New Six13 Parody Could Be Their Best Yet

Acclaimed a cappella group Six13 just released a new Chanukah video – a good enough reason to meet and talk to them about their music. And about the trend over the last decade or so among Jewish a cappella groups – particularly Six13 and the Maccabeats – to create parody versions of mainstream songs for Chanukah and other holidays. It almost feels like a competition, with each trying to one-up the other.

So over Zoom, I met with Mordy Weinstein (whom I already interviewed a few months ago), Eitan Hiller, and Chaim Moskowitz. I was also interested in talking to fellow member Craig Resmovits, but he was busy just then. As his friends and fellow singers said, he is one of the most active musicians in the group. The other members of Six13 are Mike Boxer, Lior Melnick, Nathaniel Ribner, and Josh Sauer.

But before we started talking about music, there was a question I really had to ask them:

“You compete with the Maccabeats on Chanukah – the Maccabeats… Chanukah… Are you sure that’s a good idea? Are you not afraid to lose?”

“Luckily they’re not Yevanim,” Weinstein shot back. He added that they are also friends; a little competition can be a good thing.

As the candles of Chanukah begin to glow this year, fans of Jewish music and pop-culture mash-ups will receive their annual gift: Six13 is dropping their newest song, entitled “Golden: A KPop Demon Hunters Chanukah.” The track “Chanukafies” the Netflix blockbuster’s two biggest hits, “Golden” and “Soda Pop.”

But besides parodies, Six13 has a rich repertoire. If you look at their YouTube, you can also find many covers of popular songs. I was interested to know if, besides all this, if they also compose original songs?

They do. Actually, most of their music is original, and you can find it on their albums. On their YouTube, they mostly put the parodies and covers of popular songs because those get more notice.

Where does their inspiration come from? They tell me they are inspired by world events as well as personal experiences. For example, on their fifth album, Believe, released in 2013, the last song, “Shema” (which is a beautiful quiet song – you should listen to it) was composed by one of the members when a new son was born to him.

Six13 has also created parodies for Pesach, Rosh Hashanah, etc. which are all posted online. But most of the parodies (and the most famous ones) are for Chanukah.

They quote Rambam, who says that “Mitzvat ner Chanukah chaviv me’od” – the mitzvah of lighting Chanukah candles is very beloved. Also, Chanukah is perhaps the most popular holiday among secular Jews.

I’m curious how long it takes to produce these videos, so I ask them to take me through the process.

It takes a long time, they tell me. They started work on this year’s video in October, but the planning actually began in August. And last year, they began planning in June.

When they start preparing for that year’s video parody, first they look at actual events in the news, culture, new movies that are coming out, new musicals, and anything else going on. They try to go with something familiar. There are many artists and many good songs, but they try to produce their video parodies about something well-known in the world.

After they have the concept and the initial plan, they begin to work on the lyrics. Once they have the lyrics ready, they start planning the video itself. They work on the musical arrangement and record it in the studio. Then they focus on the video. Before they film the video, they work out the visual concept – what they want to shoot. This year, for example, they filmed the video for two days in different places – in New York and New Jersey.

Sometimes it’s hard to believe their music is really only vocals. “Is there no instrument at all?” In their “Matza Mia! An ABBA Passover,” for example, the solo sounds so realistic.

It’s all vocals, they assure me. In the past, they even had a disclaimer that it was all only vocals – to assure people that they could listen to their music during Sefirat HaOmer.

I was curious if they ever got any negative feedback from Jewish educators – for example, for doing “non-Jewish” music such as ABBA, Wicked, Queen, and Elton John in their parodies.

People understand it’s a parody, they say. Also, educators want to give their students something fun for the holiday. But they mention that they’re very careful about the content. For example, in one of the Chanukah songs, there was something that implies that you enjoy the lights of the chanukiyah (Chanukah menorah). They debated and discussed among themselves, and decided to change the lyrics because according to halacha, one cannot benefit from the chanukiyah’s lights.

What kind of music do they like to listen to themselves?

Mordy Weinstein says he likes Israeli music, such as Hanan Ben Ari and Moshe Peretz. He is also a big fan of Stevie Wonder, John Mayer, Bruno Mars, and Foo Fighters.

Chaim Moskowitz says he loves Broadway musicals, including Hamilton. (One of their past Chanukah videos was “A Hamilton Chanukah,” which they performed at the White House.) He also likes country music (Zac Brown Band, Darius Rucker) as well as classical music (Andrea Bocelli, Luciano Pavarotti). And of course, Jewish music. He’s a big fan of Avraham Fried, Ishay Ribo, and Shmuel.

Eitan Hiller says he likes Jacob Collier, Mordechai Shapiro, and Yoni Gelfand (his favorite album is Hoshia). And since he was seven years old, he’s been a big fan of…Six13! That was actually the reason he joined the band. For him, it was kind of fulfilling a dream.

Some of the Six13 members have other professions.

Moskowitz is a teacher. Weinstein is a full-time musician and also runs two high school choirs. Hiller is a musician and also an actor, currently doing musical theater.

I’ve noticed that many singers I’ve interviewed started their singing careers in a yeshiva choir or school choir. When you are young and frum, you do not have many options to do music. Besides the choirs, there are not that many options for frum kids to become singers. The choirs are a place with a religious atmosphere for kids to do music in a kosher way. Moskowitz says he was in a choir with Mordechai Shapiro. Weinstein started to sing in his school’s choir. Hiller was in HaZamir: The International Jewish Teen Choir, which brings about 400-500 kids together once a year for a Shabbaton. Six years later, he got to perform with Six13 at the same Shabbaton.

This year, the new Six13 parody is their biggest yet. With “Golden: A KPop Demon Hunters Chanukah,” the group seems to be pushing the boundaries further – blending the high-energy electro-pop styling of modern Kpop with the warmth, history, and joy of Chanukah. This year’s video portrays a clear shift in production value, fitting in with the vibrant world of KPop Demon Hunters while also staying true to Six13’s own style.

“We loved these songs from the moment we heard them, and quickly saw how applicable they could be to Chanukah, a time when we recall the miracle of our survival against all odds and how we can light up the darkest nights of the year with our golden warmth,” says Ribner. “We needed a whole lot of pink and purple hair spray!”

This video feels larger and more vibrant than other recent Six13 videos. The magic of Chanukah infused with the vibrancy of the KPop Demon Hunters world is made clear with the group's captivating voices, infectious energy, and shiny costumes.

The song was arranged by Mike Boxer, and the video filmed and edited by David Khabinsky. Visit Six13.com for more info.