Idan Raichel will appear live in concert in Palo Alto, Los Angeles, New York, and Boston in November 2022. In honor of his upcoming shows in the USA, Idan sat down with Israel Hour Radio host Josh Shron to discuss his career, his busy schedule during Coronavirus, the making of some HUGE songs, his upcoming USA tour, and more. You can watch the interview on YouTube above, and the full text of the interview appears below.
[Josh Shron] It’s Josh Shron at Israel Hour Radio and I am so thrilled to speak to our next guest. This is not his first time on our show, we’ve spoken to Idan Raichel a few times over the years, but not since 2016. And he is coming back to the United States this November, can not wait to see Idan Raichel and the entire Idan Raichel project and thrilled to talk to him once again to find out about what’s coming up, so Idan Raichel, welcome back to Israel Hour Radio.
[Idan Raichel] Thank you, thank you for having me. Great to hear you.
[Josh Shron] You’re always such an interesting person to talk to, because the music is amazing, but the stories behind the songs and and all that’s going on in your life is is always so fascinating. Forgive me, I’m, I haven’t spoken to you in a few years, not since 2016. And a lot has happened since then in your in your life, in your career and in the in the entire world. So forgive me if I go back just a little bit. But I need to go back to 2019, when you were responsible, partially responsible for Shevet Achim VaAchayot. I’m sure you’ve talked about it 3 million times since then. But never to me. So tell me, how did that song come about? And did you ever expect it to be the incredible, incredible phenomenon that it became?
[Idan Raichel] Shevet Achim VaAchayot, the tribe, the tribe, tribe of brothers and sisters, was created because we have continuous elections, every government here was holding only for between 12 to 18 months. And we felt that the hostile almost environment between the parties, the right and the left is starting affecting the population, the civils the the atmosphere in the streets. And I think that the biggest challenge of our us as a society in Israel, more of our more than even our challenges in front of dealing with Iran and, and our enemies or neighbors cross the borders. The biggest challenge and the most important challenge for us is to stick together because our strength and our power is always when we are together. Together by the way, not only the people that are living in Israel, but all of our community diaspora that is supporting our life here. So Shevet Achim VaAchayot was kind of “We Are The World” of Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie back in the days. So to have something like that very uplifting for the independence day. So it was a fun thing to do.
[Josh Shron] Well, I don’t know if it united Israeli society because here we are with another election just a few days away, but it sure made everybody feel great. Were you were you surprised by the success of that song?
[Idan Raichel] It depends how do you define success for the with the song got huge hug. The when, when for those of the listeners who are not familiar with the song, it’s kind of a song that many 10s of dozens of singers are singing all together, each one of them is singing like one phrase. And we were mostly surprised by the cover versions that this song got like after a week or two. Kids in kindergartens make their own version, you know, four years old, five years old kids, making their own version, nurses and health teams that were fighting the COVID and making their own version the police departments in Israel. They made their own version. It was also one of the most known sentences from the song means “Kan Zeh Bayit, Kan Zeh Lev,” here is my home, here is my heart. And there was a very exciting and moving version from Ethiopian Jews that are still stuck more or less in the refugee camps in in Ethiopia, they sang in their version “Sham zeh bayit, sham zeh lev,” over there it’s our heart, over there it’s our home. So it was a very moving version. And yes, I do think that songs like that can can, you know, just can send us a little blink, you know, it’s kind of a notice to remember what is important, you know, after all to stick together.
[Josh Shron] I haven’t heard that Ethiopian version, but I am surprised because I think I’ve seen most of the ones that you mentioned. But I’m just definitely going to check it out right after I’m done with you. That sounds really, really cool. Let’s let’s move on to 2020. And you were partially responsible for the song that was supposed to represent Israel in the Eurovision in 2020, sung by Eden Alene, “Feker Libi”. What an amazing song and I know so many of us were really disappointed that that song didn’t actually compete in the Eurovision which was cancelled in 2020. You think it would have done pretty well if it had been able to compete?
