Berel Faiden knew he was going to be a singer since he was a kid. In a picture from a Purim party when he was young, he is already holding the mic in his hand. Opinions are divided here: When we spoke, Faiden said he was five or six when the picture was taken. However, the next day, he informed me that he asked his mother and she said he was actually eight at the time. And you know that mothers are always right…
Whether he began singing at five, six, or eight, Faiden indeed became a singer, and he has just released his debut album. Honestly, when you listen to the songs and watch the music videos, you think: He nailed it.
In this column, I like to interview both rock stars in Jewish music – such as Yeedle, Eitan Katz, and, most recently, Itzik Dadya – and also emerging singers and artists. That way, maybe one day I can say, “I interviewed the next Avraham Fried or Mordechai Ben David. I discovered him!” So maybe one day in the future, when he becomes a rock star in the Jewish music world, I’ll be able to say, “I interviewed Berel Faiden before he was famous!”
The album’s title song, “Chagigah,” composed by Avi Soli, is a driving, high-energy, and catchy track with a light electronic beat mixed with “traditional” instruments in chassidic music, such as the trumpet and trombone. And so is the video, which, when I watched it on YouTube, was easy to recognize as having been filmed in Israel.
The first thing I asked Faiden when we spoke is: Where did you find an American cop in Israel?
Faiden laughed and told me the story. He is a Chabadnik and was on shlichus in Vietnam when he bumped into David, a tourist from Lakewood. When David saw him, he asked, “Where is the minyan here?” They traveled together and after David went home, they kept in touch.
Fast forward to the new album. When Faiden needed a dancer for the video, he remembered that David was a good dancer, so he reached out to David, who happened to be in Israel at the time.
But I still didn’t get the answer to my question: Why was he dressed as an American police officer if the video was filmed in Israel? “Oh,” said Faiden, laughing. “That’s just the costume they had…”
Faiden is 26. He grew up in Morristown, NJ. His family were Chabad shluchim there and his father teaches in yeshiva. As a kid, Faiden grew up on Avraham Fried, Mordechai Ben David, and Shwekey, and the Chabad niggunim. He has six siblings.
About ten years ago, he began to take voice lessons. And over the last ten years, he has served as a chazzan for the Yamim Noraim in West Palm Beach, FL. (He started as a chazzan when he was just 14.) Now he serves as a chazzan in Westchester, and besides the High Holidays, he also goes to Florida a few times during the year to lead the services.
Over the years, he had gigs as a singer and did weddings and bar mitzvahs. About three or four years ago, he decided to finally become a professional singer. He continued singing at weddings and began to put out singles, and now he’s released a full album.
The singles were composed and produced by Yitzy Waldner. I asked him how he came to work with Waldner. Faiden said he called Sruly Meyer, who was Benny Friedman’s manager. Faiden asked for his help in promoting his social media. Then they started to talk about music and Faiden asked him for advice on becoming a singer. Meyer has a very good ear. He realized Faiden’s potential and connected him to Waldner.
In the booklet that comes with the new album, Faiden remembered to mention Meyer: “Sruly Meyer – Your expertise and support is truly appreciated!” He also told me that his parents are his biggest supporters.
In November, he decided he wanted to release a full album. He called Meyer, who told him to come to Israel. Faiden went to different studios and producers until he met Avi Soli. It was a click.
Faiden wanted the album to be very positive and full of simcha. He wanted to bring joy to Am Yisrael. He notes that even the slow songs on the album are not really slow.
I asked him how being a Chabad chassid has impacted his work.
He believes it is his shlichus to inspire people, to lift them up when they’re down. “Lift ’Em Up” is also the second song on the album. It’s a really cool song. It was written and composed by Ari Goldwag.
It begins with a piano intro and has a light rock beat. It features synthesizer sounds and sounds like a modern, light pop-rock song. I think that in the middle, I could hear Faiden transpose to a higher key and shift into a higher register, which I always like, and it’s not the easiest for a singer.
“Lift ’em up, lift ’em up, up.
Walkin’ downtown,
as I’m lookin’ all around,
there are people everywhere I go.
What’s goin’ on inside ’em
even when I’m right beside ’em?
There is no way I could really know
I will change the world around me,
I will let the light surround me,
I can give a big smile and lift ’em up, lift ’em up…”
“Lift ’Em Up” and “Anachnu Nes” were originally composed as acoustic pieces. In the final stages of production, they were reimagined as electronic dance tracks to bring a brighter, more uplifting energy to the album.
When he sings at a chuppah and sees the chosson and kallah glowing, Faiden knows he is fulfilling his shlichus. Music touches people, touches the soul. When he is able to connect people with each other, and with Hashem, through music, he feels he is accomplishing his purpose and sharing his talent with the world. And when you give, you actually feel that you are getting. This is where Faiden gets the inspiration to continue with his music.
He told me about the process of making the album. He ran a fundraising campaign, and about 500 people gave him from $18 to $100 and even more. Some even gave a few thousand. Before his flight to Israel, he put a status update on his WhatsApp where he wrote: “I need 400 people to give me $18 when I land in Tel Aviv. If I get $18 from everyone here, I’ll be able to release the album.” He ended up getting much more. Most of the people involved in producing this debut album are very young – in their 20s.
Another song I like on the new album is “Yerushalayim, which is a very acoustic song, or as Faiden said, Israeli-style. The song begins with a short acoustic guitar intro. Most of the song is in Hebrew and one verse is in English. It’s upbeat and has a good rhythm. “Yerushalayim” was written and composed by Elchanan Elchadad.
“Mi shelo ra’ah Yerushalayim
betif’artah
Asarah kabin shel yofi
hi tish’ah natlah.
Kan levavot mitrachvim
Pit’om hakol same’ach
b’Yerushalayim…”
He who has not seen Jerusalem
in all her glory
Ten measures of beauty [in the world]
Nine she took
Here hearts expand
Suddenly, everything is joyous
in Jerusalem…
“Geulah la la la
L’chaim!
Anashim tovim olim
l’Yerushalayim,
Ani yode’a
Halev margish bifnim
Ir hakodesh hamikdash
l’netzach netzachim
Ani shome’a et kulam sharim
Ir hakodesh hamikdash
l’netzach netzachim Yerushalayim…”
Geulah la la la
L’chaim!
Good people are ascending
to Jerusalem,
I know
the heart feels it inside
the Holy City, the Temple
for all eternity.
I hear everyone singing:
The Holy City, the Temple
For all eternity, Jerusalem…
The song also has a verse in English:
“Wherever you may roam,
always come back home,
You’ll never be alone
in Yerushalayim.
The feeling in the air,
the kedusha everywhere,
the city of our own,
Yerushalayim.
You can find Faiden’s album on Spotify, Apple Music, 24six, and other music platforms.