Idan Raichel

Idan Raichel (עידן רייכל, ; b. 12 September 1977) is an Israeli singer-songwriter and musician known for his "Idan Raichel Project" (Hebrew: ), distinctive for its fusion of electronics, traditional Hebrew texts, and diverse musical influences.

Prior to the project, Raichel was a keyboardist, collaborating with artists such as Ivri Lider.

Idan Raichel was born in Kfar Saba, Israel, to an Ashkenazi Jewish family with Eastern European roots.

He began to play the accordion at the age of nine.

He was attracted to gypsy music and tango, and studied jazz piano in high school.

Raichel played in the Israel Defense Forces army band at the age of 18, performing covers of Israeli and Western pop hits at military bases around the country.

As the musical director of the band, he learned to do arrangements and produce live shows.

Following his military service, Raichel worked as a counselor at Hadassim, a boarding school for immigrants.

There he met young Ethiopian Jews who took him to Ethiopian bars and clubs in Tel Aviv and introduced him to Ethiopian folk and pop music, including that of Mahmoud Ahmed, Aster Aweke, and Gigi.

After working as a backup musician and recording with some of Israel's most popular singers, Raichel struck out on his own.

He began working on a demo recording in Kfar Saba and invited other singers and musicians to collaborate with him to create a new synthesis of sounds and styles.

He released two albums locally before signing an international deal.

The diversity of the Jewish diaspora and Israeli citizenry interested Raichel and influenced his musical career.

He has worked with Ethiopian Jews, Arabs, traditional Yemenite vocalists, a toaster and percussionist from Suriname, and a South African singer, among others.

The global fusion sound of the song "Bo'ee" ("Come with Me") propelled his group to the top of the charts.

The Idan Raichel Project's self-titled first album focuses on these cross-cultural collaborations.

It was released in Israel in 2002 and followed by a second album, Out of the Depths, in 2005.

This collaboration became a platform for the emergence of ethnic singers such as Cabra Casay, an Ethiopian Jew born in a refugee camp in Sudan, and Ravid Kahalani, from the band Yemen Blues, who explores his Yemenite roots.

The Yemenite-Israeli singer Shoshana Damari performed with the group just before she died in 2006 at the age of 86.

The Idan Raichel Project has released four albums as well as a collection of live recordings in Israel on the Helicon Label.

Cumbancha, a US-based record label, released the group's first album worldwide in 2006.

The album also received a nomination for Award for World Music by BBC Radio 3.

The Idan Raichel Project issued its second international release, Within My Walls, in 2008.

Raichel recorded much of this album while he was on tour in impromptu settings.

During his travels, he met musicians from around the world and exchanged musical ideas with them along the way.

He recorded and co-wrote songs with Colombian singer Marta Gómez, Cape Verdean Mayra Andrade, and Rwandan/Ugandan Somi.

The group performed at a number of international festivals and traveled to and performed across Europe, South and Central America, Asia, and Africa.

Raichel later worked with Grammy Award winner India.Arie on a project called Open Door.

They began working together in 2008 when India was visiting Israel.

Together, they performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC in front of President Barack Obama on Martin Luther King Jr. Day after Obama's election.

They also played the song "Gift of Acceptance" at the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize gala event.

In August 2011, the duet performed at the dedication ceremony for the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C., on their US tour.

Raichel and India.Arie produced Arie's first single, "6th Avenue", from her 2013 album Songversation.

Shimon Peres, then-president of Israel, asked Raichel to compose music for a poem Peres wrote about Israel's Ethiopian community.

The project's next album, Reva LaShesh ("Quarter to Six"), was released in 2013.

It includes guest appearances by Portuguese fado star Ana Moura, Palestinian-Israeli singer Mira Awad, German countertenor Andreas Scholl, Colombia's Marta Gómez, Vieux Farka Touré, and some of Israel's up-and-coming artists.

Quarter to Six reached triple-platinum sales status in Israel, selling over 116,000 copies.

The Project played at a private concert for President Barack Obama during his visit to Israel in March 2013.

Raichel was invited by pop star Alicia Keys to perform a duet with her on stage at the Nokia Stadium in Tel Aviv.

One month later, Raichel shared the stage with Patrick Bruel.