KIJ: Tell us about being a singer in Israel. Is it tough to become a professional singer in Israel? 

AK: I’m not sure its different than any other place. It’s a music business. You have to be lucky and the circumstances have to be the right circumstances. As a musician you have to decide if you want to work with a small audience in Hebrew or reach larger audiences in English. The market for Hebrew music is small, but I’m in love with Hebrew.

KIJ: You write most of your own songs. Many of your songs are about love. What influences your music most? Personal experiences? Experiences of others?

AK: Inspiration can come from anywhere. You have periods in your life when something attracts you more to write about it. When I was a bit younger it was love. Now it’s issues between me and myself. I write about the things that interest me – sex, politics, everything. The more I grow older, I find myself writing about different subjects.

KIJ: You take part in the Middle East Program – a cultural cooperation between artists from throughout the West Bank, Europe and America. Tell us more about your experience in the Middle East Program. How did you get involved? What do you like most about it?

AK: The guys who founded it in 2002 – you had 3 Israelis, 3 Palestinians, 3 Jordanians etc and they all decided to find famous musicians who can really carry this important information and bring out something from this experience. Someone from my label called me and said they wanted me in. I guess I was in an adventurous mood because I said “yes.” I was willing to go to Norway for a week and meet musicians from Jordan, Norway and the West Bank. I felt so comfortable from the start. It’s so creative writing with other people, let alone people from other cultures with different life experiences.

KIJ: You seem to prefer performing in front of a more intimate crowd. Why do you like to perform for smaller groups? Are you adverse to larger groups or do you hope to play to large audiences in the future?

AK: The market for Hebrew is smaller – 5.5 million people. If you choose to be a musician in Israel you have to work with that. There are few musicians who can make a living out of that because we have fewer people here. Writing in English is really fun and I started doing that with the “My Favorite Enemy" project (part of the MEP). It’s a lot easier than writing in Hebrew, but I don’t think it’s something I wish to pursue. I see myself staying in Israel and making Israeli music. That is what I’m most passionate about. Writing in English is something I’ll do on the side.