[Idan Raichel] Indeed, I definitely think that it could have done you know, they’re always like people are betting on on the songs and the song got a lot of that, you know, there’s the number one. “Feker Libi”, a love of my heart was sang by Eden Alene and I composed this song with the Doron Medalie same partner that I composed the Shevet Achim VaAchayot, and it was important for us to bring the the Israeli strong female voice and also to bring the New Age Israeli female that is she’s Israeli and she remembers and acknowledge her heritage so I thought it was beautiful version by Eden Alene and I thought it it could have done great even without winning the number one just as a message to the world how this is a beautiful society and beauty, beauty all of the inner beauty of our ladies here in Israel.
[Josh Shron] And I guess that’s a good point because most of us were, many of us were very, very disappointed that the song didn’t actually compete. But the truth is the world did get to hear it and the world did get to see the the power of Eden Alene and the multiculturalism of Israel and … I really hadn’t thought of it that way because we were all so upset and so bummed that we felt that many of us felt the song they chose for her for the next year wasn’t quite up to, didn’t have the same impact. Very interesting.
[Idan Raichel] Yes, We are responsible for everything that we are releasing out outside, you know, there we have, we are responsible for the for the message that we are bringing you know, and when especially when we are representing our country, it is important that we will not just participate in the Eurovision we are participating and we are becoming kind of ambassadors even for one night for our beloved country.
[Josh Shron] I love the way you think and I think you need to be involved in the next song that Israel brings to the Eurovision Song Contest.
[Idan Raichel] Hopefully yes.
[Josh Shron] Well, so now we’re still in 2020 and of course we have a global pandemic, Coronavirus hit and I know many of my listeners were thrilled that you were very active during Coronavirus going online and bringing live streams to the world. Tell me about that time for you and what it meant for you personally and for your career.
[Idan Raichel] It was one of the most busiest times for us because we you know we had a responsibility also for our audience in Israel also for our fans around the world but also for our communities and people that didn’t know our music. And we did online concerts for for the health teams, you know, nurses and doctors that were fighting the the COVID 24/7. So we gave them some artistic and entertainment cultural break. We did for the Army concerts online we did for Keren HaYesod and HaHistadrut HaTziyonit. It was important for… Keren Kayemet L’yisrael. Although in one hand we were in quarantine and we were separated from each other but it was a good opportunity to strengthen up everyone and to feel that no one is really staying alone and by himself, by herself. And we’re just sticking together.
[Josh Shron] And that that concert that you did on Yom Ha’atzmaut, in the park with so many band members and the entire Idan Raichel Project was one of the most incredible things that I think many of us have ever seen. A real concert experience unlike anything else. How was that for you?
[Idan Raichel] We took a park and we kept the social distance that was required. And the band was like…we open like two big circles. And you can actually watch this concert online on YouTube. But for those of you who will not find it on YouTube, you can direct message me on Instagram. And I’ll send you the links and it’s I-D-A-N, my name Idan, I-D-A-N, and Raichel is like “Rachel” with an i, R-A-I-C-H-E-L. So you can DM me and, and yeah, it was a beautiful concert was a great opportunity to play in Yom Ha’atzmaut. Because in Israel, you know, in the independence Day, Yom Ha’atzmaut, everyone is going out to the parks and, and listening to bands and stuff, but everyone was quarantined. So we decided to just to broadcast to all Israel live concert for free on the most watched commercial TV, Channel 12 Keshet. And it was just beautiful. And, as you mentioned, now, even now for two to three years, we still getting responses for for this beautiful concert.
[Josh Shron] It really was. So now we are back to, back to business. And we’ll talk about your US tour in a second, I want to ask you, when you sit down to write a song, and you’re responsible for so many amazing, amazing songs over the years for yourself, for others. Tell me about your creative process. What does it look like when Idan Raichel sits down and then sets out to create something new?
