On December 3, Paramount+ will be premiering a four-part docu-series about a pop group unlike any other — the first mixed Israeli-Palestinian boy band — called “as1one: The Israeli-Palestinian Pop Music Journey.”
The six member boy band is the brainchild of American music executives James Diener, the man who discovered Maroon 5, and Ken Levitan. In an interview with Mako from 2022, Diener, who shared that he’s not actually a fan of the term “boy band,” said he hopes this group of six men will become a huge pop sensation and eventually fill stadiums. The audition process for as1one was a long one; Diener and his partners wanted to make sure that all six members would be equally gifted musicians, and also that the rapport and chemistry between them was right.
The group was first envisioned as simply a way to draw the best talent from Israel, and not necessarily paint a portrait of co-existence or create a band with a political message. But in an attempt to cast a wide net, the producers collaborated with another singer and actress known for her own Jewish-Arab collaboration, Mira Awad, a now London-based Palestinian singer who represented Israel with Jewish Israeli singer Achinoam Nini in 2009 with the song “There Must Be Another Way.” They were also joined by producer Ahlam Canaan who, along with Awad, helped them hold auditions in Arab towns and villages in Israel.
Diener and Levitan went through more than a thousand audition tapes and chose 100 people for live auditions in Haifa, Tel Aviv and Be’er Sheva. Twenty of them went through a musical bootcamp in the Arab-Israeli town of Neve Shalom to whittle out the final band. What Diener, Levitan and Universal Israel producer Ami Nir ended up with was six phenomenal singers: Neta Rozenblat, Ohad Attia, Nadav Philips, Sadik Dogosh, Aseel Farah and Niv Lin. The six men, all now in their early 20s, hail from Haifa, Sapir, Tel Aviv and Rahat. Four of them are Jewish, one is a Muslim and one is Arab Christian from Haifa — Farah, the group’s percussionist and rapper who also has a passion for poetry.
On October 6, 2023, the six of them landed in Los Angeles, excited to start their international career, spending a month living in Sherman Oaks with producer Andrew Berkowitz to record their first album. And then, well. We all know what happened the next day. The band was away from their families and loved ones through the upheaval of the October 7 attacks and the ensuing war.
“It was probably the biggest rollercoaster of all our lives — some of the best times, and for sure some of the worst times. But we had each other here, to have each other’s back and to lift each other up,” Rosenblat told People this September.
as1One did record seven songs in their first four weeks in LA, and they’ve released two singles. “All Eyes On Us” features legendary guitarist Nile Rodgers, and was recored at Abbey Road Studios in London.
“I just gotta say it — they sing their asses off,” Rodgers told People earlier this year. “When I met them and heard them sing, I was going, ‘Oh OK, so you guys are real musicians’ and not just cute guys who could dance or something like that.”
Their second single “Stranger” was released today, November 15, and clearly seems to be inspired by the emotional rollercoaster the band went through in those early weeks working on their album. Both songs showcase their impressive vocals and harmonies. Along with Rodgers, they’ve also collaborated with Jenna Andrews and Stephen Kirk, the producers and songwriters behind hits like BTS’ “Butter” and “Permission to Dance.”
The Paramount+ documentary will follow the band’s five-year journey, from the 2020 audition process that put them together to present day, including their struggles after October 7. According to a press release from Paramount+, it “spotlights the work of platinum-selling artists and producers, stylists, choreographers and industry leaders, all collaborating to create a group that embodies unity, with members agreeing to disagree on the war in their homeland as they focus on making music together.”
“Amidst raw interactions and real-world challenges,” the press release continues, “their journey unfolds with a distinctive edge — just like the unique composition of their band. Each step captures the authenticity that sets them apart, making their story as compelling as their sound.”
It will definitely be interesting to see how these six young men and the music industry veterans around them grapple with the way politics and the world around them impact their work.
