It ought to have been a feel-good story: six younger males, plucked from obscurity to turn into music stars. That is how Neta Rozenblat, a member of boyband as1one, places it.
Pop hopefuls don’t often discover themselves having to navigate concern, grief and complicated political points earlier than the world even is aware of their names – however theirs will not be a typical story.
As1one are billed because the first-ever Israeli Jewish and Palestinian Arab boyband, put collectively following a two-year search by US hitmakers behind acts comparable to Maroon 5 and Kings Of Leon.
Whereas the band has discovered appreciable assist, together with from large names – they recorded their first single with Nile Rodgers at London’s Abbey Highway – as Israel’s navy marketing campaign in Gaza continues, they’ve additionally confronted criticism and a few outrage. “Wrong Direction”, reads one headline, whereas different critics say the idea is in poor style.
Picture:
As1one and Nile Rodgers. Pic: Andrew Berkowitz
The six members, 4 Israelis and two Palestinians, are early 20-somethings Nadav Philips, Niv Lin, Aseel Farah, Ohad Attia and Sadik Abu Dogosh, alongside Rozenblat.
They’re hoping to turn into the Center Jap model of BTS. They are saying all they ever wished to do was sing – now, additionally they wish to unfold a message of unity.
After auditions and the choice course of, the younger males had been flown out to LA to begin work on 6 October 2023. “On to the next adventure,” they posted on Instagram forward of the flight, not realizing what was to return.
“We were just having fun, fulfilling our dreams,” says singer and pianist Lin, 23, who grew up within the southern Israeli city of Sapir, close to the positioning of the Supernova music pageant, at which greater than 360 folks had been killed. Throughout his early days in LA, he realized a buddy had died. “Suddenly the war has begun. We really didn’t know what to do.”
They contemplated returning house, he says. “Then we realised we have a big opportunity. We can show the world it’s possible to be Israeli and Palestinian together… it doesn’t matter who you are.”
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‘We’re simply six musicians, on the finish of the day’
Talking on Zoom from LA, the band members are sitting in a good formation, digicam prepared, and take turns to reply questions, with 22-year-old Rozenblat, who performs piano, guitar and violin, taking the lead. They’re all boyband gloss, smiles and enthusiasm, however reply readily to questions on their critics.
Rozenblat, who served as a medic within the Israeli military, factors out the band was fashioned earlier than the present struggle broke out and was “never intended to be a political statement”. However it’s arduous to not be when their advertising highlights their “Israeli-Palestinian boyband” uniqueness.
“We all give our opinions, we all take each and every one of our opinions and our emotions very seriously,” says 22-year-old Palestinian Farah, the group’s rapper and dancer, addressing the imbalance of getting 4 Israeli and two Palestinian members, and never an equal break up.
“Me and Sadik have Palestinian identity, the other four have Israeli identity… in the end, we are here for our music.”
“This combination just made more sense,” Philips interjects. They had been the six who labored greatest collectively.
“In the new context that we find ourselves in [following the outbreak of the war], it’s easier to look into it and to really try to find some sort of hidden meaning,” says Rozenblat. “People will see us as four Israelis and two Palestinians, but we’re just six musicians, at the end of the day.”
In a world divided, as1one are united by friendship, brotherhood and music. Our hearts break for all of the lives misplaced, the injured, and the grieving. We’re singers and musicians. We’re Israelis and Palestinians. We come from the identical place. Every of us could be very completely different – but we’re all one. This concept guides our band and we hope and pray, sooner or later, this concept will information the world.
as1one, October 2023
The seek for ‘various’ expertise
The music executives behind as1one, Ken Levitan and James Diener, say the purpose was to create a “global, state-of-the-art pop group from the Middle East region” and showcase the “incredible and undeniable talent from this area of the world on a global stage”.
Farah is from a Palestinian neighbourhood within the metropolis of Haifa. Abu Dogosh is from Rahat, an Arab Bedouin metropolis in Israel’s Southern District.
Auditions for as1one weren’t held within the West Financial institution or Gaza as a result of restrictions limiting motion and journey, which had been “widely known… even before the current conflict”, says Levitan.
In the end, there have been no “workable scenarios” to scout expertise in these areas, he says. “But our goal was to find as diverse a line-up as possible, and musicians who were part of the roughly two million Palestinian Arabs living in the state of Israel were included in our search.”
He says they sought recommendation from native specialists, together with Palestinian Arab musical specialists, and ensured their efforts had been “as respectful and inclusive as possible”, with the assist of the households of these auditioning.
Can as1one be actually consultant? And the way do Palestinians in these occupied territories really feel a couple of shiny, glad boyband spreading a message of unity, when the obstacles to peace are extra advanced?
Picture:
The band attended the MTV Video Music Awards in New York earlier this 12 months. Pic: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
‘We’re not politicians – we do not have the answer’
Within the interview, Rozenblat responds, saying all of them solely ever wished to sing. Each Farah and Abu Dogosh have household and pals within the West Financial institution, they inform me.
“We’re not politicians,” says Rozenblat. “We don’t know what the solution is for the conflict. We are here to make music.” Nonetheless, he acknowledges why their background has led to questions.
“We are Israelis and we are Palestinians. We experienced this firsthand… a lot of the time, people will talk about the conflict as two sides and forget there’s people [involved]. These are our families, these are our people, they are our friends. People that we personally know, they’re involved in this conflict, and we want to just remind people that we’re all human.”
They’re all supported by their family and friends, says Attia, 22, a singer who performs guitar, bass and drums. “When we got here we all had thoughts to come back. We were so worried about our families and wanted to be with them because this is the hardest time of ours and their lives. But they told us they want us to stay here.”
A brand new four-part documentary follows the band’s creation and the work put in earlier than their launch. Greater than 1,000 younger males auditioned throughout Israel earlier than the ultimate 20 had been whittled down in 2022, throughout a boot camp in Neve Shalom, a novel village in Israel the place Jewish and Arab residents reside collectively peacefully.
After the six had been picked, the cameras adopted their journey to LA. Having been “raised so differently”, the six younger males had been all “trying to convince each other what’s right and what’s wrong” after the Hamas assaults, says Philips. “The right thing to do is to listen.”
“You have to die a little to learn,” provides Farah. “We have different backgrounds, different opinions… in the end, we all want peace. We all want a way to move forward.”
It has been a change of life-style, for some greater than others. “It’s very different than home,” says Abu Dogosh, the group’s quietest member, who’s proven within the documentary speaking of his “simple” upbringing. “We are trying to make this our new home.”
‘If it has a superb coronary heart, then it may be good’
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They wish to be the world’s subsequent largest boyband, says Philips. They’ve simply launched their second single, Stranger, forward of their self-titled debut album, following the primary single, All Eyes On Us, the track recorded with Rodgers.
Farah says he has been impressed by the cultural change introduced by BTS, who “broke out K-pop into the entire world”.
Collectively, as1one hope to make cultural adjustments, too, he says. “We want the people who make groups to feel courageous to do something a little bit controversial, a little bit risky – because if it has a good heart, then it can be good.”
However music is the soundtrack to folks’s lives, he provides, and folks will at all times discover connection by it.
“All of that is what’s motivating us in the as1one journey – to create the best music, unite people and offer positivity. We are proud of as1one and their music.”
As1One: The Israeli-Palestinian Pop Music Journey is out on Paramount+ from 3 December