[Idan Raichel] So I have to say that I have to be honest, that mostly inspired by, by people, and it’s not that I’m having, you know, this new generation has a lot of what you call writing sessions that you come sit together and you sit and you it’s, it became kind of a working process, which is, you know, the most known songs of the world were created like that. But somehow, I am less, I feel less connected to this way. And I’m just writing when I’m inspired, and it’s sometimes it happens and sometimes not sometimes I can write something very fast, or sometimes it takes months. So I’m mostly inspired by, you know, it can be a documentary, it can be a conversation, and then just kind of rewriting it in my own way. And it can be very simple songs, you know, sometimes it’s just a thought, like, “Bo’ee”, one of our most known songs, it’s only eight sentences or four sentences. So very, very simple. “She’eriyot Shel HaChaim”, scraps of life, it’s really it’s almost like a note in your phone. And it just becomes a song. But it’s not with a lot of…it’s not in even in form of song of verses and choruses and stuff, it’s just what it is. So sometimes, sometimes just, it’s just what it is. So I have to say that, you know, sometimes they they offer me every year to come to become a mentor in one of the, you know, Israeli idol, the, the the, like the our version for American Idol or, or The Voice, but I always tell them that I don’t feel that I can really be a mentor. It’s not that I have, I’ll just tell people just sing and do it in your way. At least after many years you can say like Frank Sinatra, you can say, I did it my way, but it’s not like I can give them any tip or any….
[Josh Shron] Well, let me ask you in addition to that, you you’ve always written a lot of songs for others from the first days of, of the Idan Raichel Project. And even now you’re collaborating with Margalit Tzana’ani and Eyal Golan and Zahava Ben, and so many others. When you do you write songs with these other artists in mind, or is it a song that you just have, and you say, oh, you know, maybe we can share? How do you, how did these collaborations come to be?
[Idan Raichel] You can compare it to a work of the film that you know, you write the script or a book that becomes a script. And then then you you start a casting process of who will be the right. Who you would you assume that will be the right singer are the right actor for this scene. And I have to admit that you know, sometimes I really wanted to sing those songs by myself, but I just I had to be honest with myself that there are better actors who could have sang this song. And, and sometimes you know that directors are great directors like Spike Lee or Woody Allen, I play one of the roles by myself, or I sing but so it’s kind of a work in process. There are film directors and script writers that are writing, and they have the role, the actors already in their minds who will act. But I mostly write without thinking who will be the singer, and I just wait until the right casting will, there will be a good match where the, you know, yeah, is basically what it is.
[Josh Shron] And every so often you’ll you’ll surprise us by taking a song that of yours that somebody else sang, and then you’ll come on YouTube and sing that song yourself. Bringing a whole new, a whole new dimension to it, I think that’s a lot of fun.
[Idan Raichel] Yeah, it’s something that I didn’t, sometimes it’s like, it’s almost like behind the behind the scenes just to share just to share with with, with the listeners and people that are subscribing to my channel, and are interested on the kind of the original way of how, how I sang it in the studio before it was recorded. So people subscribe to our YouTube channel. And then I, I share, there the kind of versions that are it’s like how the song was written in my, in my studio, it’s kind of a, of a nice way to show and to share, sometimes it’s interesting to see how the song started before it was produced and, or are sung by different singers. Yes.
[Josh Shron] Well, I think it’s great. Let’s talk a little bit about your upcoming tour. The last time we saw you here in the United States, I think you were on tour solo, it was just you and your piano. And I think this time is going to be, from what I’m understanding, a very different concert. You’re going to be in Palo Alto on November 12, Los Angeles on November 13, November 17, in Brooklyn, New York, hope to be that one myself and November 19, in Boston, tell me what you have in store for this upcoming US tour.
