Former Yeshiva Bochur Hits #1 on British Music Charts

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alex-clareJewish-British singer Alex Clare’s single “Too Close” has become a sensation, hitting the number one spot on the music charts in England and gaining over 10 million views on YouTube. The song is also being used in a commercial for Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 9, according to an Arutz Sheva report.

Clare was born and raised in London, England. Arutz Sheva reports that he has turned down several big concert dates and other opportunities because they conflicted with Yomim Tovim or Shabbos, according to an interview in the Jewish Chronicle.

He spent time last year studying in a yeshiva in Eretz Yisroel.

{Noam Amdurski-Matzav.com Newscenter}


29 COMMENTS

  1. Why not report articles about current Yeshiva bochrim excel in their studies? Why this fascination with Secular Pop culture? Any “frum” guy that seeks fame in the secular world, is doomed to transgress countless aveirois. It sickens me to no end for you to publicize this garbage. Lets stop sending a message to our youth by trying to portray so called frum people that go after pop culture in some form of positive light. For shame

  2. Please Matzav = as always you are the #1 frum website who uploads the videos on your server so thet people like myself who adhere to the call of the Gedolah Hador who have filters are unable to acsess You tube and the likes.

    Please keep up ur work that makes you stand out from other so called frum websites…

    Yasher Koach!

  3. Has Matzav switch management or??? I have been surprised but what’s been posted here lately. I guess only time will tell if this is a good thing or not.

  4. This is not another ‘Matisyohu’. Although his father is Jewish, his mother is not and Alex is actually a Ger Tzedek. I know him personally.

  5. By reporting this as a noteworthy news item you’re giving credence to aomething that has absolutely no place on a frum blog…who cares?
    I, for one, don’t even have a taiva to waste time by clicking on this ….3 weeks or not,,,
    I totally agree with #1 comment…
    al eileh ani bochia…….

  6. Four years ago he became observant and now lives in Golders Green. How does he reconcile being a popstar and leading a Jewish life? “There are a few problems, the glaring obvious things, what goes on in the pop music industry. But I just keep very clear of that.” As for adoring young female fans, he says: “You have to keep a respectful distance. The other trick is to just run away as quickly as possible.”
    But there have been practical difficulties to contend with. Unable to play on Shabbat and the festivals, last year he turned down a BBC session during Succot.
    And he found himself rejecting the musical opportunity of a lifetime, supporting Adele on tour, because it was over Pesach. “I had to sit there with all the big people in the record company and say: ‘I’m really sorry, but there’s no way I can do it’.
    “That was a big turning point, when they really got that I was serious about my Yiddishkeit. When I signed my record deal I think they genuinely thought I would compromise at some point. As soon as people realise I won’t, they’re very accommodating — even when it comes to touring.”
    On Clare’s rider, you will find Sabra hummus, as well as rice cakes and copious amounts of fruit and vegetables. So not very rock ’n’ roll, then.
    “It’s pretty lame really,” he admits. “But I always have a good bottle of whisky.”

  7. You have got it wrong this young man is a Ger Zedek and was a pop star prior to his conversion he is an erlicher yinger man and still continues to make his parnuse singing however he has placed enormeous restrictions upon where and when he performs i know him personaly

  8. Any “frum” guy that seeks fame in the secular world, is doomed to transgress countless aveirois. —- THANK YOU FOR YOUR BRACHOS…

  9. 1. Comment from eli
    Time July 11, 2012 at 7:53 PM

    Why not report articles about current Yeshiva bochrim excel in their studies? Why this fascination with Secular Pop culture? Any “frum” guy that seeks fame in the secular world, is doomed to transgress countless aveirois. It sickens me to no end for you to publicize this garbage. Lets stop sending a message to our youth by trying to portray so called frum people that go after pop culture in some form of positive light. For shame

    You don’t like it? Then don’t read it.

    Nobody is holding a gun to your head and forcing you to do something against your will.

  10. People refuse to see out of their narrow box, its scary! This guy is an example of what being a frum person is about, and what Misiras nefesh is about. The guy became Jewish whilst in the midst of his career. I think if the rabunim who converted him had no problem with his career, we shouldn’t either! And well believe it or not, this talent could even bring people closer to yidishkeit, if channeld in the right direction.

  11. “Four years ago he became observant and now lives in Golders Green.”

    Since when has living in a specific area of a town or city been a precondition of being Jewish?

    If he lived in Croydon say, or in Limehouse, would that have prevented him from being considered to be Jewish?

  12. To all you ‘frum’ guys speaking about a Ben Torah in that manner, how about being Don Lekav Zechus for a second, efsher he does overcome his yetzer hora, efsher he does not ‘transgress countless aveirois’.

    Just b/c we cannot possibly see ourselves overcoming these taivos does not mean someone else could not aswell.

    This is the path Hashem has led him, what he does whether right or wrong is not your path. YOU who have not travelled his path, how can you even begin to judge him .

    and lastly just b/c matisyahu couldnt handle the pressure does not mean the rest of the frum jewish world trying to make a parnassa in the non-jewish velt, are doomed to failure.

    Maybe give the man a chance, maybe do something constructive and daven for him, instead of criticising the former yeshiva bochur.

    Peace Out

  13. His music video is about two kendo sword fighters and is very clean which is a hard feat to maintain in the secular world especially for one a singer so popular.
    Bear in mind that its the “Custom” amongst singers that their music videos portray the most senseless and debasing things, at least Alex had strength to stay away from the mainstream idea of what a music video is and kept it clean.
    On another note, to all those people who are worried about another “Matisyahu Scenario”, There is a difference between the two, Matisyahu’s claim to fame was that he was a chasiddic rapper and that he is a representative of Chasiddim, I have known of Alex Clare for quite a few months and when I read this article I nearly fell out of my chair, this was all news to me.
    Alex doesn’t run under the claim that he’s the new “Messaih” of jewish music, I doubt that most of his fans even know he is jewish. Even if they do thats not what Alex’s claim to fame is, what makes him famous is his voice, his song, not that he’s some chasiddic rapper.

  14. The narrow minded views of so many of the readers is appalling. You have a story of a frum man who has been successful in the music industry, straight away everybody jumps, noo noo! how can a jewish site be reporting a story like this its teaching wrong values! If they would stop for a minute and look at the background maybe they would see that in fact this story is showing us that we have a person who has a chance to be so much bigger than he is, but he has grown so much in his yidishkeit, that he is giving it up for a frum life! How great is the torah and its lifestyle that it could influence someone that much and how great is the person who chose it. Now is this story still teaching everybody the wrong hashkofos??

  15. To #20
    Nobody has any problem with this person or judging him on a personal level. We just think that it’s not beneficial for us and there’s nothing good that WE have from people like him. We have no gain in ranking # 1 on their list, we having nothing to do with them at all and we’re not proud of Yidden who do try to mingle with them.
    Bilam said “Hain am l’vadad yishkon” –
    their a nation who reside alone.

  16. To # 21,

    yes, living in a non Jewish area is a barrier to becoming a Ger. I know a girl who spent 4 years trying to become jewish but ultimately failed in part because she couldn’t commit to living in a Frum area. Its not that the area makes you Jewish, its that you need to live a supervised Kosher life before you become a Ger and prove that you are serious.

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