David Broza, the internationally acclaimed Israeli singer & songwriter, peace activist, and founder of the One Million Guitars not-for-profit musical education initiative is the first major artist to support the What About Us musical.
What About Us is a live stage musical that is being created and performed by talented young artists, including those whose countries have been affected by war and terror such as Israel, Palestine, and Ireland.
David’s Music
David’s high-octane performances span a fusion of influences from the 3 countries he was raised in Israel, Spain, and England. He is also an accomplished painter and by 15 he was selling his art 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. And so, his lifelong music career was born. His first hit came in 1977, Yihye Tov, (roughly translated as “Things will be better”). The song struck home to many young people from across the world, and since that time David has worked tirelessly for peace while writing and performing a string of award-winning multi-platinum albums.
Neve Shalom – Oasis of Peace village
Born in Haifa, Israel, David had an early introduction to the complexity of the Israeli Palestinian conflict. His grandfather, Wellesley Aron, co-founded the Arab-Israeli peace settlement Neve Shalom – Wāħat as-Salām (The Oasis of Peace). The initiative was established by Israeli Jews and Arabs in an attempt to show that the two peoples can live side by side peacefully, as well as to conduct educational work for peace, equality, and understanding between the two peoples. The village is located on one of the two Latrun hilltops overlooking the Ayalon Valley and lies midway between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. The What About Us team is looking at the village as a potential venue to host the music and story workshops that are planned for October in Israel and Palestine.
One Million Guitars
David is also the founder of One Million Guitars, a not-for-profit foundation on a mission to improve and impact the lives of millions of children across the globe.
The Foundation provides musical education and the gift of a guitar to all children that participate in the course for two years. The guitars were designed by David and are handmade in Asia. David commented:
“Having access to music education can transform the future of great learners and affect the trajectory of their entire lives. Apart from the subjective notion that music lifts the soul, it has been empirically shown that learners with the benefit of a musical training excel in other academic and creative domains. Yet so many of our brightest minds, those who can inspire future generations to improve our world, do not have access to a music education“
A role model for peace in Israel and Palestine
David has always been a champion for peace. In 2013, he was the driving force behind bringing together Israeli and Palestinian musicians for eight days and nights to work side-by-side in Sabreen, the East Jerusalem recording studio. The incredible output was the documentary and companion album, 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 an amazing duet with Wyclef Jean.
Supporting What About Us.
“What About Us is a Musical project that can positively impact society, promote peace over war, and challenge societal issues such as global warming and climate change”
David has committed his life to peace causes, especially finding some resolution to the Israeli / Palestinian conflict. He is first up to officially support the What About Us initiative and it is expected his backing will encourage other internationally acclaimed artists to give their support to this important project. David commented
“I am impressed by the group of musicians and artists who are involved in this special and inspiring project . I look forward to seeing it develop and happy to assist in any way”.
David Broza
David Today
David continues to tour and record with music luminaries from around the globe. He has shared the bill with music greats such as Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, and Van Morrison. As soon as the Covid crisis has passed, David will be back on the road again.
Despite the current lockdown, David has recently released the poignant instrumental track “Tears for Barcelona“, an almost uncanny foresight into the pandemic that has floored Spain. You can watch this incredibly beautiful and emotional video here.