As1one | |
|---|---|
| Genres | Pop |
| Years active | 2022–present |
| Members |
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As1one (stylised in all lowercase; pronounced "as one") are an Israeli and Palestinian boy band.[1][2]
The idea for As1one was developed by American music executives James Diener and Ken Levitan.[2] Inspired by the success of non-Western artists, particularly within the K-pop and Latin genres, they sought to form a group from Israel. Diener stated that the country was chosen because he and Levitan felt that "what they have to say musically hadn't really been given a shot on the world stage".[1] They held auditions throughout Israel in both Jewish and Arab communities starting in late 2021. They also wished to organise auditions in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, but abandoned the idea due to logistical issues.[1] After a year and a half, they ended up with six members, namely Sadik Dogosh, Neta Rozenblat, Aseel Farah, Nadav Phillips, Niv Lin, and Ohad Attia. Dogosh is a Bedouin Muslim, while Farah is a Christian; the other four members are Jewish.[1] The name As1one (pronounced "as one") was chosen by the band members from a list of suggestions by their team.[1]
Levitan told Israeli media in 2022 that he was hoping for As1one to record songs in the United Kingdom and the United States for a debut in the summer of 2023.[3] The band began recording material in Tel Aviv and performed at a private event for TikTok Israel eight months after their formation. Following a session at the Abbey Road Studios in London in August 2023, they arrived to Los Angeles to continue working on their debut studio album on 6 October 2023, the day before Israel was attacked by Hamas.[1] A five-part docuseries about their formation and the recording of their debut album is set to be released on Paramount+.[2] They are yet to be signed to a record label, but have attracted an online following that includes 330,000 TikTok followers as of November 2023.[2]
As1one have been described as "the world's first Israeli and Palestinian boy band". As such, even before they had released any music, their formation attracted attention due to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.[1][2] They have expressed a wish not to be defined entirely by the conflict. Farah, one of the Palestinian members, stated, "We don't want to be political. We just want to be humanitarian."[1] Furthermore, the band's team told them that their lyrics should be broad enough to appeal to a wider audience, though the conflict may influence their music indirectly. Nonetheless, particularly following the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel during which all four Jewish members lost family and friends, the band feel that part of their "mission" includes promoting peace and coexistence.[1]
Although the media uses the term "boy band" to describe them, As1one consider themselves as a "male pop group" because they play instruments and do not plan on including dancing in their artistry.[1] Their lyrics are in English.[3] In a cover story for Billboard prior to their debut, Katie Bain described their music as ranging from ballads to dance pop and named Farah as the band's designated rapper. Bain also mentioned that numerous Western producers of pop, R&B, and hip hop music had contributed to As1one's material.[1]