[Idan Raichel] So yeah, so we’re very excited for this, you know, because we haven’t been with a big band, or that with a band, we were like 15 people on stage and another four or five crew members is a big part of that is going on the road. We haven’t been together on stage for many years already. We visited one private event for the IAC in in Miami recently. But other than that, we haven’t toured for a long time I was touring also, back in the days, I was touring a lot with this band. And then I started to tour with Grammy Award winning India Arie for two years, and then with West African virtuals guitar player Vieux Farka Touré. And then I started piano solo, and with Andreas Scholl, the opera singer, so it was different bands in different formats. And then I really missed the band. And it’s fun, because you were just mentioning the band that did so great at the quarantine Park on. So it’s actually the same band that we decided to. I checked, I checked the availability of everyone and we just putting up the same band that everyone loved from this park concert and we bring them all to Palo Alto, to LA to New York and to Boston. And I think it’s yes, definitely going to be pure fun.
[Josh Shron] I think it is. And if anyone is interested in going to see the Idan Raichel Project, all the information you need to know is on our website, myisraelimusic.com That’s myisraelimusic.com. And you just got me very excited because if it’s anything like that great Yom Ha’atzmaut concert, then you know, we are in for a real, real treat. And by the way, I need to tell you that when I told my listeners that I was talking to you, of course instantly I got these messages, hey, he needs to come to Atlanta, he needs to come to Philadelphia, he needs to come to Arizona. I know that that COVID is just behind us and things are just starting to get back to normal. But do you have anything you can tell the people who might live further away from these, these big cities?
[Idan Raichel] So I’ll give you, you know what? I’ll give you a tip to all the listeners that are interested. I have four kids. So one is eight years old, seven years old. And I have twins that are 18 months. So I haven’t slept for 18 months. So just just call me and I’m coming, you know, I’ll be happy to take flights and just sleep over just to be jet lagged and just to be sleeping all over. So every one of you, let’s say that you’re in Atlanta in Texas, in Milwaukee, whatever, get your community, book us, even upcoming piano solo, just save me. Thank you.
[Josh Shron] Just so you can sleep in a hotel for a few nights and get a good night’s sleep.
[Idan Raichel] Just Just tell me when you’re available, get me a flight and I’m coming. That will make it very easy. Yeah,
[Josh Shron] Idan, you’re always reinventing yourself. Every time we talk to you, you’re you’re doing something new and different. Can you tell me a little bit about what might be for the future of, of Idan Raichel and the Idan Raichel project.
[Idan Raichel] So for the very near future. For the very near future. It’s this night, this night I’m gonna be giving bottles for to drink milk for my twins. This is the very near future, we just talked about it. And for the long run, I guess that you know, maybe we’ll start tour again, you know, we haven’t been, it’s been awhile since I’ve been on the road. So I’ll be very happy to come back and to meet you know, the our community and music lovers from all over the world. And yeah, just contact us and we are and I’ll be there.
[Josh Shron] And before I let you go I one of my listeners just told me yesterday that they they heard that, I know this is a long time ago already, but that your wife made you cut your hair. Is that, Is that a true story?
[Idan Raichel] Yes, I’m around eight years ago when she was like five months pregnant with our first baby. We decided to you know, it was her decision just to just to get rid of the dreadlocks and and yeah, she she we were visiting Vienna her hometown Vienna Austria. She bought this, I don’t know how you call it, this machine you know this haircut machine, She just shaved, she just how you said in English? Haircut machine?
[Josh Shron] Yeah, a shaver, an electric shaver
[Idan Raichel] yeah electric shaver so she just bought an electric shaver. Plugged it in and she just shaved it, it was no conversation about, instead ok, done.
[Josh Shron] Do you miss it?
[Idan Raichel] No, I said no. I want one time in the past eight years I dreamt about it that I have it back again. Which may be can you can assume that it’s maybe like missing it. But only one time I dreamt about it other than that I didn’t miss it. No.
[Josh Shron] Well, we we love you no matter how you look. And it is it is so great to talk to you and to get a you know reconnect with you and to find out what’s going on in your world. And because your world is just so interesting. And you bring joy to so many people. We cannot wait to see you all around the United States. And thank you so much for joining us here on Israel Hour Radio.
[Idan Raichel] So thank you, thank you for supporting my music and to have this interview supporting our upcoming tour and to give me you know, this precious time, so thank you and for all the listeners. And I hope to see you very soon.
