Katie Peterson
Table of Contents
Last updated on March 20th, 2024 at 10:44 pm
He’s the heavy metal rockstar who was seemingly destined to live a life completely from the spotlight. From feeling as though he’d one day be ordained a rabbi to seriously considering becoming a criminal defense lawyer, the music eventually called out to him. And David Draiman has never seemed to look back.
Who is David Draiman? Find out that and more below.
Who is David Draiman?
David Draiman is a singer and songwriter who has made a name for himself as the lead vocalist for Disturbed, an American heavy metal band. During his time with the band, he was noted for his unique singing style, which has been described as “distorted, operatic, baritone voice and percussive.”
He has noted many heavy metal bands and singers as his main influences. He once said of them, “The first record I ever bought was Kiss’ Destroyer. And those classic bands like Black Sabbath were my first loves. […] I focused on the seminal metal bands like Metallica, Iron Maiden, Pantera, and Queensrÿche, but I could also appreciate the hair metal bands.
“When you hear Whitesnake, you can’t deny their greatness. Then I went in the direction of punk and new wave, groups like the Sex Pistols, The Ramones, The Misfits, and later The Smiths and The Cure,” he continued. “That was my 80s. […] And then when the grunge revolution happened, it was like a wake-up call. I’ll never forget getting my first Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Alice in Chains records.”
Related: The 20 Best Metal Vocalists of All Time
When was David Draiman Born?
David Draiman’s birthdate is March 13, 1973.
David Draiman’s Zodiac sign is Pisces. As a Pisces, Draiman is considered creative, empathetic, generous, artistic, and compassionate. This sign also means he can at times be moody and emotional but also adaptable and an escapist.
Where is David Draiman From?
David Draiman was raised in New York City, particularly in the Brooklyn area.
Where Does David Draiman Live?
It is believed that David Draiman mainly resides in Chicago, Illinois, where his heavy metal band, Disturbed, is based.
David Draiman’s Ethnicity
David Draiman is of Jewish ancestry. In fact, Ziona, his grandmother, is a Yemenite Jew. She and her family immigrated from Israel in the early years of the 1900s.
How Tall is David Draiman?
David Draiman’s height is approximately 5 feet 6 inches to 5 feet 7 inches tall, which is actually shorter than average for men.
How Much Does David Draiman Weigh?
David Draiman is not just short, he’s small. David Draiman’s weight is only around 148 pounds.
How Did David Draiman Become Famous?
David Draiman first garnered fame in 1996 when he replaced Erich Awalt as the lead vocalist for the hit heavy metal band Disturbed. Since then, he has not only served in this role but has also been known to write some of the band’s most popular and successful songs like “Indestructible,” “Inside the Fire,” “Stupify,” and “Down with the Sickness.”
Related: 18 Wild and Shocking Facts About the Rock Band KISS
David Draiman’s Parents
David Draiman was born into a Jewish household. His father, YJ Draiman, is a former real estate developer and small business owner. Unfortunately, when Draiman was 12 years old, his father was arrested and sent to prison for embezzlement. Following YJ Draiman’s release from prison, however, he became a politician, running in the 2013, 2017, and 2022 races to become the Mayor of Los Angeles, all of which he lost.
Little is known about Draiman’s mother, Miriam Draiman.
David Draiman’s Siblings
Like himself, David Draiman’s brother, Benjamin, is also a musician. Unlike his brother, however, Benjamin Draiman currently resides in Israel.
Who is David Draiman Married To?
David Draiman was once happily married to Lena Yada, a model and actress. They married on September 25, 2011, and had a son together. Sadly, the couple divorced in 2023.
Following his divorce, Draiman talked about how it would inspire some new music for Disturbed and other projects. He said in an interview, “I just recently finalized my divorce. I just recently said goodbye to my [dog], Akita, my best friend of 14 years. There’s gonna be plenty of inspiration for the next body of work. Battling depression, battling all the demons that normally come along with it. And I know that music – our music, other music like it, and different types of music in general – is just the perfect means of therapy for so many other people. And it really is my saving grace. I don’t know what I would do without it.”
