David Broza


David Broza is an Israeli singer-songwriter. His music mixes modern pop with Spanish music.

Biography

David Broza was born in Haifa, Israel. His father was an Israeli–British businessman. He grew up in England and Spain, attending Runnymede College, in Madrid. Broza's grandfather, Wellesley Aron, co-founded the Arab-Israeli peace settlement Neve Shalom – Wāħat as-Salām and the Habonim youth movement. Young David Broza originally planned to become a graphic artist, and by age 17 he was selling his paintings in the Rastro, Madrid's Sunday flea market. Following high school, and while serving in the Israel Defense Forces, he began playing guitar in cafes to earn extra money. Eventually he was offered a record deal, but as he still hoped to attend the Rhode Island School of Design, he declined. He later recorded a tape to promote his live shows.
Broza was married to Ruti, from whom he is divorced. He has three children. He lived in Cresskill, New Jersey, United States for 17 years. He resides in Tel Aviv and is a member of Kehilat Sinai, a Masorti synagogue.

Musical career

His music reflects a fusion of the three countries in which he was raised: Israel, Spain and England. Since 1977, when his hit song “Yihye Tov” first hit the airwaves, David Broza has been working to promote a message of peace. In 2013, Broza began work on a new project – bringing together Israeli and Palestinian musicians for 8 days and nights to work side by side in an East Jerusalem recording studio. The result was East Jerusalem West Jerusalem, a collection of thirteen songs that blends cultures, languages and styles into a powerful statement about collaboration and coexistence. The album, produced by Steve Earle, features a stirring duet with Wyclef Jean.
In 2007, a concert at Masada featured Broza with special guests Jackson Browne and Shawn Colvin. David Broza has appeared as a guest and shared the bill with Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison and many more.

Musical collaboration

In 1994, David Broza performed with Texan singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt during a Writers in the Round concert in Houston. They never met or had any further contact thereafter, and yet, when Van Zandt died three years later, he left Broza a shoe box full of unreleased poems and lyrics with a request that Broza set them to music. Years later, the result of that unusual story was the album "Night Dawn: The Unpublished Poetry of Townes Van Zandt", which was released by Broza in 2010.
In 2007, David Broza performed at his annual Sunrise at Masada concert in Israel where Broza collaborated with Shawn Colvin and Jackson Browne. The concert was filmed as part of a PBS special and was released in 2014 on DVD and CD by Magenta Label Group.
In early 2013, Broza recorded sessions at Sabreen Studios in East Jerusalem with a band composed of both Israeli and Palestinian musicians, including Mira Awad, Shaa'nan Streett of Hadag Nahash, West Bank rap duo G-Town and Wyclef Jean. The resulting album, "East Jerusalem/West Jerusalem," produced by Steve Earle and Steve Greenberg, was released in early 2014 on S-Curve Records.

Peace activism

Broza was appointed a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF. His song "Together" was the theme song for the UNICEF 50th anniversary celebration in more than 148 countries.

Discography