Yaakov Shwekey

Born in Jerusalem in 1977, Yaakov Shwekey VII launched his career as an Orthodox Jewish recording artist and live performer under the stage name Shwekey. When he turned eight, his family relocated from Mexico City—where his earliest performances took place as a member of the Ateret Yosef Choir—to New Jersey. Stateside, he and his brother Yisroel Meir joined the Miami Boys Choir, marking the start of his more focused musical work. Before stepping out as a solo act in 2001, he had already built a reputation as a sought-after wedding singer. Following the arrival of his first album, Shomati, he maintained a consistent output of contemporary Jewish recordings, collections, and video releases that included Shwekey 2 (2002), Yedid (2004), Leshem Shomayim (2007), Ad Bli Dai (2009), Libi Bamizrach (2010), Cry No More (2012), Kolot (2014), We Are a Miracle (2016), and Those Were the Days (2017). In 2018 he issued Musica, which reached number three on the Billboard World Albums chart.