David Michael Draiman (born March 13, 1973 in Brooklyn, New York)[1] is the lead singer for the band Disturbed, who hails from Chicago, Illinois.
Education
After attending Yeshiva High School at the Wisconsin Institute for Torah Study in Milwaukee, the Fasman Yeshiva High School and Ida Crown Jewish Academy in Chicago, and Valley Torah High School in North Hollywood, California, he spent the 1991-1992 academic year in the Neveh Zion Yeshiva in Telshe Stone, Jerusalem. He attended Loyola University Chicago where he triple majored in business administration, political science, and Philosophy. He was considering law school before he joined the band, which he discovered in an ad in the Illinois Entertainer, a local music publication in Chicago. His last job before becoming a musician full-time was as an administrator at Ambassador Nursing and Rehab Center in Chicago.
Musical take-off
He is one of six artists who sang for the Queen of the Damned soundtrack, along with Jonathan Davis of KoRn, Wayne Static of Static-X, Jay Gordon of Orgy, Chester Bennington of Linkin Park, and Marilyn Manson. He produced the album Believe as a response to his grandfather's death. In 2006, Draiman was added to the Hit Parader "Heavy Metal's All-Time Top 100 Vocalists" at #42.[2]
In 2003, he started his own record label, Intoxication Records, along with band member/guitarist Dan Donegan, and drummer, Mike Wengren.
One song, "Inside the Fire", off their new album Indestructible, deals with another rough part of his life, the suicide of a former girlfriend when he was younger. He had nightmares for years afterwards, but eventually was able to part with the anguish. That is until recently, while working on the lyrics for the Indestructible album, the nightmares began to reoccur. In the music video for "Inside the Fire", he depicts what dealing with suicide could mean for those with religious backgrounds or beliefs, that a sinful act such as suicide would leave one banned from heaven.
DeepRockDrive
During the live performance at DeepRockDrive, in which fans can vote in for the next song, a text came in literally just before they were about to sing the first ever live performance of "Inside The Fire" asking David whether he could do a backflip. His exact response was: "So you guys ready for..." (laughs) "Wait dude, can you do a backflip?. No, can't do a backflip." (laughs).
There also came a text, which Draiman read out, his exact words: "Ok, Cory Watson, Cory Watson, there was a sign there that said say Cory Watson or I'll slit your dogs throat. That's a little brutal dude, yeah all ya have to do is ask..."
Personal life
David's career in show business started early at the Ida Crown Jewish Academy in Chicago where he performed during school assemblies and was reportedly thrown off the stage. David has a brother Ben who lives with his wife in Jerusalem. One of David's little known best performances was at his brother Ben's wedding in Jerusalem. He is one of five artists who sang for the Queen of the Damned soundtrack, along with Wayne Static of Static-X, Jay Gordon of Orgy, Chester Bennington of Linkin Park, and Marilyn Manson. He originally left his family and beliefs behind to become a rockstar, which upset his grandfather (who was also a holocaust survivor), and further produced the album Believe as a response to his grandfather's death. He attended Loyola University where he triple majored in Business Administration, Political Science, and Philosophy. He was seriously considering law school before he joined the band, which he discovered in an ad in the paper.In 2003 he also started his own record label, Intoxication Records, along with band member/guitarist, Dan Donegan, and drummer, Mike Wengren. David Draiman remains Jewish, although when asked if he was religous in a February 2005 interview, he replied "No, not at all." His last job before becoming a musician full-time was as a part-time Health Care administrator and full-time construction worker He has two homes, one in his Chicago hometown, and one in L.A. The L.A. one, he says, is to "escape the Chicago winters." He lives alone, but his best friend/dog Lisa, a beautiful Japanese Akita, keeps him company. David is the only member of Disturbed that is currently single, and he has no qualms with admitting that he dives right into the rock star groupie lifestyle. He openly admits that it is far too difficult to maintain an actual steady relationship while dealing with extensive touring. This theme is explored in the lyrics of several Disturbed songs, namely "Mistress", "Pain Redefined", and "Guarded".
References
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