David Draiman

David Michael Draiman () was born to Jewish parents in the Brooklyn borough of New York City on March 13, 1973. His father, Yehuda "YJ" (), had worked as a real estate developer and small-business owner before he was arrested for embezzlement and sent to prison when Draiman was 12 years old. 2017, and 2022. Draiman's brother, Benjamin, is an ambient musician who lives in Israel. His grandmother Ziona is a Yemenite Jew whose family immigrated to British Mandatory Palestine in the early 1900s. Draiman's parents sent him to Orthodox schools, where he believed he was on the path to receiving rabbinic ordination. He frequently spent time in Israel during his early life. Initially considering offers to study at law school, he realized that criminal defense law was the only area of law that interested him, which made him unwilling to pursue law because he knew he would not be able to "really look at [himself] in the mirror and say 'I'm going to lie for a living and protect criminals. == Career ==

In 1996, Draiman auditioned to be lead singer for the band Brawl, which was later renamed to Disturbed. He auditioned and was asked to join the band after answering an advertisement the other members had placed in a local music publication in Chicago, which he later revealed was one of around 20 auditions for other bands he had attended that month. Guitarist Dan Donegan 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." During Disturbed's hiatus from 2011 to 2015, Draiman worked on an industrial metal project with Geno Lenardo, which was later named Device. They released one self-titled album in 2013. Disturbed returned with the album Immortalized in 2015 and Evolution in 2018. == Artistry ==

Draiman sings in the baritone range. He has been known to pretend to receive an electrical injury at the beginning of Disturbed's live sets. Draiman has said of his influences, "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 – that was my '80s. [...] And then when the grunge revolution happened, it was like a wakeup call. I'll never forget getting my first Nirvana, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains records." == Personal life ==

On September 25, 2011, Draiman married model and actress Lena Yada. Their son was born in September 2013. They divorced in 2023. In May 2025, he got engaged to model Sarah Uli. They became engaged at the Disturbed: The Sickness 25th Anniversary concert in Sacramento, California on May 9, 2025, when he proposed to her on stage. They got married on November 16, 2025. ==Political views==

Draiman said of his political views in 2015, "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." He supported Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign. He has described himself as "a very, very strong supporter of Israel". In 2019, he described former Pink Floyd member Roger Waters and other activists seeking to boycott Israel for human rights abuses as "Nazi comrades". In October 2023, he denounced the attacks on Israel carried out by Hamas and several other Palestinian militant groups as acts of terrorism. In June 2024, he posted photos of himself visiting Israel Defense Forces troops serving in the Gaza war and writing "Fuck Hamas" on a 155mm artillery shell. Draiman has stated that revisiting interviews from earlier in his career has caused him to reevaluate the manner in which he has expressed certain viewpoints: "I’ve looked back at some of my earlier quotes and, regardless of whether or not things were taken out of context, I have to hit myself in the head and think, 'What the hell was I saying?! Why did I say that thing like that?!' I think that when you set yourself up to be a target, people are more than willing to take pot-shots at you." Some members of the audience booed Draiman during his appearance at the Back to the Beginning concert in July 2025, which was linked to his support for Israel during the Gaza war. Draiman blamed the booing on "a few Jew hating morons" and said "I am STILL UNAPOLOGETICALLY A FIERCELY PRO ISRAEL JEW". He called fellow musician Tom Morello "shameful" for praising the Irish hip-hop group Kneecap, saying Morello was "virtue signaling for those who support terror, and incite Jew hatred". Draiman said "All innocent lives lost in this conflict are due to Hamas using their own people as cannon fodder". Kneecap replied, "We don't care what religion anyone is…signing bombs to murder kids and other people's families just makes you a straight up cunt". == Discography ==

Disturbed • The Sickness (2000) • Believe (2002) • Ten Thousand Fists (2005) • Indestructible (2008) • Asylum (2010) • The Lost Children (2011) • Immortalized (2015) • Evolution (2018) • Divisive (2022) Device • Device (2013) Guest appearances • "Forsaken" (written by Jonathan Davis) (2002) • "Here's to Us" (guest version) (2012) • "Dance in the Rain" (guest vocals for Megadeth) (2013) • "We Believe" (guest vocals for Hyro the Hero) (2020) • "King of Misery" (co-written with Saul) (2020) • "Dead Inside" (guest vocals for Nita Strauss) (2021) – No. 1 Mainstream Rock Songs • "Angel Song" (guest vocals for Nothing More) (2024) – No. 1 Mainstream Rock Songs As producer • Trivium – Vengeance Falls (2013) == References ==