Basya Schechter
| Basya Schechter | |
|---|---|
| Born | Brooklyn, New York |
| Origin | New York City, New York |
| Genres | Jewish music, folk rock, world music |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, cantor, music teacher |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, oud, saz, percussion |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Labels | Tzadik |
| Associated acts | Pharaoh's Daughter, Darshan |
| Website | pharaohsdaughter |
Basya Schechter is an American Jewish singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, cantor, and music teacher. She is the lead singer and founder of the world/folk rock band Pharaoh's Daughter and has released two solo albums.
Raised in the Hasidic Jewish community of Borough Park, Schechter left Orthodoxy after high school but maintained a love for the traditional Jewish music of her youth. Her own music often blends concepts from Jewish music with a variety of indigenous styles and sounds from Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, among others.
Schechter was born to an Orthodox Jewish family and grew up in the Borough Park neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. Her father was in a short-lived barbershop quartet managed by Don Kirshner during the 1950s; after the group's demise, he returned to school and became an accountant. During Basya's childhood, he often sang with her on Shabbat and exposed her to Israeli artists like Tzvika Pick, Shimi Tavori, and Kaveret. Her parents divorced when she was nine; she went to live with her father, who remarried when she was 14. She has said that due to her chaotic family life, she was less restricted than others in her community.
She attended the local Bais Yaakov for much of her schooling, where she choreographed several high school dance performances. After high school, she briefly attended an Orthodox girls' seminary in Jerusalem before being asked to leave due to her rebellious behavior; she subsequently spent time in Egypt, where she was introduced to Middle Eastern music. Returning to New York, she attended Barnard College as an English major, during which time she began writing and performing songs. In her late twenties, she held various jobs, including a brief stint as editor of the Street News homeless poet page, and went backpacking throughout Africa, the Aegean Region, and Kurdistan, studying the music and instruments of various countries.
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