|
As the bright lights of Times Square shine down over thousands of unsuspecting New York City tourists, five grown men dance in unison while singing an ode to one of Chanukah’s most iconic symbols: a dreidel. Parodying the global hit “Soda Pop” from last year’s “KPop Demon Hunters” movie, the guys puts their own spin — pun intended — on the song that reached #3 on the Billboard Global 200 charts. I have a little dreidel, spinning on the table That verse is part of “Golden: A KPop Demon Hunters Chanukah,” the latest in a long line of parodies created by a capella vocal band Six13, a group of men who use their voices to connect Jews with their heritage — while seeking to entertain audiences along the way. The origins of Six13The New York City-based group has been making music together since 2003. The name — Six13 — comes from the Jewish tradition that teaches there are 613 commandments to follow in order to live a good life and improve the world. Parodying others is not one of those commandments, but it has been a way for the group to educate more people about the Jewish story. “You have a large portion of the population who are extremely religious and dedicated to religious life, and every minute of every day has something to do with their religious observance,” Six13 founder Mike Boxer told me. “But then there is a much larger portion of the population that is Jewish by descent but who don’t have much to do with it in their day-to-day life, if at all.” The most likely times for that second group of people to interact with Judaism, Boxer said, are around the religion’s major holidays. Six13 routinely releases new parodies around two of those holidays — Passover and Chanukah — in part because of the increased attention, but also because of the stories behind each celebration. Passover acknowledges the ancient Israelites’ liberation from slavery in Egypt, while Chanukah recognizes the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, where a small amount of oil burned in the temple’s menorah for eight days instead of one. “A lot of our lyrics are about those stories,” Boxer said, “but then they also are about the weird things that we do to commemorate the holidays, whether it’s a Passover seder or whether it’s lighting candles for eight different nights.” From “PSVR.” to “Arianukah”Each year the group finds new ways to creatively tell those stories. Sometimes they are told through parodying one song, such as this spring’s release of “PSVR. (A Passover adaptation of ‘APT.’ by Bruno Mars and Rosé).” Oftentimes, they take the form of compilations, be it to recognize one person, such as “A Billy Joel Passover” or “Arianukah (An Ariana Grande Chanukah),” or one musical, like “Matza Mia! An ABBA Passover,” “West Side Chanukah Story,” or “A Hamilton Chanukah,” which the group performed at the White House for President Barack Obama. With each song, the group strives to find a balance between entertainment and education. Two years ago, that balance came into question. On October 7, 2023, more than 1,200 men, women, and children in Israel were murdered in the most brutal terrorist attack in the country’s history. The first night of Chanukah was two months to the day after the attack, and the members of Six13 didn’t know if a parody would be appropriate. “We had a few guys in the group who said, ‘We can’t do anything lighthearted, we can’t do anything funny. It’s tone deaf and it’s insensitive,'” Boxer said. “Then there were other people who said, ‘If we’re going to walk around with our heads down and defeatist and somber and sad, isn’t that letting our oppressors win? Doesn’t the world need a little bit of joy and light?'” The group opted for joy and light — turning to none other than Taylor Swift for inspiration. Less than two months after the attack on Israel, Six13 debuted “Era-lution of Taylor Swift (Chanukah’s version).” The four-minute montage features 14 Swiftie-approved top hits — from “Love Story” and “You Belong with Me” to “Karma” and “Shake It Off’ — all remixed with lyrics related to Chanukah. In 2024, the group followed that up with “A Wicked Chanukah,” a powerful remix that begins with a message dedicated to Jews still reeling from the October 7 attack: This year has changed our history ‘Bringing joy to people’To date, the group has amassed more than 20 million views of their video parodies. On YouTube, “Bohemian Chanukah (a Queen adaptation)” and “Chanukah (‘Shake it Off’)” are the most watched, each with more than 3.3 million views. While the parodies are what the band is most known for, Boxer said it’s only about one-fourth of the actual music they create. The rest of the group’s attention is devoted to singing traditional Jewish prayers or verses from the Torah. While there is not the same room for creative flexibility in those settings, the members of Six13 are still able to put their own voice and flavor into the music, making it more emotional, more meaningful, and hopefully, more impactful. “One of our goals is bringing joy to people, and another is bringing comfort in their own Judaism, which is now more important than ever,” Boxer said. “Every once in a while, we’ll get an email from somebody that says, ‘I live in the most remote corner of North Dakota and there are three Jews here. Sometimes I feel like a total outcast, but it was really cool to watch you guys with such confidence and such fun. You really made the holiday for me and made me feel better.'” 3 storytelling tips for you1) Look outside your field for inspiration Six13 doesn’t limit itself to Jewish music traditions. The group remixes popular hits as a way to tell unfamiliar stories. The music is recognizable but the message is fresh, creating a lower barrier to entry for listeners. Think of how you can draw inspiration from outside your industry when it comes to crafting and sharing a story. 2) Think of repeated content as ritual, not redundancy The group’s annual Chanukah and Passover parodies aren’t just content drops — they’ve become part of how fans mark the holiday season. Repetition, when done with intention, builds anticipation and deepens emotional connection. 3) Consider what your audience needs After October 7, the group’s members didn’t just focus on what they wanted to sing. They asked what their audience needed to hear. That shift — from creator-focused to audience-centered — helped them strike the right tone and deepen their impact. When you can understand what story your audience needs to know and are able to share it, the impact will grow exponentially. |
