Despite boycotts of Israeli performers, Zehava is popular across the Arab world, particularly for her cover of the famous Egyptian singer Oum Kalthoum’s classic, Enta Omri. Zehava Ben, an Israeli singer of Moroccan heritage, offers an even more relevant example since she sings in Arabic. Dana International, the Israeli transgender pop star best known for winning the 1998 Eurovision Song Contest, gained popularity in Egypt and Jordan.
For example, in 2005, Qatar decided to cancel an entire five-day music festival after it received negative media pressure for inviting Israeli pianist Daniel Barenboim as a performer.īut a few artists have succeeded in reaching Arab listeners. Israeli musicians who have tried to engage with Arab populations have faced hurdles due to larger political dynamics. It went deep into our hearts,” Tair said.ĭespite A-Wa’s Yemenite roots, the band’s positive reception across the Arab world was never guaranteed. We remember as little girls visiting the Yemenite community they lived in, and we were drawn to all the different music and sounds. “Our grandparents brought the Yemenite groove with them when they came to Israel. The original Yemenite tune was taught to the three sisters-Tair, Liron, and Tagel Haim- by their paternal grandmother, who came to Israel from Ibb, Yemen, via Operation Magic Carpet shortly after Israel declared independence in 1948.Īfter a show in June in Washington, Liron excitedly told me, “Last night, we met two Yemenite sisters who said they felt like they were back at home when they listened to our songs.” A-Wa’s ability to connect with members of the Arabic community shows music’s power as a medium to bridge divides, and also represents a major thread of Mizrahi Jews, the label for Jews of Middle Eastern origin. In 2015, A-Wa’s single Habib Galbi became the first Arabic-language song to top the Israeli music charts. The band, whose mission is to elevate Yemenite music on the international stage, is composed of three Israeli sisters of Yemenite heritage.
The band A-Wa (pronounced “ai-wah,” informal Arabic for “yes!”) and their infectious blend of Yemenite folk, electronic, and hip-hop music can be heard all over the world-from Cairo taxi cabs to Dubai pool parties and Parisian nightclubs. Yemenite pop music has seen a resurgence.
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