Jewish duo wins global acclaim

Local Jewish duo Breindy and Matt Klawansky were honoured with two awards at the World Entertainment Awards in Los Angeles on 31 January, taking home Best Duo and Best Traditional Global Song for their song Yedid. 

What began as a deeply rooted musical expression of tradition has now found global resonance. The international recognition highlights the enduring power of Jewish music on the world stage. 

“It’s always nice to see Hebrew music and South Africans being recognised. It’s inspiring to see your name alongside musicians you admire,” said Breindy. 

The duo submitted their work for nomination last year, and in November, they heard that they had been nominated for Best Duo, as well as Best Traditional Global Song for Yedid. Breindy said it was special to have Yedid win this award, as the song has a deep connection not only to emotions, but to her spirituality. 

Breindy said winning Best Duo signified the dedication they have to each other, not only in terms of their work but in terms of family. 

“I wouldn’t be where I am today without him, and he wouldn’t be where he is without me,” she said. “I don’t do any of the production side, so I really love working with him. We have the same vision. We love collaborating with other artists, but our music is very much comprised of both of us. I’ll be singing and composing, but Matt’s production adds a whole new dimension to the music. So, it’s nice to see us as the best duo. I wouldn’t be able to do it without Matt on many levels. But obviously, finding the time to make music is challenging when you have kids.” 

Yedid, their latest release, is a delicate and haunting interpretation of Yedid Nefesh, a devotional poem written by a 16th-century Kabbalist. Recorded between Johannesburg and Poland, the track features piano, played by Hanna Green, a Jewish mom and musical director at Yeshiva College; cello by Polish cellist Maciej Lacny; and electric guitar. This unusual combination creates a warm, ethereal soundscape that supports the raw and tender vocal performance at its centre. 

“It’s humbling to see the song Yedid, which is the Friday night prayer as well as Saturday after Shabbos, being recognised,” Breindy said. “Obviously the words aren’t mine, but it’s nice to see such old words from a 16th-century Kabbalist text being reimagined and then recognised at an award ceremony.” 

Although they weren’t at the awards ceremony in Los Angeles on 31 January, they still felt the same excitement as it was a culmination of their work over many years. 

Breindy said that she started working on Yedid many years ago as she always wanted to sing to the words of Yedid Nefesh, but the production of the song took a lot of time and collaboration. The song’s emotional pull is underscored by its shifting tempo, moving from a slow, haunting verse into a more expansive chorus. It begins with a solo piano before the cello gently enters, with subtle touches of electric guitar layered in. Musically, one of the defining choices was to record Yedid without a click track, a decision that made the mixing and editing process more complex but preserved the song’s natural ebb and flow. 

“After all the effort, time, and money that we put into the music, not that you do it for the awards, but it inspires you to make more, and it just gives you the stamp that what you’re doing is on the same level as people out there globally,” she said.