Hanan Ben Ari

Hanan Ben Ari (; born 8 April 1988) is an Israeli singer, songwriter, and composer. His debut album, Izun (Balance), released 21 February 2016, was certified gold in Israel with 15,000 copies sold in three months and received heavy radio play on Galgalatz. He has been noted as one of relatively few religious artists, including Ishay Ribo and Nathan Goshen, who have found success in the secular Israeli mainstream.

Early life Ben Ari grew up in Karnei Shomron, the fifth of six siblings; his father works in the financial sector of Bat Yam, while his mother works in special education. Hanan sang in choirs from the age of six, learned keyboard from age 12, and began composing music at age 13. In 2013, he collaborated with musicians Yaakov Asraf and Nir Rubin on an educational stage musical called Mitbagrim ("Growing Up"), which ran for over 100 performances.

Ben-Ari's debut single, Mimecha Ad Elay ("From You to Myself"), was announced by his uncle in November 2014. The song, whose lyrics reference Song of Songs and other Jewish scripture, was added to the Galgalatz daily playlist, Several of his subsequent singles were also placed in heavy rotation on Galgalatz,

Ben-Ari's debut album, Izun (Balance), was crowdfunded via the website Headstart, where it raised over ₪100,000. The album was produced by Eyal Mazig.

Lo Levad (2016–present) Ahead of the release of his second album, Ben Ari released the singles: "Not Alone", "Thanks to you", "On my bed" featuring Moshe Peretz, and "", the lyrics of which he wrote with Keren Peles. The song "Wikipedia" reached the second place in the annual parade of Galglatz for the Hebrew year 5777 and the third place in the annual parade of the Network 3 in the same year.

To coincide with Yom Ha'Atzmaut in 2016, Ben-Ari released the song Nigun HaNeshamot (Melody of the Souls). He had originally written the song during the 2006 Lebanon War, and later revisited it during the conflict in Bint Jbeil. In December he released the single "What do you want from me", and in March 2018 he released the song "Good News". In April, he released his second album, "".

With Maccabi Tel Aviv's victory in the 2018–19 Israeli Premier League, Ben Ari performed the championship song "", as a renewal of the song sung by Ethnix in the 1995–96 Liga Leumit.

In February 2019, he released the single "", composed by Ben Ari in collaboration with Nathan Goshen. In May 2019, he released a single called "", which deals with the intergenerational gap on issues such as faith and preserving tradition. The song provoked mixed reactions in the religious sector and beyond.

In February 2020, he released the music video "". The song came in second place in the annual Hebrew hymn parade of Galgalatz and Ynet and in the mako parade for the Hebrew year of 5780. In these parades he was also chosen as man of the year, along with winning the title of "Singer of the Year" by . In April, Ben-Ari released the single Ga’aguim Lebnei Adam (Longing for People), inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic. and was written together with Rabbi Lior Engelman. He also joined with Kav Lachayim, a child disability and rare illness organization, and with fellow Israeli artists Akiva, Ariel Zilber, Berry Sakharof, Amir Benayoun, and Lior Elmaliah for a rendition of the Sephardic liturgical poem "Refa Tziri".

In May 2021 he released the single "" which he wrote together with his brother Neria. The following month he performed on 4 consecutive days at the Caesarea Maritima theater.

Because of the Coronavirus outbreak of 2019, no was awarded in 2020. In 2021, Ben Ari retroactively won the Akum Award for "Artist of the Year" and most played song of 2020 for "If You Want".

On September 6, 2021, Ben-Ari won "Singer of the Year" in the annual song parade. On December 6, 2021, Ben Ari released a music video for his single "".

On March 28, 2022, he was supposed to release the rhythmic song "Ela Bi" but since the shooting attack in Hadera took place the day before, he chose to postpone its release and instead released the song "". About nine months later, on December 12, 2022, he released the song "Ela Bi". The music video for "Ela Bi" was controversial among religious audiences, as it showed men and women dancing together. In June, the musical "Champion of the World" premiered at the Orna Porat Children's Theater, which included Ben-Ari's songs. That same month, he released the music video single "" (from a live performance) that talks about his grandfather, after whom he is named. On July 14, he performed at the opening ceremony of the 2022 Maccabiah Games in the presence of Israeli president Isaac Herzog, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid and United States President Joe Biden. On September 9, 2022 he released a live album titled .

In April 2023, The New York Times listed Ben-Ari as part of a wave of religious singers gaining mainstream popularity in Israel, alongside Ishay Ribo, Nathan Goshen, Akiva Turgeman, and Narkis Reuven-Nagar.

On January 15, 2026, he released his fourth album titled "Not The Only Crazy One".

Artistry Ben-Ari's music draws from rock, soul, R&B, gospel, hip hop, and Arabic and Mizrahi music. They have seven children. Ben-Ari's paternal uncle is Michael Ben-Ari, former member of Knesset who has been disqualified from re-running for election due to incitement to racism.

Hanan and his wife separated in August 2024 and divorced in December 2024.

Politics Ben-Ari has been vocal about his view that the Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip should be reestablished. In a video posted on TikTok on October 25, 2023, he can be seen singing to soldiers and proclaiming: "Returning to Gush Katif, Playing beach volleyball, Establishing Nova Beach on the Gaza coast, The nation of Israel lives!".

Discography

Studio albums +TitleEnglish translationDetailsIzunBalance Released: 21 February 2016 Label: NMC MusicLo LevadNot Alone Released: May 17, 2018 Label: D-MusicYesh Kan Yoter MizehThere's More Here Than This Released: 2023Lo HaMeshugah HaYechidiNot The Only Crazy One Released: January 15, 2026

Live albums Live 2022 (2022) (2024)

Singles

Music videos