Amidst conflict and tension, here is a band that sings about life in Israel. Jamaya, which blends the traditional sounds of East and West Arab world with contemporary music of the West, including Hip Hop, Rock, Groove, is on its first tour to India.
After performing in New Delhi, the band comprising Tal Ariya, Tamir Hillel, Naor Eliyahu, Micha Korkus, Lior Grayevski and Ron Bakal presented a gig in Bengaluru on Sunday.
The band members began to play six year ago when they were just 16-year-olds. “We were high school friends. We started playing music as a hobby, but soon we got so much into it that we started playing professionally,” said Mr. Ariya.
The band, which has released one album, sings in Hebrew, Arabic and sometimes in English. “The lyrics of the songs talk about the positive approach to the strife and problems that people in Israel face in their day-to-day life. We don’t criticise anyone, but believe that music can bind people together and help find constructive solutions,” said Mr. Hillel.
Finding Indian and Israeli music to be similar in terms of both blending varied genres with the traditional sounds, Mr. Ariya said the band was apprehensive whether the audience in India will be able to appreciate their music.
“We were pleasantly surprised to see people really enjoying the songs. Though we were singing in Hebrew and Arabic, it is the music and sounds that reached the people,” he said.
