loader

Aliza Hava

Genres: Americana, Contemporary, Folk-Rock, Pop, Singer/Songwriter

Bio

Aliza Hava is an award-winning artist/songwriter who sings truth to power. Her dynamic voice and driving rhythms, paired with a lifelong commitment to social change and spiritual growth, create a unique signature aesthetic. Her latest album, Aliza Hava – Natural State, features ten original songs with themes spanning from personal transformation to love, heartbreak, and standing in one’s own true power. The songs are both rootsy and refined, alchemizing a melding of folk, rock, R&B, and pop with literate and emotionally resonant lyrics. Hava has shared bills with world-class artists such as Dr. John, Richie Havens, Michael Franti, and many more. Her songs have been included on compilations and soundtracks with songwriting luminaries such as Annie Lennox, Lucinda Williams, and Rickie Lee Jones. With an inherent message of peace and universal love, Aliza's music embodies the power of music to heal the mind, body, and soul while staying true to the ongoing practice of reclaiming our natural state.

Full Bio

Ethereal. Enlightening. Medicine for the soul. Aliza Hava (“aLEEza Hah-vuh”) interlaces the elements; earth and sky, fire and water. Her transcendent voice recreates the mystical tone of Stevie Nicks, the raw soul of Janis Joplin, and the energizing strength of Florence Welch. With her award-winning infusion of folk, rock, pop, and R&B, Aliza heals the tiny forgotten bits of ourselves while rekindling our memories, setting our feet on the path back home and calling us to rise into our best versions of ourselves.

Seeking solace from a difficult childhood, Hava turned to music at an early age. Self-taught on a twenty-dollar used guitar, she found inspiration in an old songbook she discovered in her parent’s basement, 'Great Songs of the 60s.' Fire-lit, Hava immersed herself in the history of the 60s and early 70s. The music, culture, and activism helped her discover her calling for healing and ignited a drive to write songs that could change the world.

While in university studying Music Therapy, Aliza developed a strong inclination towards student activism and discovered a natural gift for concert production and community organizing. She began producing charity concerts featuring local bands for campus organizations like Students for a Free Tibet and NYPIRG. She led drum circles in the infamous “Tripping Fields” behind the college where some of the greatest names in music once played, including the Grateful Dead, Frank Zappa, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. With her college located just thirty miles from the town of Woodstock, Hava soaked up the culture and spirit that continued to permeate the region many decades later. She collaborated with local musicians, pulled all-nighters with her guitar around campfires, and earned herself the nickname, FireMusicFaerie.

After college, Aliza began performing at and co-producing concerts at the United Nations headquarters in NYC. She earned a position as Chair of the UN International Day of Peace NGO Music Committee, and went on to produce live concerts on six continents in partnership with over forty civic society, governmental, and environmental organizations. While living part-time in the Middle East, Hava represented UN-related peacebuilding initiatives and worked with Israeli and Palestinian musicians promoting peace and dialogue through music. She went on to produce the internationally livestreamed concert, Harmony in the Holy Land. This extraordinary event united Muslim, Christian, and Jewish musicians in a universal, musical prayer for peace from the heart of Jerusalem. Watching Palestinians and Israelis meet as strangers and part ways as friends, Aliza felt the reaffirmation of her calling to build bridges through the healing power of music.

Throughout her journeys, Aliza has shared bills with world-class artists such as Dr. John, Michael Franti, Matisyahu, and more. She has performed in the U.S., Canada, India, Australia, Jordan, Israel/Palestine, and South Korea and considers her music and work a form of sacred activism.

The original recording of Hava’s song RISE can be heard on 'Occupy this Album: 99 Songs for the 99%' alongside artists such as Ani DiFranco, Jackson Browne, and Warren Haynes. Her music is on the soundtrack of Sharon Stone’s award-winning documentary, Femme: Women Healing the World, which also features performances by Annie Lennox, Yoko Ono, and Rickie Lee Jones. She is a recipient of the Human Spirit Award presented by the international organization Talent for Humanity, and her story is featured in their book along with seven other internationally acclaimed artist/activists. 

​Her most recent album, Natural State (released in early 2020) explores themes spanning introspection, personal transformation, lost love, and standing in one’s true power. Featuring songs adorned with a rich tapestry of vocal harmonies, ethereal textures, and rootsy folk-rock, Aliza brings to life a glimmering mosaic of the moments that have shaped her.  With an inherent message of peace and universal love, her songs embody the power of music to uplift the mind, body, and soul while staying true to the ongoing practice of reclaiming our natural state.

Career Highlights

  • Worked with multi-platinum, Grammy-winning producers Toby Wright, Stephen George, & Bill Hare on new album, Natural State
  • Shared bills with world-class artists such as Dr. John, Richie Havens, Michael Franti, Jefferson Starship.
  • RISE included on a compilation alongside Warren Haynes, Jackson Browne, Ani DiFranco, and Lucinda Williams.
  • Songs on soundtrack for Sharon Stone's film, FEMME: Women Healing the World, along with Annie Lennox, Yoko Ono, and Rickie Lee Jones.
  • Toured internationally on six continents, headlining UN International Day of Peace events at UN General Assembly Hall in NYC