Akiva Turgeman, better known as Akiva (; born 23 July 1991 in

Dimona Dimona (, ) is an Israeli city in the Negev desert, to the south-east of Beersheba and west of the Dead Sea above the Arabah, Arava valley in the Southern District (Israel), Southern District of Israel. In , its population was . The Shimon Pere ...

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

), is an Israeli musician. He is the son of Rabbi David Turgeman, who leads the Gevoha Yeshiva, and belongs to a founding family of

Early life and education

Akiva grew up in

, where he was influenced by an array of musical styles. His formal musical training began at the Mizmor Music Academy, where he developed skills in singing and songwriting. Following his studies, he was drafted as a combat soldier in the

Israeli Defense Forces Israeli may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the State of Israel * Israelis, citizens or permanent residents of the State of Israel * Modern Hebrew, a language * ''Israeli'' (newspaper), published from 2006 to 2008 * Guni Israeli (b ...

Golani Brigade The 1st "Golani" Brigade (, ''Hativat Golani'') is an Israeli military infantry brigade. It is subordinated to the 36th Division and traditionally associated with the Northern Command. It is one of the five infantry brigades of the regular Is ...

Musical career

In 2017, he released the album ''Worlds'', produced by Nir Maimon. Music critic Netanel Leifer gave the album a positive review and wrote: "There are a lot of new artists with new albums. Some are good, some are a little less, and some are excellent. One of them is Akiva, who released his debut album ''Worlds'', a short and exciting rock album that manages to combine soul and emotion with stormy and penetrating rock." In 2018, he released singles from his second album produced by Maor Shoshan titled "Don't Give Up" and "Lech Lecha". Akiva gained recognition with his single "Don't Give Up", which reached first place in the official

Galgalatz Galgalatz or GLGLZ (), also rendered in English as "Army Radio on Wheels", is an Israeli radio station, operated by the Israel Defense Forces. It is broadcast on transmitters across the country and features pop and rock music in English and Hebre ...

parade and seventh place in the station's annual Hebrew parade in collaboration with

Ynet Ynet (stylized in all lowercase) is an Israeli news and general-content website, and the online outlet for the '' Yedioth Ahronoth'' newspaper. History Ynet launched on June 6, 2000, in Hebrew, following other Hebrew outlet's website launches ...

. This song, alongside others like "Pshutim" and "Atah Holech Iti", have been described as blending religious themes with contemporary music styles. The single garnered 18 million views on YouTube. In June 2019, he was invited to

Ishay Ribo Ishay Ribo (; born February 3, 1989) is an Israeli singer-songwriter. A Sephardic Orthodox Jew, he has gained popularity in Israel among Haredi, national-religious, and secular Jewish audiences. He has released five studio albums, two of which h ...

's concert in

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and the two performed "Don't Give Up" in a duet that garnered 6.6 million views on YouTube. In March 2020, he released the single "Simple", co-written and composed with his wife. The single garnered 13 million views on YouTube. In July 2020, singer Idan Raphael Habib released the single "Shlemim", which was written and composed by Turgeman alongside Avi Ohayon and Matan Dror. In March 2021, he released the single "You Go With Me", which was composed and written by Akiva, Avi Ohayon, Natan Goshen and Matan Dror. The single garnered 5.8 million views on YouTube. In July 2021, he released the song "Shalom Babayit", which he wrote and composed with the creative duo Dolly and Fen. In February 2022, he released the single and music video "Yesh Becha Hakol", which he wrote for his son together with his wife and composed alone. As of 2024, the single has amassed 16 million views on YouTube. and won the title of Song of the Year on the music charts of

Kikar HaShabbat Kikar HaShabbat (, lit., "Sabbath Square"), known in the Haredi community as Kikar HaShabbos, is a major intersection joining five streets in Jerusalem, Israel, between Mea Shearim and Geula: Yehezkel Street from the north, Malkhei Yisrael Stree ...

, Kol Play Radio and Kol BaRama Radio. Akiva also won the title of Singer of the Year in these three shows. In December 2022, during the holiday of

Hanukkah Hanukkah (, ; ''Ḥănukkā'' ) is a Jewish holidays, Jewish festival commemorating the recovery of Jerusalem and subsequent rededication of the Second Temple at the beginning of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire in the 2nd ce ...

, Akiva appeared in Binyanei HaUmah. Music critic Netanel Leifer was present at the event and gave it a positive review: "Akiva is an excellent vocalist with high and precise tones, a singer with a real and soulful soul, someone who pours his heart out on stage when he sings. Many singers sing with devotion, but I also believe in Akiva." On August 8, 2023, he released the single "Want to Wake Up". In January 2024 he released the single "Hold Strong". In May 2024 he released the single "Learn to Fly". The song reached number 90 on Hitlist. On June 13, 2024, he released his third album, ''A Thousand Locks''. On November 12, his song "Run My Children" was released.

Influences and style

Akiva says his musical style was influenced by the music of his youth, from

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones (musician), John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a he ...

to piyutim, and that he feels a strong connection to Moroccan music and the traditional Jewish liturgical music he was surrounded by from childhood. He describes his approach as a

kibbutz galuyot The Gathering of Israel (, ), or the Ingathering of the Jewish diaspora, is the biblical promise of , made by Moses to the Israelites prior to their entry into the Land of Israel. During the days of the Babylonian captivity, writings by the Israe ...

that reflects the cultural influences in his life.

Personal life

Akiva resides in

Pardes Chana Pardes Hanna-Karkur () is a town in the Haifa District of Israel. In it had a population of . It has been characterized as having a hipster culture. History An Arab village named Karkur had stood at this location by the time the Palestine Exp ...

with his wife, Tzurit, and their five children. He has spoken about the heavy workload musicians can face when they become successful, and says he prays for good mental health.

Discography

Albums

* 2017: עולמות * 2021: אל תעזבי ידיים * 2024: אלף מנעולים

Singles

* 2018: הכל עוד אפשרי * 2018: לך לך * 2019: אל תעזבי ידיים * 2021: פשוטים * 2021: אתה הולך איתי * 2024: להחזיק חזק * 2024: ללמוד לעוף

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Akiva Living people 1991 births Israeli male singer-songwriters 21st-century Israeli male singers Jewish Israeli singers Jewish Israeli songwriters Musicians from Jerusalem Israeli Orthodox Jews Israeli Sephardi Jews