Music has the extraordinary power to heal, inspire, and unite. For singer-songwriter Aliza Hava, music became not only a refuge but a transformative force that helped her navigate through childhood trauma and later prompted her to share a heartfelt message of peace with the world. Following the terror attack in Israel, Aliza released her rendition of White Lion’s soulful ballad, “When the Children Cry,” a song that has resonated with her since childhood. It’s one of 10 songs in her new album, which she plans to release in 2024. The song’s message of peace is even more poignant today than it was when it was originally released in the late ’80s. The song resonates through the generations with a message of healing and hope for the children of the world.
“The first time I heard it, I was nine years old and was experiencing tremendous violence in my household. The lyrics rang true for me in a way I’d never experienced before and was the first song I ever heard that spoke directly to my soul. It helped me find my voice by inspiring me to start writing my own songs as a kid. It made me want to write songs that made a difference and is, ultimately, the song that inspired me to become a musician.”
Hava recruited her husband to help her film the music video in the small town in South Oregon where they live. Prior to her move there, she had spent several years in California and prior to that, in Israel where she had dedicated eight years to peace work. “I moved there when I was 19 and worked with Muslims, Christians and Jewish musicians and produced the internationally live-streamed concert, ‘Harmony in the Holy Land.’”
Watching Palestinians and Israelis meet as strangers and part ways as friends after working on music together, Hava felt the reaffirmation of her calling to build bridges through the healing power of music.
Watching Palestinians and Israelis meet as strangers and part ways as friends after working on music together, Hava felt the reaffirmation of her calling to build bridges through the healing power of music.
The new record is a very personal one as it deals with her difficult childhood. “Most people don’t know what I went through as a child except for very close friends,” Hava admitted. As the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, Hava believes that the trauma they carried from their childhood affected their parenting and as a result her parents’ treatment of her was affected by their own childhood trauma. “That’s what happens when we keep the cycle of trauma and violence,” she said. “My father was also in Vietnam and carried trauma from there as well. It’s not an excuse of course but it shows you what happens if people don’t heal themselves. Without my music I don’t know how I would be functional, it has been very powerful medicine for me. I recorded my record in Thousand Oaks and Los Angeles with music producer Mikael Blue.”
Through her music, Hava aims to uplift minds, bodies, and souls while reclaiming our natural state of universal love and peace. “I hope the album can be healing to people and help them find their voice on a personal level, just like the song ‘When the Children Cry’ had helped me as a child.”
Producing the album by herself was an expensive process. Hava now hopes to find sponsors who would understand the importance of the story she wants to tell and the power of the music to heal.
Aliza Hava songs are available for streaming on Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music.
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