While we’re still unsure what those songs will be, we’re sure they’ll give us all the feels, just like so many of his other masterpieces.
Since January 2024, Draiman has been linked to model Sarah Uli. Perhaps that means there will be some romantic, hopeful songs to look forward to as well. Only time will tell.
While his relationships seem stable nowadays, in high school, David Draiman went through a pretty traumatic experience. Upon graduating high school in 1991, he started seeing a girl over the course of the next year. While her name is unknown, it is known that she was a heroin user and would eventually go on to commit suicide. That experience later inspired David Draiman’s song “Inside the Fire,” which he wrote for Disturbed.
David Draiman’s Children
David Draiman’s son, Samuel Bear Isamu Draiman, was born in September 2013. He remains Draiman’s only child.
Is David Draiman and Erich Awalt the Same Person?
No. Erich Awalt was the original vocalist of Disturbed, which was known as Brawl at the time. David Draiman replaced him in 1996.
What is David Draiman’s Vocal Range?
David Draiman’s vocal range is pretty impressive. He can go as low as an E-flat 1 to as high as an F-sharp 5.
Is David Draiman Republican or Democrat?
It’s understood that David Draiman does not identify with one particular political party over the other. Instead, in 2015, he said of his political views, “I’m liberal about everything that is issue-based as far as ideology, but I’m also of the opinion of a very small government. I don’t agree with the fiscal policies of the Democrats, but I certainly don’t agree with the right-wing craziness of the Republicans.”
Is David Draiman a Trained Singer?
Yes, David Draiman is a widely trained singer and would be considered by many as “the best singer in the world.” Before launching his music career, Draiman was classically trained and has honed the advice of “Sing from your diaphragm!”
Related: 35 Best Metallica Songs, Ranked
Is David Draiman Religious?
David Draiman considers himself a Jew, but he has not practiced any organized religion of the faith since he was a young boy. However, he believed he was on the path to rabbinic ordination at one point, as his parents sent him to Orthodox schools as a child.
Career
David Dreiman was a relatively unknown figure when he successfully auditioned to become the new lead vocalist of Disturbed in 1996. But he took a chance when the band put an advertisement in a Chicago publication. While he auditioned for 19 other bands at the same time, joining Disturbed was the best fit for him and the band.
Dan Donegan, guitarist of Disturbed, later said of Draiman’s audition: “You know, out of all the singers that we had talked to or auditioned, he was the only singer who was ready to go with originals. And that impressed me, just to attempt that. After a minute or two, he just starts banging out these melodies that were huge. […] I’m playing my guitar, and I’m grinning from ear to ear. […] I was so psyched. Chill up my spine.”
That hook that impressed his bandmates at his audition in the beginning didn’t stop once he joined the band. He has gone on to write some of the band’s most successful singles and lead vocals on nine of Disturbed’s studio albums, including Ten Thousand Fists (2005), Asylum (2010), and The Lost Children (2011).
However, Draiman wasn’t just known for his songwriting chops. He also quickly became known for his slick vocals, ranking No. 42 on the Hit Parader’s “Top 100 Metal Vocalists of All Time” list in 2006.
While Draiman mainly sticks with Disturbed in his musical endeavors, while the band was on hiatus from 2011 to 2015, he didn’t just sit around. He embarked on an industrial metal project with Geno Lenardo, known as Device. Their self-titled album was released in 2013. Then, it was all about Disturbed again with the release of Immortalized (2015), Evolution (2018), and Divisive (2022).
Related: Judas Priest 50 Years of Metal
Over the years, Draiman has also made guest appearances on other artists’ songs like “Forsaken” for the Queen of the Damned soundtrack in 2002, “Dance in the Rain” by Megadeth in 2013, “We Believe” by Hyro the Hero in 2020, and more. He also tried his hand at producing in 2013 for heavy metal band Trivium’s album Vengeance Falls.
It sure seems as though Draiman won’t ever fear to dip his toes into a new project, and all we can say is that, whether it’s with Disturbed, as a solo project, or with Device, we can’t wait to see what he comes out with next.
You May Also Like:
Comments
0 comments