One could safely call this a song for the times that we are living in. Amaraya, arabic for mirror or reflection, is a song about hope, unity and connection. This is the second single from Israeli singer-songwriter Eliezer Cohen Botzer’s cross-cultural album Lemalla that features Lucky Ali.
Lemalla’s first single titled On My Way, which was released in November 2019, was hailed as a traveller’s anthem and lapped up by music aficionados across the world. The multi-lingual track Amaraya that spans across 4 languages, Urdu, Hindi, Hebrew and Arabic, takes the story of the journey which began with On My Way a step further. The video single released worldwide on March 31st, 2021.
It’s no secret that Lucky Ali’s enigmatic voice has a large and ever-growing army of followers, that spans across generations and geographical boundaries. The same sense of affection and relatability, led to this well-received collaboration between Ali and Israeli musician Eliezer Botzer.
We can describe the collaboration in different ways: a connection between India and Israel, between Islam and Judaism, or between East and West. However, if we are willing to surrender our need to define, classify or put things into boxes, we can glimpse at a truth which is more precise and humane. At its essence, it is a connection between two people who have chosen, each in his own way, to connect with the heart.
To a great extent, what brings Botzer and Lucky together is their commitment to giving voice to a deep inner truth, without attempting to adapt themselves to the industries in which they exist, or to popular tastes.
Though Botzer and Lucky are two writers who assign the highest value to texts, they have created their music in a space that is beyond words. It is from a deeply intimate place of silence, understanding and listening that they have forged a new dialogue.
Click here to watch/stream Amaraya – short link Chill At Least
More on the album
Lemalla the album, was born out of serendipity, when two free-spirited artistes, from two different parts of the world, found each other in 2017. The chance discovery of each other’s artistic selves, sowed the seeds of this cross-cultural project with Israeli musician Eliezer Botzer featuring Lucky Ali.
Amaraya, is the second single from their upcoming album. The songs on the Lemalla are a reflection of this dialogue, between two spiritual people who strive to create a reality where the impulse to listen is greater than the need to convince, and where the desire to ask questions is stronger than the need to provide answers. Throughout this creative journey, both artists shift freely between the roles of host and guest in a constant motion of collaboration, symbiosis, discovery and self-improvement.
Listening to songs on the album highlights the many differences of the two artists in all their variety and splendour, and reveals the unique way in which they fuse. Music that is at once folk, ethnic, and modern, sprinkled with shouts of rock and whispered prayers, blends naturally to form a unique creation that is magical precisely because it defies definition.
In many ways the true meaning of this partnership is the partnership. The decision by two brave musicians to create together through the language of music, and to share their message to those that are willing to listen, observe, and perhaps even to heal.
