David Draiman: Defending Israel, getting divorced and his quest for love

“He’s studying guitar,” he says. “He’s in a band in a school of rock in Miami. He’s inspiring.”

As for performing in front of thousands of people, he compares it to group therapy. He says: “Getting in front of the crowd and being very frank and open and honest about [my mental health] has actually been incredibly effective. I’ve been getting better and better as we go along.”

Although he is based in the United States, Draiman’s parents live in Israel, so every rocket worries him. “It never stops,” he says. “The cycle repeats every year. Thank God things have calmed down. I keep an eye on them and am looking forward to seeing them when I come to Israel to perform.”

Draiman has “2,000-plus relatives all over Israel”. Explaining this startlingly large figure, he adds: “Everywhere I go, there’s someone I am related to.”

Unable to get together with all the mishpacha during a single visit to Israel, he has come up with the perfect solution.

He said: “Some are always going to be upset that I didn’t see them, so I invite them to the show to come and see me.” In fact, Draiman’s Yemeni-born grandmother watched

Disturbed’s last show in Israel was in 2019. “It was a dream come true,” he says.

The Down with the Sickness singer is also a determined opponent of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement and often finds himself at the receiving end of online abuse for his staunchly pro-Israel views.

He rails against claims that singer-songwriter Sam Smith cancelled his show at the end of this month due to pressure from activists.

“BDS is always looking for ways to empower themselves and they love to take responsibility for things they have nothing to do with. That’s what the Roger Waters of this world want us to think, [But] the vast majority of cancellations have nothing to do with BDS,” he says.

Draiman says that Smith’s show was cancelled “due to poor ticket sales. In fact all of the Israeli shows right now are suffering from poor ticket sales.”

As for rising antisemitism, Draiman is equally concerned. “How can you not be worried about it?” he says.

Referring to some Democrat politicians, he says: “They pretend to represent everyone when they don’t. It’s very scary how they keep on stirring the pot of antisemitism on a daily basis, under the guise of being social justice warriors, with no repercussions.”

He adds: “The Jews have always been the bogeyman, the scapegoat, [targets of the] world’s oldest hatred. We have to be stronger. I have never seen the world like this before. We have to be diligent and prove them wrong.”

For his part, Draiman says he will keep doing everything he can to convince bands to perform in Israel. “Music shouldn’t be used against the people,” he says. “It’s meant to unite.”

Israel will surely embrace Draiman when he himself arrives in June. Maybe that will be the moment to switch Tinder back on, David.