Aliza Hava – Music is Healing

In this episode of “The Journey of My Mother’s Son” podcast, I sit down to talk with Aliza Hava.

I was honored to have the incredibly talented singer songwriter, Aliza Hava (“aLEEza Hah-vuh”) on my show.  We talk about music, trauma, healing, life, and the state of our world today.  Most importantly, we talk about the role in which music can play in our lives to help heal past trauma and help us connect with each other and God.

Ethereal. Enlightening. Medicine for the soul. Aliza Hava interlaces the elements; earth and sky, fire and water. Her transcendent voice is reminiscent of the mystical tone of Stevie Nicks, the raw soul of Janis Joplin, and the gritty wisdom of Brandi Carlile. With her award-winning infusion of folk, rock, pop, and soul, 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.

Featured 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, Hava is a recipient of the Human Spirit Award presented by the international organization Talent for Humanity. Her story is featured in their book along with seven other internationally acclaimed artist/activists. The original recording of her 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.

Hava has always sought to relay a message of healing and hope in her music. Seeking solace from a difficult childhood, she 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 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 live-streamed 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.

Hava has recently finished recording a new album at the iconic Revolver Recording Studios in Thousand Oaks, CA, produced by multi-platinum, Grammy winner Mikal Blue, who is best known for his work with Colbie Callait, Jason Mraz, and OneRepublic. The album is expected in Spring 2024 and features bassist Dean Dinning of Toad the Wet Sprocket as musical arranger and on bass/keys, and Gregg Bissonette (Ringo Starr, Santana) on drums.

Her latest single, When the Children Cry, is a cover of White Lion's soulful ballad, and its message of peace is even more poignant today than it was when originally released in the late 80s. This song resonates through the generations with a message of healing and hope for the children of the world.

In addition to writing her own music, Aliza collaborates with artists and songwriters and is a co-writer on Grammy-Award-winning artist Macy Gray's upcoming EP, produced by Mikal Blue.

Throughout her journeys, Aliza has shared bills with world-class artists such as Dr. John, Michael Franti, Zac Brown Band, Rising Appalachia, and more. She has performed in the U.S., Canada, India, Morocco, Egypt, Italy, Australia, Jordan, Israel, and South Korea.

With an inherent message of peace and universal love, Aliza considers her music and work a form of sacred activism. 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.

To find out more about Aliza, her story, and her music, check out her website at https://alizahava.com/.