You’ve probably never heard of Yissachar Dror. And that’s a shame.
A refreshing new voice on the Jewish music scene, Dror just released his first, full-length, solo album, Yachid Bimlucha – You are a Star, with eleven original creations, spanning multiple genres of music.
Born in Manhattan, and raised in Brooklyn, he comes from a family in which music is always present. “From day 1,” says Dror, “I started singing as far back as I can remember.” While his friends were playing sports, he would engross himself in music. He has video footage himself at three years old singing with his mother.
At age 13, he learned in Israel for a year and approached yeshiva student Eli Klein, to record a song that he had composed. At the same time, Kol Berama Radio opened in Israel, they heard his song, and asked him to record a jingle for their station. Dror points to this as his first official Jewish music milestone.
Every summer while growing up, he and his family vacationed in Paris, France, the birthplace of his mother, and he attended high school in Brooklyn, NY. Ten years ago, at age 18, Dror moved to Deal, NJ, and connected with one of his musical heroes, Yaakov Shwekey, for whom he spares no praise. A mutual friend of theirs, David Hillel, connected the two and they had multiple opportunities to sing together. Yissachar Dror shares that “I was honored to give input on song choices for Shwekey’s Those Were the Days album,” and that was his second significant Jewish music milestone. Through that project, he met producer Yitzy Waldner, who told him that his French background lends unique color to the songs Dror was composing. They met a few times and decided to work on an album together.
But first… In 2019, Dror recorded a cover song for his sister’s wedding. He took a kid to the studio and recorded Vehareinu. He sent it to Waldner who asked who the singer singing with the young man was. Dror replied, “It’s me,” to which Waldner replied, “Let’s record a song together.” Yet another milestone.
Dror’s father passed away in 2020 during Covid due to alleged lack of care in the hospital. According to his son, “He was a talmid chacham and was a significant music influence in my life.” He loved music and gave Yissachar a lot of background by always having music playing, of all different musical styles. In fact, it was the classics he heard growing up in his home that helped Yissachar give input on Shwekey’s Those Were the Days. One of the gifts his father gave his young and talented son was violin and music lessons.
Dror started gathering songs to record an album and while that was getting underway, his brother-in-law introduced him to his now-wife. The album, entitled Yachid Bimlucha – You are a Star, started to take shape and reflected a multitude of emotions and musical styles. Whose influence will you hear? Well, each song will reflect the style of a different artist or genre. The album, says Dror, “is designed to appeal to young listeners. I came to terms with the fact that I need to talk to the next generation of listeners.” Actually, the album can and will be enjoyed by Jewish music lovers of all ages. He categorizes himself in the “next generation” of Jewish singers. He considers it a bonus if Boomers buy the album, but suspects that they already got locked into singers they grew up with and have their favorites. As he states, “it’s hard to convince a Yossele Rosenblatt fan that Mordechai Shapiro is worth listening to.”
It’s clear that Yissachar Dror believes that there are no tricks to success. He worked hard on this album, and it shows. Listeners are introduced to his versatility with the 155 beats-per-minute, “concert-opener” song, Lo Mefachadim (We are not Afraid). This Israeli-style tune has a catchy hook that emphasizes that with, and because of, Siyata d’Shmaya, we are awesome and strong.
Most Jewish Press readers know Israeli singer and songwriter Yishai Ribo and the impact he is currently having on Jewish music. The lyrics to the title track of the album, written by Dror, were masterfully put to music by Ribo’s pianist David Ihilevich. It has a “Ribo vibe” with talking lyrics and all. It is a beautiful song in which Dror proclaims that Hashem is “unbelievable,” and through it he takes us from negative emotions to optimism.
Dror wanted to write and record a song in memory of his father, but his producer, Waldner, insisted that he move forward, not look back. So, Waldner wrote a wedding song. Two weeks later, Dror met his wife. On their 4th date, he played it for her. And sang in to her as she walked down the aisle at their wedding. (How cool is that!?) That song, Mo’I Kalla, appears as track 7 on the album, and features Yitzy Waldner.
He did ultimately record a tribute to his father on the album called “Silent Story,” and in “Elokah D’Meir Aneni” he put text to music the words the two of them shared with each other during his father’s final hours.
He admits that there is currently no clear answer on what Jewish music is and its direction. Which is why he released a debut album that has a little bit of everything.
You and your kids (and grandkids) need to hear the message in the Rashi-based song, “You are a Star,” that each one of us is precious and matters. Feeling down? Not looking forward to the day at work or school? Put this song on for the ultimate pick-me-up.
The Jewish music world needs Yissachar Dror. He is a star!
