sound combines the high-production styles popular with Western Top 40 vocal talents and a distinct Middle Eastern flare. This year, Sarit Hadad has been on tour and had a few dates set for venues in the United States. She was in New York, Miami, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Oren Lavie
Oren Lavie is something of a Renaissance man. In addition to his work as a singer-songwriter, he is an accomplished theatre professional. He has written four plays and directed three of them, with shows in Israel, England and Germany. American audiences may be familiar with his music without knowing it. He composed the song "A Dance 'Round The Memory Tree" for the soundtrack to The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. More recently, the video for his song "Her Morning Elegance" has gone viral on the Internet. With English-language songs and modern sensibilities, Lavie might just be the first Israeli musician to make it big in the United States.
David Broza
Those who know of David Broza have been known to refer to him as The Israeli Bob Dylan. It's true that Broza's lively guitar music has garnered some significant critical praise all over the world. Despite getting high marks from major American publications, most people on this side of the Atlantic (or Pacific) haven't heard of him. He's been recording music since the mid-1970's after his mandatory period in the Israeli military. Only part of Broza's youth was spent in Israel. Some of his education took place in England and some also took place in Spain. Listening to his music, his international influences are apparent. His trademark is a super-fast Spanish picking style. Even with 30 years of work under his belt, David Broza is still going strong. In 2007 he staged an ambitious concert with Jackson Browne and Shawn Colvin in the middle of the Negev dessert at Masada hill. He's spent a lot of time at Masada, recording two live albums there in the 90's.