Assaf Avidan

Asaf Avidan אסף אבידן
Asaf Avidan
Background information
Born	(1980-03-23) March 23, 1980 (age 37) Jerusalem, Israel
Genres	Folk, folk rock, rock, blues rock, indie rock
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano
Years active	2000's–present
Labels	Telmavar Records, Fiction Records, U.M.G
Associated acts	Asaf Avidan & The Mojos
Website	www.asafavidanmusic.com

Asaf Avidan (Hebrew: אסף אבידן‎‎; born March 23, 1980) is a singer-songwriter and musician from Israel. He is also the creative force and front-man of Asaf Avidan & the Mojos, a folk rock band that he established in 2006 in Jerusalem. The band released three albums, The Reckoning in 2008, Poor Boy / Lucky Man in 2009 and Through the Gale in 2010.

Starting in 2012, the Mojos band project was shelved so that Avidan would concentrate on a solo career. In 2012, he released Avidan in a Box, an acoustic live album which covers older songs by him, digital copies only. He also launched his solo studio album Different Pulses in Israel, to be made available internationally in 2013.

Asaf Avidan also had an international hit with "One Day / Reckoning Song (Wankelmut Rmx)".

Asaf Avidan was born in Jerusalem. His parents were diplomats for the Israeli Foreign Office, and he spent four years of his childhood in Jamaica and also grew up in New York. Avidan's grandparents emigrated from Romania to Israel.

He completed mandatory army service in the Israel Defense Forces, and studied animation at Jerusalem’s Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design. His final project short film, “Find Love Now”, won its category at the Haifa Film Festival that year.

Avidan moved to Tel Aviv and worked as an animator. In 2006, after breaking up with his long-time girlfriend he moved back to Jerusalem, quit his job and turned full-time to music. Six songs about the breakup and subsequent heartache would constitute his debut EP, Now That You're Leaving, which was released independently in 2006 to critical acclaim.

In late 2006, while playing solo acoustic tour across Israel, Avidan put together a support cast of musicians, who would become the Mojos: Ran Nir – bass guitar, Yoni Sheleg (Johnny Snow) – drums, Roi Peled – guitar, backing vocals, Hadas Kleinman – cello and himself Asaf Avidan – lead vocals, guitar, harmonica