Politics, peace and spicy-pop: Meet the Israeli-Palestinian boyband set to take the world by storm

Full disclaimer. The last live music gig attended by this middle-aged critic was The Eagles, back when late nights and a fully functioning pelvic floor were a reality. Fast forward several decades, and an invitation to preview a showcase performance by the first Israeli-Palestinian boy band at a boutique Soho hotel famed for its association with rock gods was a chance at youthful redemption.

With assurances that I wouldn’t disgrace myself by hurling anything at the stage (of either clothing or vegetable variety), Jewish News ventured out to meet the six young members of the aptly named ‘as1One’.

Aseel Farah (24), Nadav Philips (24), Neta Rozenblat (23), Niv Lin (23), Ohad Attia (23), and Sadik Abu Dogosh (22). were brought together in 2022 following an exhaustive audition process by producer heavyweights James Diener and Ken Levitan, renown for signing and developing bands like Maroon 5 and Kings of Leon.

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The mixed Israeli Jewish & Palestinian Arab pop group hail from Tel Aviv, Rahat, Haifa, Holon and Sapir, and between them play piano, guitar, drums, violin and ukelele.

Relocating to Los Angeles, they arrived on 6 October 2023, a day before the horrific Hamas atrocities across Israel. Its impact and aftermath are captured by the Paramount documentary crew who have been following the band’s journey from the beginning.

Their political and religious backgrounds, set aside because of their passion for music, were violently thrust into the limelight. Shown ahead of the musical showcase, the documentary trailer reveals the trauma, anger and emotional impact of Black Shabbat on each of the six singers, with the external war exploding into their personal and professional realities.

They’re in London for this first showcase ahead of a UK-wide tour of schools to grow their fanbase, after which it’s work: song-writing, recording, producing social media content and grafting. After all, there’s no such thing as an overnight success.

Chatting to them on the hotel rooftop ahead of their performance, it’s clear they want to put music above politics. The band know who they are, they’re each proud of their backgrounds and they’re not afraid to talk, argue and debate. Their success will not just be a musical success; it will be an example of co-existence and true brotherhood.

Unified, sporting sharp black suits, unbuttoned shirts and trendy jewellery, they absolutely look the part.

Neta, 23, is originally from the US and moved to Israel when he was 11. Referred to as the ‘Genius’ of the group, he appears to have been assigned the unofficial Gary Barlow spokesperson role; he’s genuinely and effortlessly good at it.

“The context of the band,” he says in answer to Jewish News’ questions about the impact of 7 October on them as a mixed Jewish-Arab group, “was supposed to be very happy one. Six guys fulfilling their dreams. But then we got to LA on October 6, the day after the war started and it was very clear that we were thrust into this kind of ambassador position. So, what was supposed to be very light hearted, happy and cheerful, turned into something a lot more serious.”

Whilst it was “not really what we signed up for, to be able to be ambassadors of Israelis and Palestinians for a better future, and to represent what we represent, is an incredible honour.”

He adds: “We see what’s going on back home and it’s really hard for us to be far away from that. To see yourself leaning on a Palestinian for support, for comfort, to talk to them about it, and to reach a certain mutual understanding, as well as someone to like and hear me out is beautiful and unheard of.”

Sadik is a soulful 22-year old Palestinian Bedouin from the Negev city of Rahat. His bandmates say he keeps his cards very close to his chest but makes them all laugh. Sporting a thick shock of curly black hair and with watchful eyes, he holds back from much of the conversation, admitting he’s homesick. He says that life there since 7 October remains the same. “Nothing really has changed.”

Ohad is a 23-year old affectionally referred to as ‘Elvis’. Nursing drinks (non-alcoholic), we spend several minutes guessing exactly how much gel is keeping his hair together, before he jumps in to add: “We wish for peace, not just for Palestine and Israel, but all over the world. Everyone has the right to have his own land, his own food and his own language. We’re musicians, here to show the world that we can just be together as human beings.”

Niv, the 23-year old with piercing blue eyes whom the group affectionately call their spiritual shaman, describes as1One as “six kind guys who are here because of the music. Even our parents have got closer to each other. They really care and want to know what’s going on.”

Joining the group from another interview, Nadav, 24, described by both himself and his bandmates, as the ‘diva’, greets everyone with a “Hello darling!” and sits down with a dramatic wave of his hand.

Confident, assured and larger-than-life, his extraordinary vocal range will be on mega-watt display an hour later. Alongside him is 24-year old Palestinian Arab Aseel, the rapper of the group with a passion for poetry and bird-watching. He’s endearingly praised for his “wholesome, golden retriever energy” and is someone who “always puts a smile on your face.”

Whilst their own personal music taste is eclectic (they joke about their completely different Spotify accounts), they describe their group style as ‘spicy pop’, because “we all come from different backgrounds and our music is so different.”

Ohad is a self-confessed rocker and a big fan of Kings of Leon; Niv is all about The Beatles, Bob Marley, Bob Dylan, Cat Stevens and Benson Boone. Sadik grew up listening to Bedouin-style Arab music and Afrobeats and Neta loves Frank Sinatra and Jeff Buckley.

Leaving to do their sound-check, Neta adds: “If there’s one word that will show up every single time we talk about ourselves, it’s diversity, because it’s not just being Israeli and Palestinian. It’s not just all the different places within Israel that we come from, whether it’s the desert or the city. You take our music and our backgrounds and we’re all very, very wildly different. But it turns out that the whole essence is like a Jackson Pollock painting; of all these different, beautiful colours.”

The showcase itself, in a small, intimate basement room of the hotel, proves as1One’s management’s belief in them as well-founded. It’s a big night for them and the veteran music executives are approvingly tapping their feet. Performing singles including ‘Together As One’ and ‘Stranger’, these boys can really SING and are clearly relishing doing so together.

It’s hard to put the politics aside because as a self-described Israeli-Palestinian group, it’s their USP. But looking beyond that is an incredibly talented group of young men who want to make an impact.

After this week, they’re either going back to LA or to their respective homes to recharge before going on to “conquer the world.” A newly confirmed groupie, Jewish News is betting they will.

Click here to listen to Stranger, by as1One